Hopeless (Chestnut Springs, #5)(39)

Beau turns toward me, huffing a soft laugh against the curve of my neck. It’s so hot out, so stagnant, that I lean into the rush of air on my hot skin.

And Cade? Cade just sits there, glaring at his dad. “You’re getting worse the older you get. You know that?”

I can see Harvey biting at the inside of his cheek, trying so hard to keep a straight face. “What are you talking about?”

“Dad. You just made a joke about … ” Cade swipes a hand through his hair and looks at his son before deciding to forge ahead anyway. “Me jacking off a goat.”

A high-pitched gasp lurches from Beau, who is now rubbing at his eye sockets.

“Cade, watch your mouth at the dinner table. And get your head out of the gutter. Male goats have nipples too.”

Cade gapes at his dad. “You fucking serious right now?”

Harvey shakes his head. “I think. They might. Okay, fine. I wasn’t talking about their nipples.” And then he bursts out laughing along with everyone else while Cade drops his head down on the table. His shoulders shake, so I’m pretty sure he’s laughing too.

“Okay, enough about Cade and his goat handjobs,” Harvey announces.

I hear a, “There is no me and my goats,” from Cade, but Harvey ignores him and turns his attention to Beau and me. “Let’s talk about the new love birds.”

All my laughter comes to a screeching halt, and a heavy pit of dread drops into my stomach. I don’t want to talk about Beau and me.

For the past several days, we’ve worked well together. As in, we see each other in passing. Beau heads out on the ranch every day with his brother, and I work at the bar. At night, I sleep in my excruciatingly hot trailer while thinking about whether I should chance going into the air-conditioned house.

To find out if Beau is a prude or not.

My money is on not, but every time I get up and almost make it there, I stop. I’m too chickenshit to find out.

“Set a wedding date?” Harvey’s perceptive eyes bounce between Beau and me curiously.

Beau lifts his hand from my leg, and the skin feels clammy without his touch. It’s too hot to be close to someone, yet I wish he’d put it back.

Like he can read my mind, he slings his arm over my shoulder, fingertips drawing casual lines over the bare skin on my shoulder.

If it wasn’t so fucking hot out, I’d cover myself from head to toe so I could avoid the distraction of his skin on mine. Alas, this is the heat wave that never ends.

“A long engagement, I think.” He cants his head toward me as I turn my face up to him. Our lips are so close. Uncomfortably close. It takes me back to that morning at the river.

Beau’s metallic irises drop my gaze and fixate on my mouth.

I wonder if he’ll kiss me.

Our first kiss, at a table full of his family. Part of me wants to dig a hole and hide from that kind of PDA. The other part of me wishes he’d just do it.

We’ll have to kiss at some point. We both know.

A shiver runs down my spine as he stays focused on my lips, moving incrementally closer.

But Beau just smirks down at me. It’s a carnal smirk, one that says he senses me leaning into him, sees my chest rising more rapidly, knows I crossed my legs just to stem the ache between them.

“Yeah.” He turns his face back to everyone sitting around the fancy-style table on the back patio. “Long engagement. Nothing set in stone yet.”

I clear my throat and offer the general vicinity a forced smile. “Taking our time,” I add stupidly, voice sounding all dazed.

“Well, that’s fine. I didn’t put a date on the announcement.”

“Announcement?” My voice cracks when I pose Harvey the question.

“Yeah, for the Chestnut Springs Herald. Did it for all my other kids. You two aren’t getting off scot-free. Plus, it’ll keep all the lady callers of Beau’s away if we get it out there. Some of them are relentless.”

“What?” Beau sounds genuinely confused.

He waves a casual hand. “Ah, yeah. I can’t even go to the grocery store without some woman walking up and inquiring about you like I’m a pimp or something.”

I bristle, shimmying my shoulders taller. I shouldn’t care—I don’t care—it just seems rude that Harvey can’t even get his food in peace.

Sloane’s mom, Cordelia, pats his hand, giving him an amused look. “Harvey, I think that’s enough for one night.”

Somehow, that changes the entire vibe at the table. It’s like everyone’s attention latches onto that one motion. Her hand on his. His eyes on hers. The way he takes her hand, turns it over and links his fingers with hers. I watch the sentimental way he squeezes her hand, an expression of pure adoration on his face.

Then their eyes snap up.

Then they pull their hands back and scoot away from each other.

The table instantly becomes awkward.

Now, I wonder if this is what it was like watching Beau and me staring at each other.

“I got new shoes,” Beau announces, attempting to grab everyone’s attention. “Bailey took me shoe shopping. Ditched the dorky white runners. Got some black runners, suede sneakers, even a pair of leather boots.”

No one talks, wide eyes still moving around the table. Harvey’s ears have turned pink, and he’s gulping water down as though that might save him from having to talk right now.