Page 28 of Bray
Kitten didn’t look up. She had her eyes on her loaded plate, her fork still resting beside it, shoulders curled down, as if trying to be small.
“Doubtful,” Colt replied. “Not enough time for any of them to figure out who Katie is, where she lived, then find someone to mess with her. They might be ass–ahem, jerks–” Ma gave him a look “–but they don’t seem that smart or organized.”
“But if Trout wants Katie’s land–”
“I’m sure the guy from the bar doesn’t even remember me,” Kitten murmured. “Why would he? I’m just a server in some random bar. I bet he hits on all the waitresses that serve him.”
Why would he? Because how could anyone forget my kitten?
Colt went to his usual seat and dropped into it. Shep passed him one of the dishes of mac and cheese.
“I’ll check into it further, but I think Katie’s right. The guy’s just a jerk and was handsy with a waitress. Just a coincidence it was Katie.”
I nodded, although agreeing meant it was a dead end. “Those idiots didn’t seem the type to work that hard if they were that upset about what happened. Plus, I was the one who punched his lights out. He should’ve been pissed at me.”
“Maybe it wasn’t Katie they’re upset with,” Beauoffered. He’d been quiet and observant to this point. “Maybe it’s Lainey.”
Everyone froze, then looked to Lainey. She flushed at the attention, but her eyes were as wide as saucers, as if she’d never considered the possibility. “Me?”
Beau only offered a small shrug, but his gaze still pierced through Lainey like a pin through a bug.
Shit. I hadn’t thought of that. When I looked to Colt, it seemed he hadn’t either.
“If it wasn’t the man from the bar, then who did it?” Ma asked, picking up her glass of iced tea.
That was what I wanted to know. He wanted the same answers. We all did. But now things opened up a hell of a lot. Who really was in danger? My kitten or my sister?
17
KATIE
“I don’t knowwhy you grabbed that casserole from your mom,” I told Bray two hours later. I walked from stall to stall in my stable and he was right beside me. He had sugar cubes in his hand and one of the horses, Junior, stuck his head out of his stall and nibbled them right off his open palm.
We didn’t linger at dinner after I’d cleaned my plate, Bray telling everyone I had to get back to check on the horses. Based on the way Lainey smirked at me, she clearly thought that was a euphemism for having sex.
While my pussy was sore from earlier, it clenched with eagerness for more. It was as if one time was all ittook and now I was hooked on sex. Hooked on Bray and his very talented dick. And fingers. And mouth.
He and his mom had hustled into the kitchen after dessert and packed up a frozen dish–Mexican lasagna–before we were ushered out the door. Mrs. Wilder gave me an extra tight squeeze, Mr. Wilder told me to call him Pops and Lainey winked.
Winked!
I’d put the dish in my fridge to slowly thaw so I could heat it up for dinner tomorrow. Then I slipped on my work boots and Bray followed me to the stable.
“Because it’s one of my favorites,” he said. I’d almost forgotten what we were talking about.
I went into the last stall and confirmed there was hay in Pepper’s hay net.
“Tell me about Trout,” Bray said.
His words surprised me. I spun around and he was casually leaning against the wall.
“What?” My heart started to race and suddenly it was hot in the barn. It wasn’t because Bray was so good looking. His broad shoulders, those forearms. Those eyes. I could sound like a poet enthralled with every bit of him. I still couldn’t believe I’d had sex with him.
Me!
“Trout,” he repeated. It didn’t seem like he was going to let this go. “What’d he do to you, besides mess with the creek?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. I mean, he’s never… touched me if that’s what you’re asking.”
