Page 10 of Owned By The Cowboy
“It’s nothing.”
“Bullshit,” Tommy says, muting the TV. “Spill.”
Great. Now I’ve got my guys staring at me like this is some kind of intervention.
“It’s personal.”
“Everything’s personal,” Carlos says. “That’s what makes it worth talking about.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Too bad,” Tommy adds. “We’re not unmuting the TV until you tell us what’s eating at you.”
I glare at him. “You’re an asshole.”
“Yeah, but I’m an asshole who cares. So talk.”
These guys. They’re my brothers, and sometimes I want to kill them all.
“Fine. There’s a woman.”
“Holy shit,” Jake says, perking up. “Blayne Madison has woman problems.”
“I don’t have woman problems.”
“Then what do you have?”
I take a long pull from my drink, trying to figure out how to explain this without sounding like a complete idiot.
“There’s this woman I’ve known for years. She’s… she’s been off-limits. But now she’s not. And I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to do about it.”
“What do you mean, off-limits?” Martinez asks.
“It’s complicated.”
“Everything’s complicated,” Tommy says. “That’s what makes it interesting.”
“She’s Mel’s daughter.”
The room goes quiet. They all know what he means to me.
“Which daughter?” Carlos asks carefully.
“The oldest one. Reggie.”
“The one who just got divorced?” Jake asks.
“Yeah.”
“And moved back to town?”
“Yeah.”
“With the three kids?”
I roll my eyes. For fuck’s sake. “Yeah.”
Tommy whistles low. “Well, shit.”
