Blake snorts with laughter and drives away. “She hated you, you know.”
“Oh, I know.” I grin. “The day you broke up with her, I had an extra-large burger and fries just to celebrate.”
He shakes his head. “Is it any wonder I can’t keep a girlfriend with you chasing them all off?”
“You can’t keep a girl because you have terrible taste,” I inform him bluntly. “Kayla? Lulu? Mitzi?” I add, smirking. “Every time you said her name, I expected a chinchilla to come trotting out behind you!”
Blake tries not to laugh, but it doesn’t work. “She was a nice girl.”
“She was a Victoria’s Secret model with a bigger bra size than IQ,” I correct him. “I would ask what you saw in her, but the answer was pretty clear.”
“We had fun,” Blake says, wistful.
“Fun isn’t everything,” I shake my head. “You need someone who doesn’t care about all this Hollywood bullshit. Someone who wants to be with you, not just on your arm for the next big red carpet premiere.”
“I don’t have time for that.” Blake shoots me a wry glance. “I know you tease me about Mitzi and Kayla and all the rest, but they’re nice girls. I don’t have the energy for anything more serious right now. Things are getting pretty crazy. This is basically the last day off I have scheduled until Christmas.”
“Wow, I didn’t realize.”
“Which is why I’m not going looking for an emotional commitment,” he adds. “Because I know my limits.”
My heart falls. “Why do I feel another lecture coming on?”
“Because you know I’m right,” Blake says gently. “You showed up here, looking for some kind of escape, and jumped right into this guy’s arms. What do you even know about him anyway, besides the fact he’s, what, a small-town mechanic?”
“Hey,” I stop him sharply. “Don’t say it like that.”
Blake pauses. “I’m sorry, you’re right, but you know I don’t care about money and all that stuff. I just mean, where is this going? How long are you planning on staying here?”
“I don’t know,” I say in a small voice.
“And what are you going to do with your life?” he adds. My distress must be clear, because his voice softens. “I’m not trying to make you feel bad, I’m just looking out for you, that’s all. You’ve got swept along in some big fling, but is that really enough?”
He stops there, but I can finish the rest of his sentence.
Isn’t that what got you into this mess in the first place?
I feel wounded and under attack. “Maybe I don’t need a reason to be with Ryland,” I snap back. “I’m not the one who picks my dates based on who’s famous or pretty enough to get me on the front page of every magazine in town.”The minute the words are out of my mouth, I know I’ve gone too far. But I can’t bring myself to apologize, not after the way he was talking about Ryland.
There’s silence.
“Is this the turn?” Blake asks, his voice tight. He nods out the window. The sign points off the main road to the ranch.
We’re here.
Ryland greets us out front, looking heart-stoppingly good in worn-in jeans and a faded cotton T-shirt. “Hey.” He strides forwards and drops a kiss on my cheek. My stomach flutters like it’s our very first date, and I feel my cheeks flush with the sight of him.
“Did you make it OK?” he asks. “These back roads can get kind of confusing.”
“Yeah. Fine.” Blake’s reply is clipped.
Ryland pauses, looking back and forth between us. “Uh, well, Brit and Hunter are out back. The grill’s smoking pretty good.”
“We brought steaks.” I thrust the cooler forward, feeling awkward. Ryland takes it.
“Thanks. Come on in, I’ll get you a drink.”
He takes my hand and leads me into the house, Blake following a few paces behind. “Everything OK?” he murmurs.
“Tell you later,” I whisper back, as we reach the kitchen.
Ryland nods, and turns back to my brother. “We’ve got juice, soda, beer…”
“I’ll take a beer. Thanks,” he adds, still looking tense.
“Sure thing.” Ryland fetches a cold one from the fridge and hands it over.
“I’ll be outside.” Blake shoots me a look, and then strides out. Through the open back door, I can see him head over to where Brit and her husband are standing by the grill.
“Something I said?” Ryland asks lightly. He wraps his arms around me from behind, dipping a kiss against my shoulder.
Just the feel of his body against me sends my tension melting away. I take a deep breath, relaxing back into his embrace. “We had words in the car. He’s worried I’m moving too fast with you,” I admit.
Ryland turns me to face him. He sets his arms loosely around my waist, looking down into my eyes. “Do you think this is too fast?” he asks quietly. “I didn’t think… Asking you guys to come meet Brit and Hunter, I mean.”
“It’s not that,” I object quickly. Although, now that he’s mentioned it, we’re introducing each other to our families now. That’s a big step.
I look away, then force myself to meet his eyes again. “I just… In Pinecrest, they warned us about getting involved after treatment,” I confess. “People sometimes transfer, just jump right into the next thing, without solving any of their problems.”