Page 94 of A Lot Like Love
Chapter 25
“She’s the most infuriating woman I’ve ever met.”
Ryder tipped his glass and swallowed down the entire shot, wincing as the liquor burned a fiery path down his throat and deep into his stomach.
“Which is why you’re drinking whiskey before lunchtime,” Nate said with a laugh. Chase cracked up, too, and Ryder turned to glare at them. He’d half expected them to have been long gone, but they’d been having too much fun partying to leave and Nate had decided to take a few extra days off.
“Since when do you two let me drink on my own?” Ryder muttered.
“Uh, since you started drinking before eleven a.m.,” Chase replied.
“Oh, I know, maybe it’s because you ditched us for the woman you’re talking about three days ago and just about ripped my head off last time I dared knock on your door.”
Ryder leveled his gaze on Nate and then shrugged. “Fair point.”
“So are you pissed off because you’re still too chickenshit to tell her that you love her, or is it something else?” Nate asked.
“How the hell do you…?”
“You don’t need to pretend like you’re not head over heels for this girl,” Nate interrupted. “Hell, if you weren’t with her I’d be knocking down her door myself.”
Ryder glared at his big brother. “Easy,” he muttered.
Nate held up his hands. “Hey, I’m just telling you what we think of her. We spent a couple of days hanging with her and she’s pretty awesome. She’s beautiful, smart, and a lot of fun to be around.”
“Don’t let her walk, Ryder. Don’t you dare,” Chase chimed in.
Ryder took a deep breath and slammed his palms down on the bar. If he was actually going to go through with what he was thinking, he needed to let them in on it. There was no way he could do this on his own.
“That mean you wouldn’t think I was crazy if I said I was going to ask her to marry me?”
Neither Chase nor Nate said a thing. They both stared back, mouths hanging open.
“You’re serious?” Nate asked.
He took a deep breath. “’m serious.”
Chase stepped forward to slap him on the back. “Do it,” he said, holding him tight as he hugged him. “Do it now or you’ll regret it forever.”
Ryder hugged him back, but he was watching Nate now. For years he’d done his own thing, not worried about his family or anyone else. All he’d cared about was making his own mark on the world, having fun and making money doing what he loved, but he’d already made one mistake since he’d been back and he wasn’t going to make another. Nate’s opinion mattered to him. They were brothers, they had their grandfather’s estate to run and preserve, and that meant it was time for him to start acting like he was part of the team.
“Nate?” he asked. “I know you like her, but…”
“Do it,” Nate said, a grin spreading across his face as he reached for his hand and pulled him in for another brotherly hug. “There ain’t no one I’d rather have as a sister-in-law than Chloe.”
“It’s not as easy as that,” Ryder said, running a hand through his hair. Riding bulls and climbing onto wild broncs had never fazed him, but what he had planned? Now that required balls. “If it’s gonna work I need you guys to help me.”
They both shrugged. “Shoot,” Chase said. “Tell us what you want and we’ll do it.”
Ryder turned and asked the bartender for a pen, jotting down some notes on a napkin. “Nate, I need you to find a friend of Chloe’s. Here’s her address and if you can’t find her there, then go to Joe’s. She worked shifts with Chloe. I need our jet back in Texas and returning with her on it by tonight.” He looked at Chase. “And I need you to buy suits, shirts, and ties for the three of us.”
His brothers exchanged glances, but it was Nate who narrowed his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. “Tell me you’re not trying to pull off a wedding in less than twelve hours.”
Ryder laughed. “That’s exactly what I’m doing. Now get the jet back to Texas and her friend on board, or I’ll never pull this thing off. I’ve got a dress to organize, a chapel to book, and a ring to buy.”
“You’re crazy, you know that? Why can’t you just propose like a normal guy?” Nate asked. “You could get married back on the ranch next year or something.”
“Because Chloe doesn’t believe me that I can settle down with one woman,” Ryder told them, his voice low. “She’s been let down all her life, and I want to show her that it’s time she let someone take care of her. Starting right now.”
