Page 4 of Heating Up (Nugget)
“Mm-hmm. They own a big dude ranch on the other side of town where corporate types pay big bucks to pretend they’re cowboys for a week. The rest of the time Lucky teams up with the Lumber Baron to hold destination weddings and events. Brady oversees the catering.”
“And Tawny makes boots?”
“Beautiful boots. You see them in the garage when Tawny showed you the place?”
“Yeah. But I was too busy looking at the house to really check them out. Thanks for hooking me up with her, little sister. Although I’ve gotta say, I’m gonna miss Windsor Castle, here.”
“You know you’re welcome to stay as long as you like, even if you are eating us out of house and home.”
The house was still new for Sloane and Brady, who’d just started living together. Aidan suspected the lovebirds wanted their alone time. Who wouldn’t?
“Sue call?” he asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
“No. Wouldn’t she call your cell?”
Yeah, that was the thing; she hadn’t. It had been nearly seven weeks and not a peep.
“Aid, isn’t that partly why you moved here? Because you knew it was over?”
“We just have stuff to settle, that’s all.” He felt responsible for her and wanted to make sure she was okay.
“Like what?” Sloane asked.
He slid his plate down the granite top of the center island. “You want some of this?”
“I’m going back to bed.” She started to head out of the kitchen and stopped. “Did Dana have a place to stay?”
“The cap said she went to the Lumber Baron.”
“Really?” His sister frowned.
“What? The place is plush.”
“It’s gorgeous. But she should be with people, not alone.”
“Jake and Cecilia offered to take her home . . . her partner too. Apparently, the woman has cats and Dana’s allergic to them. Maybe she wanted to grieve in private. Nothing wrong with that.”
“Maybe,” she said. “’Night, Aid.”
“’Night, Sloane.”
“Oh.” She stopped in her tracks, “I forgot to tell you. Brady and I are getting married.”
He pulled back in surprise. “When did this happen? Shit, am I interrupting your big proposal night?”
“Nah. I kind of feel like we’re past that. Our big romantic thing was when he shocked me by buying this house . . . roses, champagne; it was awesome. We’re just legalizing it is all.”
“No wedding?”
“Hell yeah! Big party. We just have to figure out where and when. But don’t worry, you’re invited.”
“Gee, thanks. Mom and Dad will be happy. They were starting to think of you as a tramp.”
“That’s because I am.” She slid her arm up one of the pine pillars and feigned a little pole dance that made him want to wash his eyes out with bleach. “See you in a few hours.”
Aidan put away the fish and potatoes and rinsed and loaded his plate into the dishwasher. Sniffing himself, he decided to jump into the shower. He stunk like smoke and char and sweat. Thank goodness Sloane had grown up with those smells or she would’ve kicked him out of her pristine kitchen.
She’d been the only one of his three siblings who’d failed to follow in their father’s firefighting footsteps. Hell, their legacy in CFD went all the way back to both their maternal and paternal grandfathers. But his rebel sister had to become a cop.
