live up to you and Trey.”
Cole shook his head with a rueful chuckle. “You’ve been played.”
Her temper flared, but Adrienne ground her teeth, swallowing the sharp retort sizzling on the tip of her tongue. “What does that mean?”
“It means that Nate has a habit, a history, of playing the underdog to gain attention, sympathy, or simply get out of work. He discovered early that as the runt of the litter, there were times he wasn’t going to be able to match Trey or I physically. Instead of using his boasted superior intellect to figure out a way around the limitations, he used it to get out of the job all together. Surprisingly, Mama and I caught on early, but it took Daddy and Trey a bit longer. They both are, were, impatient. If you can’t keep up with them, get out of the way and let them do it.”
“Trey’s comment this morning about Nate perking up because the work was done makes more sense now, but what does that have to do with me?”
“Nate’s milking the incident. He wants you to feel sorry for him. You said earlier that he could barely get up to move to the chair. When you’re not right there, he moves around just fine.”
“Are you serious or are you saying this because you’re jealous of the attention I’ve been paying Nate?” she asked suspiciously.
“If he wants to vie for your affections, then he should do it like a man and not play your emotions with the puppy ploy.”
She couldn’t hold back a little laugh at the disgust in his voice. “I’m afraid I don’t know what a puppy ploy is.”
“Little, cute, and helpless makes women melt.”
“Like a puppy,” she said flatly.
He nodded. She glanced out the window and took a deep breath.
“Are you okay?”
Adrienne nodded, not trusting her voice at the moment. Nate had played her for a fool. Surely, Trey and Genevieve realized it too. She glanced at Cole. He was watching her. She bit the inside of her cheek. Humiliation warmed her face. Why wasn’t he gloating?
“Should I at least be flattered by his interest or was it simply sibling rivalry at work, a game?” she asked, fighting to keep the bitterness out of her voice.
“That’s something that you would have to ask him to be sure, but Nate is smart and a man would have to be a moron not to be attracted to you, darlin’.”
His drawl made her heart do a stutter step. She hugged the blanket. A simple endearment shouldn’t be that sexy or make her feel this way.
“What were you thinking when you said you would be willing to marry me?”
“Honestly?”
She nodded, her fingers twisting in the blanket’s hem.
“I was thinking you were crazy to believe a man would hold your past relationship against you. To put it bluntly, we’re not in the 1800’s anymore. I don’t believe every man expects, or even wants, a virgin bride. God’s honest truth, I don’t have a lot of experience so maybe you could teach me a thing or two, like you said the other day.”
He rubbed the back of his neck, his expression unsure. She’d never thought him sexier than in this moment of vulnerability. She opened her mouth to tell him, but he continued.
“I told you then that you’re stunning, and I meant it. You bowled me over the moment I saw you and, the more I’ve been around you, the stronger it’s gotten.”
“I drive you crazy!” she protested.
“You sure do, in more ways than one,” he said with a laugh. The uncertainty in his blue eyes was replaced with humor, but his words were serious. “I work hard all day. I don’t often have a desire go into town when I’m done. Life here can get lonely. With a woman like you, it’d never be boring. You’d make the long nights sweet, and be the spur in the ass I needed at times to get cleaned up and take my beautiful woman to town for a show or dinner.”
“I’m more interested in those long, sweet nights,” she said with a seductive smile.
A lazy grin spread across his face and he levered himself out of the chair.
Cole shook his head with a rueful chuckle. “You’ve been played.”
Her temper flared, but Adrienne ground her teeth, swallowing the sharp retort sizzling on the tip of her tongue. “What does that mean?”
“It means that Nate has a habit, a history, of playing the underdog to gain attention, sympathy, or simply get out of work. He discovered early that as the runt of the litter, there were times he wasn’t going to be able to match Trey or I physically. Instead of using his boasted superior intellect to figure out a way around the limitations, he used it to get out of the job all together. Surprisingly, Mama and I caught on early, but it took Daddy and Trey a bit longer. They both are, were, impatient. If you can’t keep up with them, get out of the way and let them do it.”
“Trey’s comment this morning about Nate perking up because the work was done makes more sense now, but what does that have to do with me?”
“Nate’s milking the incident. He wants you to feel sorry for him. You said earlier that he could barely get up to move to the chair. When you’re not right there, he moves around just fine.”
“Are you serious or are you saying this because you’re jealous of the attention I’ve been paying Nate?” she asked suspiciously.
“If he wants to vie for your affections, then he should do it like a man and not play your emotions with the puppy ploy.”
She couldn’t hold back a little laugh at the disgust in his voice. “I’m afraid I don’t know what a puppy ploy is.”
“Little, cute, and helpless makes women melt.”
“Like a puppy,” she said flatly.
He nodded. She glanced out the window and took a deep breath.
“Are you okay?”
Adrienne nodded, not trusting her voice at the moment. Nate had played her for a fool. Surely, Trey and Genevieve realized it too. She glanced at Cole. He was watching her. She bit the inside of her cheek. Humiliation warmed her face. Why wasn’t he gloating?
“Should I at least be flattered by his interest or was it simply sibling rivalry at work, a game?” she asked, fighting to keep the bitterness out of her voice.
“That’s something that you would have to ask him to be sure, but Nate is smart and a man would have to be a moron not to be attracted to you, darlin’.”
His drawl made her heart do a stutter step. She hugged the blanket. A simple endearment shouldn’t be that sexy or make her feel this way.
“What were you thinking when you said you would be willing to marry me?”
“Honestly?”
She nodded, her fingers twisting in the blanket’s hem.
“I was thinking you were crazy to believe a man would hold your past relationship against you. To put it bluntly, we’re not in the 1800’s anymore. I don’t believe every man expects, or even wants, a virgin bride. God’s honest truth, I don’t have a lot of experience so maybe you could teach me a thing or two, like you said the other day.”
He rubbed the back of his neck, his expression unsure. She’d never thought him sexier than in this moment of vulnerability. She opened her mouth to tell him, but he continued.
“I told you then that you’re stunning, and I meant it. You bowled me over the moment I saw you and, the more I’ve been around you, the stronger it’s gotten.”
“I drive you crazy!” she protested.
“You sure do, in more ways than one,” he said with a laugh. The uncertainty in his blue eyes was replaced with humor, but his words were serious. “I work hard all day. I don’t often have a desire go into town when I’m done. Life here can get lonely. With a woman like you, it’d never be boring. You’d make the long nights sweet, and be the spur in the ass I needed at times to get cleaned up and take my beautiful woman to town for a show or dinner.”
“I’m more interested in those long, sweet nights,” she said with a seductive smile.
A lazy grin spread across his face and he levered himself out of the chair.
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