Page 32 of White Collar Rancher

Yeah, she’d pop in. Guess her awkward morning after was going to happen after all.

“Dude.” Caleb snapped his fingers. His breath puffed out. The barn was protected from the wind but without the sun shining in and no sheep packed inside, it stayed chilly inside. “I lost you again. This mystery girl was that epic, huh?”

Justin glared at his friend, mostly to hide the fact that his night had in fact been that epic. Now he was fretting over the diminishing chances of it happening again, thanks to his sister and brother-in-law.

“So, about the sheep.” They needed to be moved to new pastures before the snow got too deep for them to forage safely. The creatures might have a wool coat, but they were sensitive to the bitter wind chills Moore experienced in the winter. It was getting too close to Thanksgiving, but thanks to baby mania, they hadn’t herded the sheep yet.

“Sure. The sheep.” The corners of Caleb’s eyes twinkled, but he hadn’t pushed for the identity of the woman in Justin’s bedroom. “Want me to distract Bridge so your girl can sneak out?”

“Could you?” Brigit would understand. Eventually. And while he didn’t want to think about it as her brother, Caleb would know exactly what distracted Brigit.

The other man was about to answer when his gaze strayed to the door. A flurry of panting kicked up. The dogs were excited about someone’s approach. The shock on his face told Justin exactly who it was.

He turned from where he was leaning against a metal stall rail. Priya picked her way through the dirt of the barn floor. Her pristine white winter coat was zipped to her chin and those fancy boots weren’t her friend in this environment. The faint light streaming through the barn glistened off her recently washed hair.

She didn’t look up as she spoke. “I should’ve listened to Brigit when she said suede wedge boots would die a slow death in the barn.”

“There’s no fresh manure,” he replied. “As long as you stay out of the back. That’s where we keep the injured sheep.”

He wanted to go to her, give her a kiss and ask how she was doing. But friends didn’t do that. They were casual. Looking at her didn’t feel casual. His body heated enough to ward off all the cold. He could use a repeat of what they’d done as soon as Isaiah was down for the night.

So he played it cool and stayed standing by Caleb. Questions streamed through his mind. Had she grabbed breakfast? Was she dying inside? Had Brigit interrogated her? Had she been lured out of the room? He wouldn’t have thought his twin would do that, but since she’d moved back to Moore, she’d been bolder in her words and actions. He liked it. Just not right now.

Priya stopped where she was. “I…don’t want to ruin my boots.” She stuffed her hands in her coat. “I, uh, just wanted to say bye.”

He should walk her to her car. He wanted to. Dammit. This casual shit was messing with his mind. His flings when he was single had been just that. Temporary. With women who were looking for release as much as he was. He and Priya didn’t quite fit into that category.

Besides, he didn’t normally walk her out. And if he got too close to her, he might be the one ruining her boots. His own were filthy. He lifted his chin. “Call ya later?”

Her smile seemed forced. “Whenever.”

As she tottered away, he wondered if their little show had been more for Caleb than for maintaining the limits of exclusive friends with benefits.

Caleb had the grace to wait until she was out of earshot before he spoke. “You and Priya, huh?”

“It’s not like that.”

“It’s not like you were having a slumber party and her clothes were all over the living room?”

Justin rolled his eyes. “It’s not serious. She knows I have a thing about getting into another relationship.”

“But does she have a thing about it, too? Because if I recall correctly, the major issue between you and Maisy was that she wanted more than you. And then that lady in Denver wanted less than you.”

“That’s different.” He stalked off to check his sick ewes. The ones he and Caleb had already looked at.

“How?” Caleb followed him. “Your bad experience on one end propelled you toward the other.”

This was why he never talked about his personal life. “Friends with benefits. Ever hear of it?”

“Even the parts about how it turned out badly because one of the friends ends up wanting more.”

Justin stopped and faced Caleb. The man wasn’t laughing. He was genuinely concerned and not just for Justin. Priya had been on the periphery of their group of friends because he’d dated Maisy. Some of his ire drained away.

“Look, I’m not looking to debate. I slept with her. I want to do it again. But I don’t want another woman pulling my strings to get me to do her bidding. She knows that, and all this”—he gestured between him and where Priya had walked out—“is between her and me. I’d appreciate it if you kept it all to yourself. She’s having a hard time at work with what happened.”

Caleb nodded. “I heard.”

Justin cut him a sharp look.

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