Page 13 of Love, Hate, Love

“He’s a real charmer until he realizes he’s not going to get back in your pants because the first time wasn’t worth a repeat.”

“Ahh. Okay.” The guy was so good-looking that he probably fell into that curse where he didn’t think he had to do much—not that I ever intended to find out. But knowing what little I did about Missy already, there was clearly a lot more to the story than a bad go-around in bed.

“Hey, I’ve got to do a fence check tomorrow afternoon—you’re welcome to come along if you want?” she said, shifting the conversation. “It might be a nice change. We’ll take the ATVs and go around the different fence perimeters, make sure none of the wood posts are rotting or pieces are missing.”

“You don’t just walk it?” That could buy a lot more time away from the house, where Kade might be.

She was squinting as if I were nuts. “When you’ve got four thousand acres? No way. Heck, we won’t even be hitting all the pastures, and it’s still going to take most of the day.”

“Four thousand acres?” Every time I looked around or found out something new about this place, I grew more impressed with what Kade had built. I shouldn’t have been, but it was hard when I remembered the young guy working sunup to sundown to keep this place afloat. He’d worked himself to the bone to just pay the electric bill. To see him come this far was inspiring.

“Yeah. I mean between the horse and the cattle.”

“There’s cattle?”

“You can’t train cutting horses if you don’t have cattle. You know, a horse can’t cut cattle from a herd that doesn’t exist. He’s in the process of buying more acres, but the guy who owns the land to the north is being stubborn on price, even though he wants to sell. We’ll get it, though. That’ll put this place at over six thousand acres once it gets worked out.”

How was Kade able to buy so much? Monroe had hinted that he had been pretty successful, but whenever Kade’s name came up, I’d find a distraction or change of subject. Because when I did hear his name, all I thought of was a past that was too painful, a friendship lost, and a first crush that hadn’t just been crushing but pulverizing.

I was on the verge of getting swallowed by that black hole of memories when the door to the bunkhouse swung open and the star of my nightmares strolled in.

There were greetings around the room, but I kept my attention trained on the game I’d been ignoring.

Sometimes I wondered if I’d ever known Kade at all. Other times, like now, I could sense his energy the second he entered the room and knew he was here for a fight before anyone else caught on. And what was sitting right beside me, giving him the perfect excuse? The beer.

The room went quiet, proving Kade didn’t look happy as he walked over and stood in front of me.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

I finally met his stare. “It’s the bunkhouse. As far as I’m aware, I’m allowed in here. I actuallyhaveto come here because my shed doesn’t have a bathroom.”

“You aren’t allowed at parties,” he said.

“It’s not a party.”

He reached beside me, going for that damned beer, as I prepared for battle.

He held it up in between us. “This yours?” he asked.

I wanted to tell him to go to hell but couldn’t. The problem was, thisdidlook bad.

“I didn’t drink it. I didn’t even ask for it.” If I sounded slightly aggressive, it was his fault for being the one to ask. It wasn’t as if he deserved any softness from me.

“Let’s go. It’s time to go to bed.”

A few of the guys groaned. “Come on, Dad, let her stay out a little late tonight.”

“We promise she’ll be in bed by ten,” another one said, followed by laughter.

Kade glanced their way and the room fell silent.

“It wasn’t hers,” Missy said. “Adam left it there. Look at it, it’s full.”

With my face burning red, and with the smallest scrap of pride I had left, I patted her arm. “Don’t worry about it. I was ready to leave as soon as he showed up to the party.” I was speaking directly to Missy but was loud enough that the room heard.

I got a couple mumbled laughs when I walked out the door, Kade on my heels as I walked the short distance to my shed.

I walked in, trying to shut the door after me, but I wasn’t fast enough to keep him out.

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