Page 25 of A Cowboy's Twinkling Lights Lasso
I scowl and clench my body as I take the quickest fucking shower of my life.
I step out of the stone and glass enclosure and pat my body quickly. With a scrub over the foggy glass, my hand rids the condensation.
My mood is as sour as buttermilk left out in the sun. What the hell possessed her to string me and take off?
I pull my skin and twist my torso, examining the long scratch marks reflecting vivid and raw—beads of blood form in spots. I’d enjoy the repercussions had the incident not ended with me breaking Santa’s antique chair. Mayor Thomas will be as cross as a bear with sore paws—and likely as deadly. Damn good thing I’m not going to be here.
I snatch my phone and scroll through my contacts.
Who would’ve thought finding a replacement would be so complicated? I guess if I hadn’t berated Kyle, he wouldn’t have declined to step in for me. My thumb lingers over another friend, and finally, I hit his number, set the phone on the counter, and put it on speaker.
“Hey, Slater, what’s up?”
“Bronx, listen, I need a favor, man.” I grab the towel and run it vigorously against my hair.
“Anything for you.”
“Something’s come up at my ranch that I have to tend to, but I’ve committed to this calendar fundraiser event at The Fox Lodge. If you can spare this weekend, there’s a helluva fancy room included, free meals, and a couple of days of posing with woman after woman.”
“Hell, yeah, I’m in—”
“What the fuck are you doing?” My brother barges into the shared bathroom from the bedroom he’s staying in.
“Dude.” I slap the towel to cover my joystick.
“Bronx, he’s not leaving. I got the ranch figured out. Thanks, buddy. Bye.” Theo hits the end button and glares at me. “You rope me into this event and then attempt to ditch me? What’s the matter? Can’t take a little friendly competition?”
I ain’t getting into it, especially not with my brother.
“Boundaries.” I wrap the towel around my waist.
“Screw boundaries.” He sits on the counter. “Oh, shit. Where did you get these?”
I swat his hand away from my chest.
“Is this Freak Frame, Flora?” He whistles. “I wouldn’t have guessed she was freaky in the sack. Why have you been a sourpuss if you knocked boots with freaky—”
I grab him by the throat and shove him against the mirror. “Say. It. One. More. Time.”
He holds up his hands. “Chill, bro.”
I let him go, and he rubs his throat. “What’s got your britches in a bunch?”
“This conversation.” I shut off the light when I exit the bathroom.
“Asshole,” my brother mutters.
I lock my bedroom door adjoined to the shared bathroom.
Theo pounds on it. “Come on, Thorn. What happened? Is she dating someone? Engaged? Secretly married? Has all your planning halted, and you need a pick-me-up?”
“Fuck off!”
Surprisingly, he goes quiet.
I rip off my towel and tug on a pair of briefs. I don’t even have my jeans up my legs when Theo storms into my bedroom through the main door.
Bloody hell.
