Stealing Hearts (Wild at Heart #1)(16)

He opens the door, and it’s a bright room with two twin beds. The bedspreads are blue, and there are constellation stickers on the ceiling, which must glow in the dark. Their bookshelves are brimming with books and dinosaurs and trucks.

“It’s a lovely bedroom.” I clear my throat. “You must miss them when they’re with their mom.”

“I usually get them every other week, but since they just got outta school for the summer, Amber has them for two weeks.”

“If you ever need me to help out with them, I’d be happy to.”

“Thanks. I might take you up on that.” He closes that door and opens the one behind us, which I know is the master bedroom. The moment I enter, I’m hit with the yummy scent of his cologne. It’s a sparse room. Just a king-size bed, a small couch, a dresser, and a TV mounted across from the bed.

Rhett rubs the back of his neck. “This is nothing special, but you’re welcome here. Make yourself at home. You can sleep on my bed or on the couch, though that’s probably not comfortable. Off to the side here is my bathroom. If you’d like a shower, there are towels in the cabinet.”

He looks so adorably awkward, I smile. “Thanks. This is great. Sorry I’m putting you out like this.”

“It’s no trouble at all. After all the times Danny saved my ass when we were growing up, it’s the least I can do.”

My smile withers. Of course he’s only doing this because of my brother.

I’ll definitely be napping on the couch.





7





RHETT




Sweat stings my eyes as I shovel out stall after stall, but there isn’t enough work around here to purge the confusion brewing in my soul.

Seeing Paige cry because of me and Amber arguing hit me in a way I didn’t expect. My natural instinct is to do what I’ve always done—comfort her. Only there’s a helluva difference between picking up my best friend’s pint-sized little sister versus the woman currently snoozing in my bedroom.

“Bro.” Beau marches up to me with a scowl on his face. He sticks his thumb over his shoulder toward the house. “Is there something you wanna tell me?”

I shovel some fresh hay into the stall. “Like what?”

“Like why the hell Paige Lewis just stumbled out of your bedroom, wearing your clothes, looking freshly—”

“You’d better not say what I think you’re gonna say.”

“Looking like… she just tumbled out of bed.” He scratches his chin. “Your bed.”

“Where’s she supposed to sleep? There’s too much traffic in the living room. The girl needs to get some rest.” I grumble to myself as I push a wheelbarrow full of horse shit to the next stall.

My brother trails behind me. “I feel like I’m missing something here. Because this is the same Paige Lewis who’s been avoiding your calls for the last few years, right?”

“What’s your point?”

He chuckles. “I love how evasive you get sometimes.”

I lean the pitchfork against the stall. “Jace and I saw her car at the park this morning.” I was with Danny when he bought it for her. I’d recognize that little Kia anywhere. “Sun was barely up. Thought maybe she’d been carjacked or high schoolers had taken her vehicle for a joy ride.”

“Let me guess. That’s not what happened.”

“She was fucking sleeping in her shoebox of a car, if you can believe it. I nearly had a heart attack when I saw her all curled up in the front seat.”

Leaning one arm against a post, he frowns. “So how did she end up wearing your flannel and pajama bottoms? Which were way too big for her, FYI.”

“I gave her the flannel this morning, and the pajama bottoms?” I shrug. “She must’ve grabbed them when I told her to take a shower and a nap.” I fight the urge to go see what she looks like wearing my clothes.

“And?”

I hold out my hands. “I don’t fucking know, to tell you the truth. Jace said she should marry me so I could get that loan.” I give him the Cliff’s Notes version of our younger brother’s plan.

“You’re going to marry Paige?” The look of shock on his face tells me he thinks that’s a stupid idea too.

I’ve been wrestling with that all morning. “I decided to find someone else. Paige isn’t the right person.” There’s something fragile about her, and I don’t wanna be the person who messes with that. I’m not a soft man, and I get the sense she needs someone who’ll be tender and sweet. That’s not me.

The real shocker is how much chemistry she and I have, and that’s just wrong. I’m ten fucking years older than she is. Danny would kill me if I messed with his baby sister.

I’m not going there with her. I made a promise to Danny on his deathbed to look out for her, and I aim to do just that.

Beau helps me shovel some hay and finally breaks the silence. “I wouldn’t say it’s a stupid idea. Paige might’ve been avoiding you, but deep down we all know you’re special to her. I think she’d help you pull this off for Harlan’s sake. Only…”

“Only?”

“Only I’d be afraid of her getting hurt.”