Page 188 of Bride of Choice

“No eat it. Not good,” Doogie warned.

My gaze continued to dart from the bricks to the muck. I couldn’t believe I was seriously about to say this but it actually looked kinda fun.

“Can I try?” I blurted, to a surprised look from Doogie.

“Jo want help build Doogie’s house?”

My shoulders lifted in a shrug as I held my hand out for the spatula. “Yeah. Why not?”

His head tilted as one of his eyebrows quirked.

“Smell me, bitch, I ain’t lyin’,” I huffed impatiently.

Doogie sniffed once, grimaced, sneezed, then laughed.

“What?” I muttered, but he just laughed, motioned me over, lips quirking, unwilling to let me in on the joke, and walked me through what to do.

???

Several hours later, I felt like one of those people on those hands on design shows. “It’s perfect,” I muttered, eyeing our handiwork.

“Too big,” Doogie mumbled skeptically.

Holding my hands up, framing the bones of his house with my fingers, I gave a loud chuff. “Don’t poop on my vision, mud boy.”

“Muds boy?” Doogie laughed, making sure to clap me on the back with a muddy hand.

“Ugh! Foul!” Following him over to the rinse bucket he had ready, I washed my tools, then my hands. I hadn’t realized how late it had gotten. I’d been too busy insisting any woman he drags home is going to need a kitchen area big enough for a stove. Do not skimp and just have the fireplace, man! Give that woman the stove she deserves! The spot for the stove was perfect. His future missus could thank me later. And now he had two extra rooms for when the nieces and nephews he was going to godmother me into arrived. Whenever that was.

Men. Pfft.

He’d have been happy with a bed and small water closet for future indoor shitter. NO. Just… no.

“Odix… ask Doogie look out for Jo when him’s gone on hunt…” Doogie let the words trail off.

Pretending I wasn’t feeling cornered, I lifted my shoulder in a nonchalant shrug. “Oh? That was nice of him. After that stupidity at Daisy’s dinner party, I’m not surprised.”

“Jo… likes Odix…”

If that was supposed to be a question, it didn’t sound like one. Lifting the wet trowel, I pointed it at him. “What do you know and what aren’t you saying?” I barked at him. More importantly, “Who have you told?”

Doogie’s hands shot up but his grin was unrepentant. “No say thing no one. Not Doogie’s to tell.”

“Really?” My glare hardened. “Because you don’t strike me as the keep it to themselves for long type.”

“You Kooky know you… cuddle Odix?”

My eyes widened as my nostrils flared. “What business is it of his? He doesn’t own me.”

Doogie didn’t know what to say to that. His mouth moved, hand lifting, but he just kept flapping his gums like a fish out of water.

“Next time before you ask a woman something, I want you to pretend it’s one of your mother’s mates asking her that, and if you think she’d brain them for it, maybe don’t ask it!” Chucking the trowel at his feet, I collected my things and left.

“No go mad, Jo!” Doogie called after me.

“Not mad. Just prickly and feeling poked, prudence!” I tossed back.

“Pru-dence?” he muttered in confusion. “What prudence mean, talk making babies Odix?”

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