“Down here,” Harvey’s voice pulls me away, and we turn right down a hallway lit by brass sconces on the walls. “I know this room is on the main floor. We’ll try to keep it down in the mornings. Rhett and I have rooms upstairs, so I thought this might give you a little more space away from us men. It has an adjoining bathroom. The closet is the biggest in here, too.”
He does one pull up with my suitcase. My very, very full suitcase. “Thinking I made the right choice with that.”
My cheeks pink a bit. I must seem like a real city girl to a man like Harvey Eaton. “I wasn’t sure what to expect with this assignment.”
He chuckles good-naturedly. “Expect a rodeo, girl. I love my boy. But he’s a handful. Has always been one. Come to think of it, I’m not sure anyone has ever truly handled Rhett at all. Youngest boy and all that. Even his baby sister ended up being the more mature of the two. The one who looked out for him—because Rhett needs looking out for. My advice? Don’t push too hard. He’ll just push back.”
I nod, a little wide-eyed. He’s making Rhett sound downright insane. “Sage advice, Mr. Eaton.”
He drops my suitcase just inside the door of a room at the very end of the hall. “Girl, if I’m calling you Summer, you’re calling me Harvey. We got it?”
I smile at him as I enter the room. “Got it.”
“Good.” He steps back out into the hall. “Take your time getting settled. I’ll be in the kitchen when you’re ready. We can eat, and I’ll show you around.”
“That’s perfect.” I give him the brightest smile I can muster before he ambles back down the hallway.
When I close the door behind him, I rest my head against the cool wood and suck in a deep breath to chase away the anxiety.
And then I pray for patience because something tells me I’m going to need it.
4
Rhett
Rhett: Want your daughter back yet ? I promise I’ll be good.
Kip: She’s not even there yet.
Rhett: Think of all the time you’ll save her by calling her back now.
Kip: No.
Rhett: Please?
Kip: Don’t try to be polite. It doesn’t suit you.
Rhett: Suck a dick.
Kip: How do you think I’m keeping all your sponsors?
Summer Hamilton pulled up in her fancy SUV and ridiculous prissy outfit like she’s going out on the town rather than showing up on a cattle ranch.
So, I made myself scarce. I might be stuck with her, but I don’t have to like it.
And I don’t. I fucking hate being treated like a child, or like I’m stupid. Or worse, like I’m some sort of criminal. I had hoped that sleeping in my own bed and having some processing time to come to terms with my new arrangement might make it feel a little less stifling—less insulting.
But it still feels like trash.
Which is why I’m here pounding posts with my older brother. Setting new fence lines for some of his horses to be closer to his house, which is just over the crest of a big hill from where my dad and I live. Cade pulls a post out of the back of his pickup and hefts it over his shoulder with a grunt. He looks the most like our dad, wide shoulders and tightly cut hair. The only thing missing is a mustache. Something I love to harass him about, especially since he’s one growly motherfucker. It’s just too easy.
“When are you going to grow out the ‘stache and go full Old Man Eaton?”
He glares at me before he drops the post and lines up the pointed end with the spot he wants. “Dunno. When you cutting your hair, Rapunzel?”
This feels good. This feels familiar. Pissing Cade off is one of my favorite past-times. And he’s so fucking grumbly that it never stops being satisfying. He’s all bark and no bite, one of the nicest dudes I know.
If you can overlook what a prick he is.
I pull my cap off and flick my hair over my shoulder, trying not to wince at the shot of pain in my shoulder. Or the swelling in my knee. Or the ache in my back.
Never mind Rapunzel, I’m more like Humpty Dumpty.
“Never. How will I pull a princess through my window?”
He snorts and grabs the post pounder while I take over holding the post upright. “Just one princess, brother? Hardly seems like you.”
I roll my eyes. Cade is the monk in this family. I don’t think I’ve seen him with a single woman since his divorce.
“I’m just trying to have enough sex for the both of us,” I lie. That part of me has changed. It doesn’t hold the same appeal these last couple seasons. Not like it used to. It brings drama, and I’ve grown tired of having to spend time with people who only want something from me or who see me as some sort of trophy.