Page 13 of Spurred On

“I can’t believe Hanna wanted Tibby to come,” Claire said.

“Well, she didn’t have a choice then. Tibby will be her sister-in-law, after all.”

Claire shuddered. “I can’t believe she’s marrying Zack.”

“No one can believe it,” Cade said. He took a long sip of his coffee.

Cody sucked in a deep breath. “Well, it’s our job to make sure she has the best bachelorette party ever.”

“Right . . .” Something in Claire’s tone caught his attention.

He frowned at her. “What?”

His sister batted her lashes. It made a cold shiver run up his spine. “It’s up to you guys. I’m not going to be here this weekend.”

“What?” Both he and Cade howled in tandem.

Claire tipped her chin into an intransigent angle they all knew well. “I’m going to visit Grandma at the home this weekend. Didn’t I mention it?”

“No. You most certainly did not.” This weekend? This weekend?

Cade stared at her. “You’d rather spend a weekend feeding applesauce to old people than helping your brothers run a party?”

“This party? Yes.”

Cody put out a lip. “But we need you.” Claire was the only one who understood her booking system.

She shrugged with a nonchalance only a bratty younger sister could pull off. “Sorry, bro. But you should have known I would duck out when you agreed to allow the Spawn of Satan onto the ranch.”

“Come on. Tibby’s not that bad.”

Claire shot him a look as dry as the Kalahari.

Cody tried another tack. “But isn’t Hanna your friend? Don’t you want to be here for her?”

Claire pursed her lips in a lemony moue. “Hanna knows damn well how I feel about her marrying Zack. She won’t mind if I boycott the festivities.”

“But Claire . . .”

Apparently she was not in the mood to hear any more. She stood with the screech of her chair. “Sorry. You should have thought about all that before you invited the Gorgon to our party.”

“I didn’t invite Tibby.”

“That hardly matters.”

“Claire . . . Wait.”

She didn’t wait. She flounced from the room and picked up the suitcase in the hall. “See ya,” she called. But then she stopped and turned around. Relief flooded him . . . until she added, “Don’t forget to lock your door.” Yeah, Claire was a past master at sarcasm.

Only she probably wasn’t kidding.

The slam of the screen door echoed throughout the house, like a death knell, or something.

Cade glanced at him as silence fell on the kitchen. “Well,” he said after a long while, “I guess it’s just you and me.”

“I guess.” Cody pushed away from the table.

“Where are you going?” Cade asked.