Page 15 of The Holiday Heartbreaker

“If tonight is going to devolve into this sort of talk, I’m going to go home and call Byron,” Charity said.

Byron was Charity’s fiancé, though Brody had never met the guy, since he lived across the country, per Lachlan. Someone Charity had met at veterinary school. That she’d gotten engaged to someone else only made Brody that much more mystified by the connection between his brother and the sweet little veterinarian.

It wasn’t sexual.

Lachlan liked an obvious sort of woman, the kind that was there for a good time, just like him. Lachlan was an obvious sort of guy. Not really any different than Brody, actually.

Charity was... She was cute. But, she was really just cute. She had long blond hair that curled at the ends, and wore prim little dresses and ankle socks. If she’d ever applied makeup, he’d never seen it. And yet she was the one person in the world that Lachlan seemed to have a strong bond with outside the family.

He was like her guard dog. Always standing with her.

“It isn’t going to turn into that,” Brody said. “Because I have nothing to say about her, pretty or not. She’s got a kid.”

Lachlan grimaced. “Oh.”

“If a woman has a child, that disqualifies her from the two of you objectifying her?” Charity asked.

“Well, now I’m confused, Doc,” Lachlan said. “Because you distinctly said that you did not want us getting into this kind of talk, and now you seem kind of upset that we’re not going to.”

“I just think it’s weird and sexist that suddenly the two of you can’t think she’s pretty because she has a child.”

“No, it moves her outside of the arena of women that we would ever hook up with,” Lachlan said. “There are rules.”

“Scoundrel rules,” Brody said.

“Lord give me strength,” Charity said, looking up at the ceiling.

“No family members of friends—especially not sisters,” Lachlan said.

“Hunter blew that,” Brody said.

“Hunter is an asshole,” Lachlan said. “I would never. No friends, no wives of friends, no single moms unless you don’t know the kid exists. As in, the kid is nowhere around, because she’s just out to have a good time. So basically, if you don’t know she’s a single mom, it’s fine. Because it has nothing to do with you, and neither does the kid.”

“Please tell me you don’t have this written down somewhere,” she said.

“No,” Lachlan said. “In fact, I’ve never actually said it out loud until right now. But it’s true.”

“It’s true,” Brody confirmed.

Charity rolled her eyes and reached out toward the center of the table, taking a handful of chips out of the bowl. “You guys are a couple of sketchy characters.”

“And yet here you are, on a lovely Friday night, sitting with us.”

“Well, it would either be that or sitting at home.”

And he knew that Charity had been doing an awful lot of that lately. Her dad was sick, and his health was declining.

“It’s good to get away when you can,” Lachlan said, all of the teasing gone from his eyes.

His brother really did care about his friend.

“Yeah. It is getting late, though. I should go. Thank you for giving me a chance to kick your butt soundly. I will take my five dollars, and next time I’m in Copper Ridge, maybe I’ll buy myself a fancy coffee drink.”

Lachlan got up and walked Charity to the door, opening it for her, then standing there watching as she walked to her car. Then he closed the door and turned back to Brody. “Bummer about the kid.”

“It’s fine.”

“You like her, though.”

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