cuts and breaking bones, and this one didn’t look like it would need anything more than a few stitches, but why the hell was he in Ross’s office if his dog wasn’t hurt, and why did Sweets look traumatized?
“Then why are you holding her like she’s injured?”
Wes kissed Sweets’s head and spoke just above a whisper. “She got scared when I passed out.”
“Passed out? Wes, you should be in Daisy’s office, not mine.” Daisy was their brother Luke’s fiancée and the Trusty family-practice doctor.
“If I go to Daisy, she’s going to tell Callie, and then I’m up shit’s creek, because…” He held up his bandaged hand, which had been tucked beneath Sweets’s body.
Ross laughed. “Same rock face?”
“Three days ago. I told her I wouldn’t go again, and I wasn’t going to, but—”
Ross held up his hand. “Don’t even tell me. I don’t want to know.” He took Sweets from Wes’s arms and loved her up, then set her on the floor, where she wagged her tail and whined at Wes.
“Get down here and sit on the chair. Jesus, Sweets is like a wife.” Ross nodded toward the chair and Wes did as instructed. Sweets settled her head in his lap. “How do you think you’ll keep this from Callie?”
“I won’t. I won’t lie to her.”
Ross arched a brow.
“It wasn’t a lie. I had no intention of climbing that goddamn rock face. It’s on the north side of the mountain and I was going to scout out a new trail for a hike with next week’s group at the ranch, and…” Wes shrugged, and his mouth lifted into an apologetic smile.
“So, you’re going to tell her.”
“Yes. Of course. You can’t lie to a woman. They have built-in sensors for that.”
Good to know . “Then you should definitely be at Daisy’s.”
Wes sighed heavily. “No way, bro. If Daisy tells Callie before me, I’m dead meat. It’s as good as lying to tell her after someone else does, and I can’t tell her over the phone.” Wes pointed to his eyes, which suddenly looked very apologetic. “She needs to see me.”
“Idiot.” Ross cleaned his wound and waited for the numbing medicine to work.
Wes looked around for a minute. “Where are the boys?”
“On a playdate.” He thought about when Elisabeth had come by to get the dogs earlier that morning. He’d opened the door, and for a hot minute their eyes had connected and the air between them sizzled and popped. It had taken all of Ross’s focus not to greet her with a kiss, and he could tell by the nervous way she smiled and the way her words were breathy and soft that she was having just as hard of a time keeping her distance from him.
“A…Whatever. You gonna tell me about Elisabeth? From what I hear, she’s here for the money, which you have, so be careful.” Wes leaned down and kissed Sweets’s head. Each of the Bradens had hefty trust funds, passed down for generations.
“She’s not here for the money, and we’re not dating.” She’d moved all her stuff, she was talking about renovating the kitchen, and she was trying her best to fit into the community. None of those were signs of a woman interested in taking what she could and leaving town. The hell with waiting. He began suturing, ignoring Wes’s flinching.
“Fuck, Ross.” Wes fisted his hand.
“Man up, and if Callie asks, I tried to get you to call her.”
“Yeah, I know the drill.”
After Ross was done, Wes cleaned up as best he could, which wasn’t very well at all. He leaned against the counter. “Wanna grab a beer?”
“You’ve got a fiancée to come clean to,” Ross reminded him.
On the way to the front door, Wes asked, “How do you know Elisabeth’s not here for the money if you’re not dating her?”
“She’s hiring Emily to renovate Cora’s kitchen.”
“Probably to flip it,” Wes suggested.
“Not to flip it.” Why was he explaining Elisabeth’s plans to Wes? “Next time you want to grab a beer, text the word beer . I could have used one after I dropped
“Then why are you holding her like she’s injured?”
Wes kissed Sweets’s head and spoke just above a whisper. “She got scared when I passed out.”
“Passed out? Wes, you should be in Daisy’s office, not mine.” Daisy was their brother Luke’s fiancée and the Trusty family-practice doctor.
“If I go to Daisy, she’s going to tell Callie, and then I’m up shit’s creek, because…” He held up his bandaged hand, which had been tucked beneath Sweets’s body.
Ross laughed. “Same rock face?”
“Three days ago. I told her I wouldn’t go again, and I wasn’t going to, but—”
Ross held up his hand. “Don’t even tell me. I don’t want to know.” He took Sweets from Wes’s arms and loved her up, then set her on the floor, where she wagged her tail and whined at Wes.
“Get down here and sit on the chair. Jesus, Sweets is like a wife.” Ross nodded toward the chair and Wes did as instructed. Sweets settled her head in his lap. “How do you think you’ll keep this from Callie?”
“I won’t. I won’t lie to her.”
Ross arched a brow.
“It wasn’t a lie. I had no intention of climbing that goddamn rock face. It’s on the north side of the mountain and I was going to scout out a new trail for a hike with next week’s group at the ranch, and…” Wes shrugged, and his mouth lifted into an apologetic smile.
“So, you’re going to tell her.”
“Yes. Of course. You can’t lie to a woman. They have built-in sensors for that.”
Good to know . “Then you should definitely be at Daisy’s.”
Wes sighed heavily. “No way, bro. If Daisy tells Callie before me, I’m dead meat. It’s as good as lying to tell her after someone else does, and I can’t tell her over the phone.” Wes pointed to his eyes, which suddenly looked very apologetic. “She needs to see me.”
“Idiot.” Ross cleaned his wound and waited for the numbing medicine to work.
Wes looked around for a minute. “Where are the boys?”
“On a playdate.” He thought about when Elisabeth had come by to get the dogs earlier that morning. He’d opened the door, and for a hot minute their eyes had connected and the air between them sizzled and popped. It had taken all of Ross’s focus not to greet her with a kiss, and he could tell by the nervous way she smiled and the way her words were breathy and soft that she was having just as hard of a time keeping her distance from him.
“A…Whatever. You gonna tell me about Elisabeth? From what I hear, she’s here for the money, which you have, so be careful.” Wes leaned down and kissed Sweets’s head. Each of the Bradens had hefty trust funds, passed down for generations.
“She’s not here for the money, and we’re not dating.” She’d moved all her stuff, she was talking about renovating the kitchen, and she was trying her best to fit into the community. None of those were signs of a woman interested in taking what she could and leaving town. The hell with waiting. He began suturing, ignoring Wes’s flinching.
“Fuck, Ross.” Wes fisted his hand.
“Man up, and if Callie asks, I tried to get you to call her.”
“Yeah, I know the drill.”
After Ross was done, Wes cleaned up as best he could, which wasn’t very well at all. He leaned against the counter. “Wanna grab a beer?”
“You’ve got a fiancée to come clean to,” Ross reminded him.
On the way to the front door, Wes asked, “How do you know Elisabeth’s not here for the money if you’re not dating her?”
“She’s hiring Emily to renovate Cora’s kitchen.”
“Probably to flip it,” Wes suggested.
“Not to flip it.” Why was he explaining Elisabeth’s plans to Wes? “Next time you want to grab a beer, text the word beer . I could have used one after I dropped
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