Page 34 of Finding Chloe

Holly snapped her mouth shut before Matt saw her. They both knew about Matt, but he wasn’t usually this affectionate in public. I knew it had everything to do with Hunter and Kyle… who happened to be glancing our way from the fence line.

“Halloway. Jackson.” Matt tipped his hat at them. “What are you ladies doing out here?”

“We wanted to get measurements. Maybe do a little sketching.” I extracted my tablet from my bag. “I need pictures too.”

“Duke’s almost done with that side,” he said, pointing at the mower. “You might want to come back tomorrow. You’ll get a better view then.”

“I need to start today. I have to place orders. We won’t get in your way.” I smiled and snuck past him, Holly and Lacey following close behind.

“Seriously, Chloe.” Holly leaned against my shoulder when we stopped at our first section. “He is way hotter now than he was in high school. I can’t believe you got him.”

I shrugged. “Except I don’t really have him yet.”

“What do you mean?” They both stared at me, surprise etched into their faces.

“It’s complicated. I don’t want to get into it now.” I pointed toward the tree. “Holly, count steps to the tree from here. Lace, you to the fence.”

They set off in their directions, counting paces. I knew how big their boots were, so I could calculate the distance based off the number of steps for each. While they counted, I took pictures, then brought up the sketchpad app and drew out the land.

About twenty minutes in, we almost had the mowed side done. The property went out farther, and I wanted to explore more.

“You know they make a gadget that helps surveyors do this quicker.”

I nearly jumped out of my skin when Hunter’s voice hit my ears.

“And do you happen to have one of those devices?” I peered over my shoulder at him.

“No.”

I chuckled. “Then this is how I have to do it. It might not be as accurate, but it’ll be close enough. I just need to know that things can fit in certain places. How big a tent I can get or how large of a dance floor I need.”

He nodded. “Thanks for bringing the waters. It’s brutal out here.”

“You are going to burn so bad.” He had on a white short-sleeved Henley to keep him cool, but it was completely coveredin dirt. “Don’t get a farmer’s tan. You will not be sexy if you have a tan like that.”

“You think I’m sexy?” He winked.

I rolled my eyes. “Idid, but now I’m having second thoughts.” I scrunched my nose, as though I was disgusted with him. His booming laugh was contagious, and I couldn’t help but chuckle along with him.

“Nope. You said it. You can’t take it back. You think I’m sexy.” He did a ridiculous victory dance, and I smacked him in the chest.

“Where’s Kyle?”

“Over on the log. He’s on break.” He threw his thumb over his shoulder. I peeked around him and saw Kyle resting in the shade with a few others.

“Perfect. I need him.” I started in his direction, only for Hunter to catch my hand as I passed by and spin me around. I lost my balance, falling onto his chest.

“Not without a proper hello.” Hunter’s palm grasped the back of my head and tilted it slightly, angling me just the way he wanted before he planted his lips on mine. I opened my own to him, so I could deepen the kiss the way I wanted it. When his tongue swiped mine, I groaned. Between Matt and Hunter, I was getting turned on far more than I needed, especially in front of half the ranch staff.

I was completely aware of Matt on the far side keeping his eye on me as he picked through the tall grass. Hunter had been doing the same.

“Now you can go talk to Kyle,” Hunter said, releasing me. He spun me to face the right direction and smacked my ass.

I let out a squeak and set off toward Kyle, glancing over my shoulder only to see Hunter wink. I narrowed my eyes playfully, then closed the distance between Kyle and me. When I walked by Holly, Lacey, and the twins, I could see the girls staring atme with huge grins on their faces. They knew about Matt and Hunter, but I hadn’t exactly told them about Kyle.

Kyle’s eyes were glued to me as I approached. We hadn’t had any alone time since the very hot encounter in his room, but I knew he was someone I wanted to get to know more. He helped balance Matt and Hunter out. Helped balancemeout. And right now, I needed his help.

The last two times I’d spoken to him about my ideas and plans, he was eager to share his thoughts and help tweak mine.

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