Page 51 of Unguarded Release (Montana Double Riders 7)

Colton brushed a speck of dirt off of the band of his cowboy hat, and announced, “You should have sent Isabelle different flowers.”

He turned. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“You sent her the standard flower arrangement that we always send to…well, others.”

Warrick shrugged, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “So what? It’s the finest flower arrangement they offer,” he said, now sounding drunk and defensive. “Top of the line.”

“Yeah, but the thing is, women talk.”

“And again, I’ll ask, ‘So what?’ You are not making any sense. Women talk? What does that even mean?”

Colton sat down, slid his hat onto the coffee table, and noted that his friend was better than a third of the way through a large bottle of expensive whiskey. Probably not too much would make sense after all that booze.

“The thing is, all the women in town refer to that particular top-of-the-line flower arrangement, as the kiss-off bouquet. And most especially when it’s been sent by us.”

“What?” Warrick did manage to look surprised.

“So when you sent it to Isabelle…”

His eyes suddenly rounded as the meaning became apparent. He said, “Oh shit.” He shook his head, looking irritated at himself.

“Did you talk to her today?”

Warrick tipped his head back and laughed. “Even better. I went to surprise her at work earlier.”

“Was she upset?”

“Yes. But I thought it was because of something else.”

“What else?”

Warrick’s eyes closed. He shook his head. Colton thought he wasn’t going to answer when he finally said, “She thought I was there to break up with her.”

“Huh? How about that? I wonder what could have made her think that?” Colton said sarcastically.

Warrick huffed. “I told her we aren’t breaking up with her right now. I told her she’s special.”

“But—let me guess here now—it was difficult for her to believe that because she’d recently received our infamous kiss-off bouquet, right?”

“Just because all the women it town call it that doesn’t mean you have to keep calling it that.”

“How did you leave things with her? I see how far you are through that bottle, making me believe that it didn’t go very well. In fact, I’m prompted to ask, ‘Are we still meeting with her tomorrow night?’ or not.”

“Yes. We’re still meeting tomorrow evening. Yes. She was upset that our relationship is likely not going to be permanent.”

Colton pushed out a breath. “Is that true?”

“The dinner part or the not going to be permanent part?”

“Yes.”

“Dinner yes. The rest…not sure yet.” Warrick promptly emptied his half-full glass and poured another generous drink.

“And is the bottom of that bottle is going to reveal the answer to you?”

“Probably not. Thing is, I only started with one drink to think things through. Four very liberal drinks later, I’m still contemplating.”

“What’s the worst thing that could happen, Warrick?”

“That I’ll fall desperately in love with her, and ask her to be my bride. Then once she signs all the papers my family will require for that endeavor, they will dredge up every detail of her life since birth to let her know how inadequate she is for a man like me.

“And maybe after they’ve told her she’s not good enough to be my part-time dog walker a sufficient amount of times, and that additionally they are certain she’s a gold-digging whore only after my money, that finally at long last we’ll end up hating each other. Like my parents hate each other and my grandparents and their grandparents, et cetera.

“I’m certain that every member of my family will do their utmost to ensure we end up as miserable as they all are. I’m also afraid she’ll find out what horrible people I come from and think less of me than she already does. I’m afraid that no matter what I do, she’ll end up hating me and out of my life forever.”

“What if I marry her in the public forum of your family life and then the three of us can have a non-legally binding private ceremony between just us?”

Warrick tilted his head to one side. “Actually, that would work for a while. The worst thing I’ll hear from them is why am I not married yet, and most importantly where is all my previously paid out inheritance going to go once I die without a legitimate heir? However, they are unaware of my out of the ordinary lifestyle choices, and I refuse to share that information.”

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