Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 114068 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 570(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114068 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 570(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
“Well, yeah. It was an excuse to make a huge mess with no one gettin’ mad at you.” Ryder pulls me a little closer. “Can I ask you a favor?”
“Always.”
“Be good to my brother, would you? Duke grew up feeling like the odd one out, even though he’s probably got the biggest heart out of all of us. He’s always been lookin’ for something more, you know?” Ryder’s eyes bore into mine. “I think he mighta found it in you.”
My eyes prick. “Duke is…kind of amazing, isn’t he?”
“He’s my best friend. Of course I think he’s amazing. Although if you ever tell him I said that, I’ll deny it up and down.” Ryder’s smile is kind. “We love havin’ you at the ranch, Wheeler. I hope you know that. But I also love how you push Duke out of his comfort zone. Give him an excuse to get out of town. He needs that.”
I have to look away. Otherwise, I’m liable to burst into tears. “You’re a good friend and brother to go to bat for him like this.”
“You’re a good friend too, Wheeler.” Ryder pats my hand. “Duke doesn’t let just anybody in. He’s picky. Probably why he’s been single all this time. But you stood out to him, for all the right reasons.”
“Jesus.” I wipe my eyes. “Since when are you the relationship whisperer?”
Ryder shrugs. “Heck if I know. Not like I have any real experience in that area.”
But he does. Maybe not romantically speaking, but Ryder has good relationships with all four of his brothers, despite the fact that they work together and live within a five-mile radius of each other.
Just like Duke, he loves hard.
I want to be loved that way.
I turn around at the tap on my shoulder.
“Can I borrow you for a sec?” Ava asks. “There’s some friends of mine I want you to meet.”
Ryder huffs out a sigh. “Fine. But I get her back, ya hear?”
“Wyatt’s already claimed her for the auction.”
“What?” I laugh. “Since when am I in such high demand?”
Ava furrows her brow. “Since forever.” She says it like there should be a duh at the end of that sentence.
Next thing I know, she’s whisking me toward a circle of women. She introduces me to Sarah, who has four-year-old triplets and a side gig illustrating erotic scenes from romance books. Then there’s Paige, who has three kids three and under, and Mona, who is eight months pregnant with her second boy. She works three days a week as a physician’s assistant at the family medicine practice down the street.
“We’ve all heard about your boots,” Sarah says.
Mona nods. “I’m asking for a pair for Christmas. The red ones with the hearts.”
“Oooh, I love those. Y’all are truly so, so talented,” Paige adds. “I wish I was creative like that.”
Sarah grins. “If you ever want me to illustrate a scene for you where the people are wearing your boots and your boots only, just say the word.”
Laughing—so much laughing tonight—I grab my phone and open up a blank notes page. “I think our Instagram followers would definitely get a kick out of that, Sarah. All right, gimme your email. And then I need all y’all’s shoe sizes.”
I’m buzzing by the time the auction begins, and I haven’t had so much as a drop of alcohol. Wyatt elbows Sawyer out of the way to claim the seat beside mine. Duke sits on my other side, draping his arm over the back of my chair.
“You okay?” he asks, voice low. “I know this is a lot.”
Bending down to grab my paddle out of my bag, I shake my head. “Are you kidding? This is so much fun. Thank you again for the invite. Everyone is so friendly.”
He smiles, a funny look in his eyes. “I saw you working the room, taking names and selling boots.”
“The boots will be a gift. I really like those girls.”
He swipes his thumb over my bare shoulder. Once, twice. “You fit right in. No surprise there, though.”
But Duke is the one who really shines during the auction. He drives the prices up on everything, from a tie-dyed butterfly made from coffee filters to a snowman constructed entirely from buttons. Goody, Tallulah’s wife, is running the auction, and she kindly but firmly asks Duke to give other family members a shot at winning the next handful of items.
Mollie buys a cardboard cowboy hat decorated with glitter. I purchase a princess party the threes teachers will host for Junie, Ella, and ten of their very best friends, letting out a squeal of delight when I beat Paige by fifty bucks.
Duke gives my thigh a squeeze, then leans in to brush his lips over my neck before murmuring in my ear, “You wanna be one of the best friends that goes to that party, right?”