Cowboy Payback (16 page)

“Yes.”

Thank God.
Apparently, his brother had a clue.

Brett smiled as relief sucked the tension from his body like a vacuum, then he slapped Finn’s shoulder. “Good for you. Smart man.”

He stepped back, finding it much easier to breathe than just a few moments ago. Trisha’s warm hand found his again, and yeah, now he felt even better. He glanced down at the pretty woman standing by his side and returned her smile.

“I didn’t raise any dummies,” his mother stated. “So, what’s the announcement the two of you wanted to make?”

He watched his brother glance at Cammie as he drew her in close to his side before returning his attention to everyone. “We want to get married here at the ranch. In a month. Do you think you and Aunt Lettie can work your magic and get one planned in four weeks?”

“Absolutely!” His mom went a little crazy then, hugging and kissing Finn and Cammie, Terry, him. Trisha.

“Good because we wanted to have the wedding while Trisha was still here,” the bride-to-be said, transferring her gaze to the woman still holding his hand. “You leave in five weeks, right?”

Brett’s gut tightened as if punched. For a few stupid moments, he’d forgotten that part. She wasn’t really living with him. She was at Royal Pines temporarily for the rest of the summer. They were just having a fling.

He rubbed at his chest, not bothering to dissect the reason behind the tightness. It would pass.

“Yes.” Trisha nodded. “I leave the second week in August.”

Cammie smiled at his temporary fling. “Then would you be my maid of honor?”

She inhaled and released his hand to hug his future sister-in-law. “I’d love to.”

Finn stepped close, big grin on his face. “Guess I’m supposed to ask your ugly mug to be my best man.”

“Takes one to know one, you goof.” He snickered and exchanged a back-slapping hug with his idiot brother. “I’d be honored, especially considering I was the one responsible for the two of you hooking up.”

“True.” Finn stepped back to hug his fiancée while still holding his gaze. “Thank you, again, for being such an ass.”

“Yeah, I still can’t believe you did that,” Terry said, smile turning into a chuckle. “Man, Brett, you should’ve seen Finn’s face when his ‘present’ walked out of Gus’ kitchen at the Lonesome Steer. It was priceless.”

His mother groaned. “And I can’t believe I made it worse.”

“Okay, I have the feeling I’m really missing something here.” Trisha’s gaze bounced from face to face before settling on him. “What exactly did you do, Brett?”

A smile tugged his lips, but he fought it off, donning an innocent expression instead. “What do you mean? Why do I always get the blame?”

She smirked. “Because it’s usually always you.”

“Hah. She’s got your number, son.” Terri slapped him on the back.

“Come on, I’ll explain it all to you while we help get dinner on the table,” Cammie said, slinging an arm around the frowning woman as the girls followed his mother out of the room.

Finn walked over to the bar in the corner and poured two fingers of bourbon into a rocks glass. Brett wondered briefly why his brother needed such a strong drink before dinner. Maybe the former SEAL was only putting up a good front about his decision not to reenlist.

He walked over to him, studying his brother’s body language. Smirk on his face, shoulders and spine relaxed, the guy didn’t appear to need alcohol.

“You okay, Finn?”

“Me? Hell, yeah. Couldn’t be better. Why?”

He shrugged, nodding toward the booze his brother capped. “Just wondering why you needed a drink.”

Finn’s grin widened into a full-fledged smile. “This isn’t for me. It’s for you, bro,” the idiot said, sliding the glass to him.

“Me?” He reeled back. “What the hell for? I’m fine. Look, if you want to chew me out about Trisha, go ahead. Trust me, I don’t need a drink to deal with one of your rants.”

Finn sobered. “I admit I was pissed when I realized you were sleeping with Trisha after I specifically asked you not to.”

“Ah, hell…” Terry muttered, dropping onto a bar stool.

Brett lifted his chin, waiting for his brother to get to the punch line. “But…?”

“But after watching the two of you the past fifteen minutes, I realized I didn’t have to worry about you hurting the woman, because you have feelings for her, too.”

He reeled back, then snorted. “Of course I have feelings for her. She’s been a good friend for years.”

His brother threw his head back and laughed. Laughed.

What the hell’s so damn funny?

When Finn finally sobered, he glanced across the bar at Terry. “Jesus, was I that clueless?”

“Yes.” The foreman chuckled.

“What in the world are you two talking about?”

“You, you knucklehead.” His brother reached across the counter to punch his shoulder. “Your feelings run a hell of a lot deeper than friendship. Monica’s coming this week. Trust me, Trisha won’t have to do a damn thing. Once that woman sees how you act around your
fiancée
, she’ll back off on her own.”

“You’re nuts.”

Terry shook his head. “No, he’s right, son. You’re hooked and don’t even realize it. It’ll be an easy sell for Trisha’s parents this week, too. Her dad called this morning. They’ll be here Thursday.”

Super.

“You may want to move your woman from your bed and into this house by then, though,” Terry continued. “I don’t think her dad will approve of your current living arrangements.”

Brett nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. He wouldn’t. I’ll make sure she’s settled in here by then,” he said, refusing to even acknowledge the lead ball settling in his gut at the thought of being separated from her soft, warm curves.

“It’s okay.” Now Finn was cupping his shoulder. “You’ll get a clue. It’ll hit you like a ton of bricks, then you’ll readjust your goals and carry on.”

“You’re an idiot.”

“Takes one to know one, bro.” Finn chuckled, throwing his earlier words back at him. “You may think you’re fine now. You have everything under control. You don’t need Trisha in your life permanently. A few weeks in your bed are enough because it’s just physical…”

“Exactly,” he replied, rocking back on his heels, glad his
brother
finally got on the same page. “That’s all it is. We have great chemistry.”

“Ah, I see.” Finn nodded, pursing his lips. “Then your gut won’t feel like you’ve swallowed a roll of barbed wire or like someone is yanking it out at the thought of her kissing someone else. Of another man touching her and discovering those special spots that make her sigh your name.”

Shit.

He sank onto the bar stool, his gut burning like he’d swallowed a roll of barbed wire, and his idiot brother was yanking it out.

“You’re an ass,” he muttered and reached for the bourbon.

****

Several days later, Trisha had a new appreciation of the captain’s acting skills. That had to explain the lingering glances, and touches, and slow, deep, knee-wobbling kisses he deployed no matter who was around.

Okay, sometimes she got the impression he wasn’t acting because he certainly wasn’t when they were alone in his cabin. Her stomach fluttered and body heated at the memory of their wild monkey sex. The way his muscles, and ridges, and hard body glistened and throbbed as he took her against the wall, on the counter, floor, shower, or how he’d made great use of his big, glorious bed when she’d woken up from a nightmare the other night. The man was exactly what she’d needed to dull the pain.

A smile tugged her lips. He was one delicious distraction.

“Judging by that smile, I guess I don’t have to ask how things are going between you and Brett,” Cammie said, dismounting next to Trisha after the guests had retired for the evening. “Finn said his brother usually had issues with Monica, but noticed she hadn’t pestered him at all this week. He thinks it had to do with the way you two were so chummy.”

He was right. She’d been prepared to lay it on thick for the woman this week. As they both removed their saddles and a ranch hand led their horses away for rubdown, Trisha silently admitted she’d been looking forward to staking a claim to the guy. But after her initial introduction to Monica as Brett’s fiancée and sharing a kiss or two with him in front of the guests, the pest apparently got the picture all on her own.

“Yeah. It seemed to work,” she said, hoisting the saddle on her shoulder before carrying it to the tack room.

“Think it’ll be enough to keep your parents convinced?” Cammie asked, setting her saddle on a post. “Terry said they were only staying tonight.”

She secured her own saddle and nodded. “Yeah. He was supposed to show my dad more of the ranch operation this afternoon while we had the guests out on the trail.”

Judging by the tour she and Brett had given her parents after they’d arrived that morning, she felt confident their secret was still safe. It didn’t ease the knot in her stomach, though. “I hate lying to them.”

Her friend dropped an arm around her shoulder as they walked out of the stable toward the house. “Do you think your dad would still try to strong arm you into law school if he thought otherwise?”

She sighed. “I don’t know. Probably. There’s still half the summer left. I just can’t take the chance. It’s great here. I’m enjoying myself. I don’t need the added pressure weighing me down.”

Cammie nodded and released her. “Well, whatever you two are doing, just keep it up…as long as you aren’t going to get hurt.”

“Hurt?” She stopped to turn and stare at her friend. “No. We’re good.”

“You’re having sex.”

“Yes.” She smiled. “That’s what’s good.”

Her friend didn’t smile back. “I just don’t want to see either of you getting hurt. Whether you admit it or not, you both have feelings for each other, and now you’ve gotten physical. It complicates things. Might make it that much harder to leave.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Actually,” she added with a smile. “There’s no reason the two of you couldn’t continue to see each other after your classes start. Your college is less than an hour away.”

“I know.”

The thought had crossed her mind several times that week. Heck, last night, she’d almost posed the idea to Brett after he’d helped her move into the main house, but then he’d stripped, and the sight of the man naked always muddled her brain. And since she knew he wouldn’t be sharing her bed tonight, she’d given in to the
stupid
.

“Well, if you ever need to talk…” Cammie stopped her just outside the front door. “About anything. I’m here. Okay?”

Though unsure where this was all coming from, she did know one thing, her friend was a good one. “Thanks,” she said, cupping the pretty brunette’s arm. “I will. But I’m good. Honest.”

Cammie stared at her and appeared to want to say more, then simply smiled. “Okay. Guess we’d better get cleaned up if we’re supposed to meet everyone at the dining hall for Bugsby’s dinner.”

Trisha nodded as she followed her friend into the house. What little she’d seen of her father that day, she knew he’d been excited to have the opportunity to eat a meal from his favorite chef again. She just hoped the food would be enough of a distraction to keep him from pushing for specifics about her future.

****

As their steak and lobster dinner ended and Alaska Florentine dessert began, Trisha breathed an inner sigh of relief. Not once had her father questioned her relationship with Brett or inquired about her classes, seemingly happy to discuss the legalities of adding veteran rehabilitation to Royal Pines.

“My firm deals with criminal law, but I do know a few that can handle what you need, if you’d like me to make a few calls.”

“Yes, thank you, sir,” Brett replied.

Finn nodded. “We’d appreciate it, Mr. Jennings. I already have a point of contact with JAG.”

Trisha could tell by her father’s raised eyebrows that he was impressed to hear the Brennans had already involved the military’s legal branch, the Judge Advocate General.

“Good. My son, Colton, works out of JAG in Dallas. I’ll leave you his number. Don’t hesitate to call him if you need any advice on that front.”

“Thank you, sir, we won’t,” Finn assured as Brett nodded in concurrence.

Her mother leaned forward. “And our son, Liam, works construction now. I believe he was in the SEALs with you, Finn?”

“Yes. As a matter of fact, I called him yesterday to invite him to the wedding and mentioned the project. He’s coming in the day before, so we can share the particulars with him.”

“Oh, that’s a relief.”

Her mother sighed with her whole body, and Trisha immediately went on alert. She turned to the anxious woman sitting next to her. “Mom, what’s wrong with Liam?”

She couldn’t imagine her big, strong, older brother needing help. He was her best dragon slayer. The first one she went to if she couldn’t find her own solution, or if she just needed to bend someone’s ear. Liam had always been there for her growing up. The thought of her solid, smart brother with his
can-do
attitude needing help, made her stomach twist into a tight knot.

“Oh, hun, he just hasn’t really been right since he’s been home from his last mission.” Her mother glanced back at Finn. “Hopefully, maybe helping you to help other veterans will somehow benefit him, too.”

The former SEAL nodded and reached for his fiancée’s hand. “Sometimes, we don’t even realize we need help until we get it.”

From her other side, a strong, firm hand covered hers and squeezed. “True.”

Trisha turned to find an open blue gaze staring at her, warm and solemn. Her pulse leapt. She didn’t know if Brett’s actions were to thank her for helping him or because he felt
she
needed help. Since she wasn’t sure, she decided not to respond and was thankful when the conversation turned back to the wedding and the upcoming hunt for her dress and Cammie’s gown.

Thirty minutes later, the music started, dance floor filled, and Trisha found herself in Brett’s arms, body dutifully heating from close contact with her
fiancé’s
muscled form.

The guy had great form.

She enjoyed the slow dances the most and noted she wasn’t the only one. Her mother and father were dancing, along with Terry and Mrs. Brennan, and Cammie and Finn. All with smiles on their faces.