Page 90 of Space Cowgirl: Houston, All Systems Go
“Gramps wasn’t a weirdo.”
“Holt, the man was worth near a billion and he shoveled cow shit. Forfun.” She emphasizes the last with a shake of her head. “I’d say that’s pretty fucking weird.”
“Going by that, I guess I’m weird too, then.”
She doesn’t say anything, just raises her brows.
I raise my hat, one hand raking through the sweaty mess underneath. If the West Oil board members I saw a few days ago downtown could see me now, I’m pretty sure they’d think I was weird too.
Rose turns and heaves the tailgate closed. “Jules was right when she said Tucker is more than capable of running this place, not that we even need it. I mean, you made this place profitable, but you always seem to forget that we’re filthy rich without it.”
Her dismissal of Grandpa’s legacy hurts. “Hey now, this ranch is what made us a family.”
Rose sighs the sigh of a beleaguered mother. “No, you moron.” She steps close and pokes me painfully in the chest. “You’rewhat made us a family. You just happened to do it here.”
Well.
I think I might just prove Rose’s point about men being emotional basket cases, ’cause I feel suddenly teary-eyed.
Thankfully oblivious, either that or showing a rare case of empathy, Rose ignores my emotional turmoil. “Now,” she says, rubbing her hands together like a cartoon villain. “Should I come full circle and finish off the West brothers’ love sagas by doing what you did to Flynn?”
Concentrating on her odd train of thought, my tears dry up. “What are you talking about?”
“When you wantedhimto see sense you slept with his girlfriend.”
Confused, I just frown. “I’m not following.”
Over the hands clasped in front of her, an evil smirk emerges. “I just thought, if you were going to continue moping around, I might just have to go see if Jules is up for a trip to Vegas.”
“Vegas? What the heck is it with the women in my life? None of you make sense.”
“Vegas, dear brother, is where I become a lesbian soothsayer.” She crosses her arms and leans back on the truck, wiggling her eyebrows. “I bet I could seduce Jules for a night.” She thinks it over. “Or at least it would be fun to try.”
It takes me a minute to close my mouth. “Jesus, Rose. Stay the hell away from Jules.”
She pouts before whining, “But you did it to Flynn.”
“That’s completely different. Flynn didn’t love her, he just—” I choke on my words while Rose looks far too pleased with herself.
“Oh, sonowyou admit to loving Jules.”
Frozen, I let what I just said sink in, feeling the pinch in my chest melt away. I do. I love her. I stagger back a step. “I love Jules.”
Rose pushes up off the truck and saunters past me over to Bess. “Duh.”
I wait until she’s situated in the saddle before making my way to the driver’s side door on shaky legs. Before I can use the last of my energy to lift myself in, Rose calls out, “Hate to burst your epiphany, bro, but you’ve still got a problem.”
Of course. Sighing, I squint up at her. “I do?”
“Jules does not open up to people. She barely does to Jackie. And since I get the feeling she may have with you…” I nod, confirming her words. “I’m also thinking she isn’t the type of person to give second chances.”
I remember how closed off she was when we first met, quick with a joke, good at deflecting. How she slowly exposed more of herself to me as we got closer. Until I basically called her an untrustworthy slut.
“Shit.”
Rose laughs, her surprise turning it into a coughing fit. Bess remains steady and bored beneath her.
The pinch in my chest, just soothed moments ago, spikes. I bang my forehead on the truck, arms limp at my sides. “What do I do?”
