Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 133878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 536(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 536(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Shit. He’d said that. Out loud. With words and stuff. Him. The quiet one. He was quiet because when he talked, he tended to get in trouble and say weird shit like the stuff about the koala bears.
Everyone was quiet for a moment, and then Elisa put her radio away. “That’s sweet, Bay. And Rye, I was talking about you. I was wondering if I was going to need help keeping you from making a fool of yourself for no reason I can see. Also, I was joking about needing help. I assure you I can put you on your ass myself if you push this any further. Your wife is in tears, and your sister is probably feeling humiliated right now.”
Brooke shrugged. “I don’t know. What Bay said kind of took the sting out, and honestly, the sex is fabulous. I’m more irritated that he made me feel like a whore.”
Rye seemed taken aback by everything. His hands came down and his eyes closed for a moment before he opened them again. “I didn’t say that, Brooke. I’m sorry if I made you feel that way. I’m worried about you. I’m worried about the world eating you up and spitting you out and not doing anything to protect you. Obviously, no, you don’t need to call anyone, and I’ll give Stef a ride. I’ll move some car seats. We’re parked on the other end of Main.”
“Might I suggest some family therapy,” Elisa offered. Then her dad was whispering in her ear, and she nodded. “I’ll take the Talbots back.”
“Max, Rye, let’s go to Trio and get a drink and have a talk.” Mel tipped his hat Brooke’s way. “Are you going to take care of her? She needs a break.”
Rachel? He thought Mel was talking about Rachel.
Rachel sniffled and put her arm through Brooke’s. “I can use a break. Is it okay?”
Brooke nodded. “Of course.”
“Rach,” Rye began.
Max put a hand out. “No. You are going to let her have a night. Maybe a couple of nights. Baby, we’ll take care of the kids. You relax, and maybe we should do that talky thing Alexei wants us too because we’ve got a lot on our plates and we’re not expressing ourselves properly.” He put a hand to his gut. “Wow. Words can make you nauseous.”
“I’ll call Nell and Henry,” Jen promised. “See if they need any help.”
“I’ll process the truck and have Long-Haired Roger tow it back to his shop,” Elisa announced. “I might need to talk some more, though. I don’t like how this feels. But it can wait until morning.”
Everyone was breaking up. Rye was looking at Rachel like he was losing her, but Max made him walk away with Mel.
What was happening?
“Uhm, can I drop you off somewhere?” He was still feeling weird about basically telling Brooke he was crazy about her in front of everyone. How would she handle it? They were supposed to be playing it cool.
Shane leaned over. “I think she’s coming with us.”
Brooke’s chin tilted up. “She is coming with us.”
Rachel was coming with them. To the place where he’d planned to fuck her sister-in-law all night.
Well, at least Rye was going to get what he wanted.
Bay sighed and followed his brother and hoped he hadn’t fucked everything up.
Chapter Eleven
Brooke set the coffee down in front of her sister-in-law and wondered if Bay and Shane were already riding the fences. They’d been out of bed before she woke up, and the night before had been weirdly tense when they’d gotten home and settled Rachel into the guest bedroom.
Bay and Shane had been weird. Not with her. They were sweet and affectionate and made sure Rachel had everything she needed. But she’d felt the tension.
They hadn’t even tried to get in her pants, and she worried it had something to do with what was said the night before. Did Shane not feel the same way Bay did? When Bay said what he had about how they felt about her, had Shane been upset?
Rachel looked down at the coffee. “Do you know how long it’s been since I sat in the quiet and enjoyed a cup of coffee?”
She felt for her sister-in-law. She settled in across from her. The foreman’s house was cozy, with three bedrooms and a nice-sized kitchen. “Well, I think this coffee is excellent. Beth stocks it for Trev, and she sent some over. You know Trev is made of caffeine, right? At least that’s what Beth says. So this coffee is truly fine.”
Rachel’s lips turned up faintly, and she brought it to her lips. She took a sip and her eyes closed. “Yes, it is.”
Brooke tasted the rich roast and sighed. “It’s ready before I wake up. Did you get any sleep?”
“Is it wrong to say I slept better than I have in a long time?” Her sister-in-law sat back, and her gaze went to the big windows that showed the expansive ranch. “Ethan is teething, and Max and Rye are trying to expand the business, which means they’re gone a lot of the time. They’ve been making excellent money with breeding, but it requires them to be on the road a lot. Paige is about to be out of school for the summer, so I’m going to have three kids and this pregnancy to deal with, and now I wonder who the hell your brother is.”