Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 87067 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87067 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Carlyle cracked up. “You never told me about that!”
Cole gave a coughing laugh, then wiped his mouth. “Now that I wish I’d seen.”
“Okay, okay, I give. No more stories.” Katie harrumphed and sat back in her seat before lifting her glass of wine. “My children don’t need any more ideas.”
“But I like the idea of painting with nail polish,” Melissa said in her sweet-as-pie, innocent voice. “I have a pretty pink one that would make the best butterflies in my room.”
“No butterflies with nail polish,” Carlyle added. “If you want butterflies, we’ll get some real paint, okay?”
“Okay,” she agreed.
JB chuckled because Melissa wouldn’t be letting them forget. Might as well have been a promise. He leaned forward and took a bite of spaghetti, groaning in appreciation. “I swear, Mom, this sauce just gets better and better.”
“It is really good,” Cole said.
“That’s because of all the meat she puts into it,” his father interjected as he speared an Italian sausage and lifted it to his lips.
“Honey, you could cut that up like you actually have some manners,” Bel admonished, though she was smiling.
Jesse winked at her, and the look was so like Katie’s wink, it made JB chuckle again. But his laughter died with the clickety-clack of high heels coming around the walkway on the side of the house.
“Yoo-hoo!” a high-pitched voice above their laughter called.
He groaned again, but this time it wasn’t in pleasure for the food. The last thing he needed was Teresa Bishop.
Sure enough, the woman came around the corner, dressed in a bright-pink sundress and carrying a pie. Her blonde hair was loose about her shoulders. The pie did not help to make her more appealing.
She was Logan’s little sister and a real pain in the ass. Everyone knew about her crush on him. There was no missing it. She went out of her way to show it, doing everything from warning off potential dates to…bringing him pie every chance she got.
Cole leaned over and whispered, “More family?”
JB shook his head.
“I’ve got a nice, warm apple pie for you guys,” Teresa said as she clacked her way to the table. “Oh, I didn’t mean to interrupt your dinner.”
It was all he could do not to roll his eyes at her tone. She knew exactly when they’d be eating because they always ate at this time.
“Hi, Teresa.” Bel jumped up to take the pie. “Will you join us for dinner?”
“If you insist. It smells fantastic.” Teresa turned his attention to him, flashing her brightest smile. “Hi, JB. I missed you when I came out yesterday.”
“Well, you know how busy a ranch can be.” Could he hide under the table? Would anyone notice? Cole was a nice guy; he’d slip him bits of garlic bread until Teresa finally left.
“Don’t I know it. I keep telling Logan he needs to hire more hands so he’s not out there from sunup to sundown like he is.” Her gaze went to Cole and widened. She walked around to his seat and held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Teresa Bishop.”
“Cole McCord,” Cole replied, politely shaking her hand.
“He’s a friend. Staying for a while. With me,” JB said haltingly. Why he tacked that onto the end was beyond him. But then, maybe she’d take the hint and think he was with Cole.
Her nose wrinkled and she pushed back her blonde hair as she withdrew her hand from Cole’s large paw.
Bel set the pie onto the table. “I’ll go and get you a plate.”
JB waited for Teresa to offer to get her own damn plate and he didn’t know why. The woman had the manners of a billy goat. Instead, she sat down in a seat next to JB and put her hand on his arm. He subtly removed his arm from the table and her sweaty hand. His gaze met Cole’s and the man looked awfully amused, lines forming at the corners of his eyes in humor. His lips trembled as if he was barely holding in great belly laughs at his expense.
“Where are you from, Cole? That’s not a Texas accent I hear,” she asked, letting her own accent draw her words out.
“Cincinnati, Ohio,” he answered. “I’m here for a couple of weeks, visiting.”
“You’re far from home, then. How did you meet JB?” She tilted her head. “Oh! It must have been when he went out there a few years ago. You’ve kept in touch all this time?”
JB had to suppress a smirk at the note of disappointment in her voice. He let her think what she wanted and stood as Cole answered her. If he really was a sweet, kind man, he would say anything to destroy the impression that they were more than friends. “I’m going to help Mom.”
He walked into the house as his mother was pouring Teresa a glass of wine. He went to the cabinets to get small plates for the pie. Teresa might be a pain, but she baked like a dream. Yeah, he shouldn’t eat it, but this pie was the only damn thing of hers he was going to touch.