Page 16 of A Cowboy's Bride
Jake opened the box and put food on plates while Declan grabbed drinks from the fridge.
Aiden shifted position closer to Petra’s side. “You okay?” he asked softly.
“Oh, I will be. I guess, somehow.” She met his gaze. “This is one hell of a situation, but I’ll do it. You’re all so clearly telling the truth, and I have a soft spot for people who step across lines to do things the system can’t fix.”
Relief shone on his face. “Sorry we got you into this.”
“Yeah, and you’re going to be even more sorry. But we’ll talk about those details when it’s just the two of us. We’re going to need a little bit bigger plan than Declan realizes.”
Aiden nodded. “Food first? That’ll give us time to talk about what our overall plans are here for Hell or High Water. High Water to the community.”
Oh, she liked that. “That’s a very evocative name.”
Aiden took a couple of sandwiches then passed her the platter. “It’s meant to be. The three of us have had experiences that mean we know what it’s like to face an ultimatum and be willing to do anything to come out the other side whole.”
“Okay.” Petra waited until everybody had filled their plates. “Tell me the plan so I know what I’ve signed up for. At least temporarily,” she said quickly to Declan. “Because you need to keep looking for that Danielle-approved housekeeper, got it?”
“Of course.” Declan said firmly.
As far she could tell, it was a rock-solid promise.
She sat back and enjoyed Tansy’s excellent lunch while the three brothers painted a picture of what High Water would look like, and she listened as closely as possible.
The animal rescue would be the connection to the community. The artists’ retreat house, with small group workshops scattered throughout the year, would bring in money to help fund the ranch. Running both of those plus the rest of the ranch chores would create jobs for the temporary guests to do while they prepared for their next step.
All the while, though, a part of Petra’s brain was trying to decide what on earth she was going to tell her family and friends who knew the engagement was a lie.A small deception. A temporary situation for the greater good.
God, that sounded pathetic even in her brain.
Nope, she wasn’t doing this on her own. Aiden was going to have to help her. But the more the brothers shared, the more she came to realize she couldn’t walk away.
Not now.
5
Aiden wasn’t sure who he should hit first. Declan for getting him into this situation or himself because the image of Petra in his bed again was vivid and demanding, and he absolutely needed to not go there.
This was about High Water, period.
Maybe after the deception was done they could retest some mattress springs, but for now, Aiden was determined to be an utter gentleman and offer her nothing but respect for the help she’d been hijacked into offering.
Fuck his life. He was definitely punching the daylights out of Declan, first chance he got.
The meal was over, and Petra, who had spent most of her time nodding, grabbed Aiden by the arm. “You and me. We need to talk, stat.”
“No prob.” He tilted his chin at Declan. “Okay with me adjusting rooms and the rest of it?”
“Have at ‘er. Less than twenty-four hours. Knock yourself out.” Declan met Petra’s gaze again. “Thank you. We’ll find a way to make it up to you.”
“I don’t need a reward.” Petra lifted her chin. “Not for doing the right thing.”
“Good.” Declan nodded sharply before he and Jake carried off the remainders of the lunch, stuffed them into the fridge, then left the room.
The big open space suddenly seemed awfully small. Aiden folded his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair. “So. Logistics.”
“How good of a liar are you?” Petra asked. Her eyes snapped, her expression serious.
“As good as I need to be,” he offered.
