“That’s your brother? Is this your family’s ranch?” He seems a little shocked as he looks around. It reminds me of how little we know each other. I don’t know much about his family dynamic or his life outside of being here at all, actually. It’s strange to spend an entire day with someone and not really know anything about them.
“Welcome home,” I say with enthusiasm, stopping my truck. Cade holds a saddle over his shoulder, looking at me with a confused expression.
I may have forgotten to mention to him that we were stopping by. He’s been a disaster since Mare, my best friend and his girlfriend, left for work. She’s currently in Chicago writing a book and in constant meetings. I don’t hear from her a lot, and while he might hear from her more than I do, I know he won’t get that depressing scowl off his face until she’s back here in Sutten. If she comes back to Sutten. It’s all up in the air right now.
“I should’ve known you grew up somewhere like this.” Neither one of us makes a move to open the door, even though my brother stands in front of the truck with an even deeper frown on his face than he normally has.
“Should I be offended by that?”
For a fraction of a second, his gaze lingers on my lips. If I blinked, I would’ve missed it. But I didn’t miss it, and I can’t help it when my tongue peeks out and traces the spot his focus was just on.
He clears his throat, making both of us jump. “I didn’t mean it as an insult.”
“I’m shocked.”
“I just meant that I should’ve known we grew up so differently. I grew up being scolded if I had a wrinkle in my clothing. You probably ran around the house with mud on your boots, and no one said a word.”
For a moment, I feel sad for the child he must’ve been. It’s only a tiny crumb of information about his life, but it tells me enough. We grew up very differently, and maybe if I got to know him a little more, I’d find out that there’s more to him other than just being a grumpy asshole.
Before I can say anything else, the driver’s-side door is ripped open. I almost fall out in front of both of them.
“Cade!” I yell, adjusting my butt in the seat. “What was that for?”
“What are you doing here, Pip?”
Camden snickers from the other side of me. “Pip?”
I aim a dirty look his way, totally forgetting that ten seconds ago, I was almost feeling sorry for him.
“And who is this?” Cade’s tone is not friendly. He definitely isn’t rolling out the welcome mat for our new guest. He’s acting every bit the overprotective big brother, even though he has no reason to be.
“This,” I begin, sliding out of the truck and planting my boots on the ground, “is Camden Hunter. He took over the Richardson gallery.”
“The guy you called a prick because he bought the space you wanted?”
Camden’s eyebrow arches in curiosity as he rounds around the front of the vehicle. I was too busy gawking at my brother’s unnecessary comment to notice Camden even getting out to begin with.
“I didn’t want to buy the space,” I lie, suddenly embarrassed. For some reason, I don’t want Camden to know I wanted the space he now owns. I don’t want him to have that to hold against me. Because I’m sure things can’t stay neutral between us forever, and even though today he’s been friendlier than normal, I know there will be a time when we’ll go back to arguing, and when that happens, I’d rather him not know that I’d always dreamed of buying the art gallery to allow myself more space for Wake and Bake.
Cade fixes the ball cap on his head. “What are you talking about? All you ever rattled on about was saving up the money to buy their place and yours and merge them together.” He pulls me closer to him, running his gloved hand along my forehead. “Did you get concussed and not tell anyone?”
I shove my brother away, wiping at my skin to see if he got any dirt on me. “Cade, you have no idea what you’re talking about.”
My brother gives me an odd look, but thankfully, he drops it. I’m sure the next time he gets me alone, he might ask about it, though. I’ll answer him when I have to. Right now, I’m more concerned about the inquisitive stare I’m getting from Camden.
Cade pulls a leather glove off his hand and sticks it into the back pocket of his jeans. He extends his hand, waiting for Camden to shake it. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Hunter. I’m Cade.”
Camden takes his hand. It’s funny to watch the two of them shake hands, knowing how vastly different they are. My brother is a country boy with his worn-in jeans and faded cap on his head. There’s dirt on his shirt from working today, and his boots are littered with scuffs. Camden barely has a hair out of place, despite riding around with the windows down with me today. He looks a tad more casual than he normally is by not wearing a suit jacket, but the nice button-up shirt and slacks are no match for the ranch.