Carter (Remington Ranch Book 3) by SJ McCoy

her a puzzled look.
    She laughed. “For a minute there I had visions of you not wanting to upset all your female admirers by taking me in with you.”
    He had to laugh at that. “I don’t have any female admirers.”
    “I don’t believe you for a minute! I’ll bet you do really, don’t you? You’re not trying to tell me that there isn’t a woman in there who follows you around begging you to go out with her, are you?”
    His smile faded as he remembered Melanie.
    ~ ~ ~
    Summer’s smile faded too. “Oh!”
    “No! It’s not like that. I’ve been working out in there for years. I’ve never been interested in the ladies and they’ve never been interested in me.”
    She gave him a skeptical look.
    “It’s true! They know I’m not in the market, so they don’t bother.” He sighed. “Well, they didn’t. Until you. They realized that I might be back in the market, so there’s one girl who wants me to take her out, but I’m not going to.”
    Summer felt bad. She’d felt a momentary jealousy and had only intended to tease him. She was pretty much convinced there were quite a few women who were interested in Carter. How could there not be? He was gorgeous looking and a genuinely good guy. She hadn’t meant to make him uncomfortable, and she certainly hadn’t intended to make herself feel uncomfortable about some nameless girl at the gym who might be her competition for Carter’s affection. She couldn’t help wondering now, if she might be the reason that Carter didn’t want to sleep with her? Maybe he was keeping his options open?
    He held her gaze. “What are you thinking?”
    She shook her head. “That I wish I’d kept my mouth shut. I was only teasing, but now I feel jealous.”
    Carter laughed. “Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?”
    She sighed. “Probably. But that just makes me feel stupid.”
    “Oh, darlin’, I’m sorry.” He reached across the table and took hold of her hand.
    She couldn’t help but smile at the way his huge hand engulfed hers. She met his gaze and squeezed. “Please don’t be. It’s just me being silly. I like you. I know lots of other women must like you, too. I’m just a visitor, I’m an oddity. I know that…”
    He held her gaze. “You’re special is what you are. You’ll have to forgive me. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. It’s just the thought of you being jealous over me seems a little far-fetched. You know? You’re the big country star. I’m just the yard guy. The guy at the gym.”
    She shook her head firmly. “No. Look at it from my perspective for a minute, would you. I am the country singer, I’ll give you that, and that might seem great from the outside. But from where I sit, it’s not so great at all. It means I don’t get to be me. I don’t get to ever have anyone care about me just because I’m me. I get guys who want to date the country singer, but who never know or care who I really am or what I want…”
    “But I…” Carter started to interrupt, but she held a hand up to stop him.
    “Exactly. I know! You’re not like that. You like me, you care about me, you couldn’t care less that I sing or that people know me. That’s why it matters so much to me. You’re amazing, and part of me thinks that you’re too amazing to want to get caught up in the circus that is my life. You’re genuine and you’re real and that makes you more likely to want a girl who works out at the gym with you, than to want me. And that’s what makes me jealous!” Her voice was raspy by the time she’d finished. That was a lot to say in one go, but she’d needed to say it—for her own sake as well as Carter’s. She was getting clear about how she felt. He thought that she was the prize, just because she had some silly singing career, and all the money and fame that went with it. She knew that, in fact, he was the prize, and not just because he didn’t care about any of that!
    He stared at her for a long moment.
    “Sorry,” she said.