Page 17 of Sweet Obsession
Before he could answer, he was peppered with more questions. “Why didn’t you tell us you were coming?” “How long can you stay?” “Is anything wrong, you’re not sick or something?”
“Hang on.” Kade squatted to give Brady some more scratches. “I’m fine. I’ve got a temporary duty assignment starting next month, so I’m here for a little….” His voice trailed off as his eyes fell on Blake. “Holy, mother of Moses. What the hell are you doing here?”
In an instant he and his childhood best friend were engulfed in a back-slapping hug with a few jabs and pokes tossed in. Both laughing, memories of just how inseparable they’d been growing up came crashing down.
“About bloody time you showed your face around here.” Kade yanked his almost brother into another bone crushing hug.
“Hey,” Carson patted Kade gently on the shoulder, “be careful. You don’t want to break your new brother-in-law before the wedding.”
Kade’s expression shifted faster than the speed of light, the sparkle in his eyes giving way to a narrowed gaze. “My newwhat?”
Smart man that he was, Blake took a step in retreat—outside fist throwing distance—and flashed a toothy smile. “Surprise?”
Chapter Nine
It was silly of Alice to be bringing curtains to a bunkhouse, but with little financial resources and Clint sacrificing so much for the ranch, she just had to do something to show her appreciation. Especially since Ray had almost ruined the ranch, an honest man at her side was worth his weight in gold. Sliding off the horse, she closed her eyes and prayed that Clint was the man she thought him to be, then pulling the folded panels from her saddle bag, marched up to the door and knocked.
The old wooden door swung open and she didn’t know who looked more surprised, Clint at finding her standing at his door, or her for finding him shirtless and barefoot. Any fool could see every muscle from his neck to his six-pack showed this man worked hard for a living. Probably always had. Not that six-pack abs would hold up in a court of law to prove Clint was an honest man, but it was enough for her. “I know it’s late…”
“No.” Running his fingers through his hair, Clint did his best to tame the unruly dark locks. “I was just watching television.”
“I, uh, brought some curtains.”
If she thought he’d been surprised a moment ago, wide circles of white surrounding deep blue eyes teetered on utter shock.
Maybe this hadn’t been as good an idea as she’d thought.
Clint must have realized her discomfort. Pulling the door fully open, he stepped to one side and waved her in before hurrying to the sofa and shrugging into his shirt. Quickly gathering dirty dishes and empty wrappers from the small table in front of the couch, he shrugged. “Sorry for the mess. I wasn’t expecting…company.”
“Apologies are mine. I should have called.”
Clint chuckled and swiped his hand through his hair again.
“Did I say something funny?”
Biting back a grin, the corners of his mouth tipped slightly upward anyhow, making his eyes sparkle. Honest eyes. “It’s your ranch. You don’t need to call to come to the bunkhouse. It’s not like I’m entertaining or anything.”
With the paltry amount of money she gave him, she doubted he could afford to feed a cat, never mindentertaina…person. “I apologize anyway, but if you don’t mind, I thought it might brighten the place up a bit to hang curtains.”
Looking up at the few windows in the room, his gaze darted back to her. “Of course.”
Consumed by the muscles, the grin, and awkwardness of her surprise visit, not till this moment did she realize the bunkhouse looked different. Considering it was where cowboys hung their hats, the place looked almost… homey. The furniture had been moved around, and a few pieces that weren’t hers had been added. An oversized comfy chair—what Charlie would have called a man’s chair—faced a small television. A bookcase on the far wall held a scattering of framed photos and other knick-knacks. Definitely not a common sight in a bunkhouse intended to house a slew of men. The urge to cross the room and examine the photos was strong, but she resisted.
“I’ll get a stepstool.” Without waiting for her response, he darted off down the narrow hall.
Unfolding the curtains and leaning the tension rods under the first window, she grabbed a chair and dragged it in front of her first target. Hauling herself up, she balanced on the edges of the seat and slid the rod into the curtain. By the time Clint returned with the stepstool, the first curtain was in place and she was back on solid ground. By the time she’d hung the last curtain, she’d gotten close enough to see the photo of a much younger Clint and a young boy whose sparkling eyes bore a strong resemblance to his. Did Clint have a family? She’d never seen his application. Stealing a few more glances, no photos of a wife or mother of the boy, only him and the young child. Interesting. For the first time since finding out about swindling Ray, she realized just how little she knew about her one and only ranch hand.
Kade’s gaze narrowed fiercely and Blake could only imagine the myriad of thoughts running through his head. Most of which would be the none too flattering events early in his career that involved women, parties, vats of alcohol, and of course, more women. But that had all been a long time ago.
“Reel it in, bro.” This came from Preston, patting his older brother firmly on the shoulder. “Remember the trust money?”
Kade blinked, but continued to drill Blake with that big brother death ray gaze that all the Sweet men had developed around their little sisters.
“Would you rather she married Chet?” Carson flashed a toothy grin at their military brother.
“Chet?” Kade practically growled, spinning around to face his two brothers.
“That’s the guy that answered Jillian’s ad for a husband. Of course he wants money.”
