Page 91 of The Rancher's Secret Relationship

"It's Hartland," the younger man dismissed. "We don't get robbed here, and even if we do get the stray burglar or two, they'll find out soon enough we're no ordinary small town."

"Touché," Thornton acknowledged, remembering the multimillion-dollar security system Hartland Initiative had invested in. It wasn't the type that one could see easily, but it would work when it was needed to work.

"So..." Ethan placed a mug of hot chocolate in front of his brother. "About Ms. Golding meeting her very dear and handsome childhood friend—-"

"Fuck you."

Ethan smirked at the rare note of irritation in Thornton's tone. "Did she tell you that or did you find out about it on your own?"

"She told me."

"And you didn't put up a fuss," he guessed slyly. "Even if you wanted to. Because if you did, you knew it would make you look immature and unreasonably jealous—-"

"Fuck you."

Ethan threw his head back with a laugh.

"It's not fucking funny."

"Just relax, man," Ethan said with a careless shrug. "This isBlakewe're talking about, remember? The girl who can't help but still see you as perfect no matter how much we try to convince her otherwise?"

Silence.

Ethan put his own mug down, just the slightest bit discomfited now. "What's really bugging you?" he asked finally. "Because I think we both know Blake can be trusted, and—-"

"I'm going to ask her to marry me."

Ethan choked on his coffee.

"We've never spoken about our...feelings."

Ethan kept choking. Was this fucking happening for real? His brother, a man whose range of emotions could only be from zero (frowning) to point five (not smiling), was actually talking about marriage and feelings?

"I'm sorry, Thorn," Ethan said when he finally recovered from his shock. "You've dropped a bomb back there, but it's great news..." His voice trailed off when he saw the shuttered look on his brother's face. "I mean, it is. Right?"

"I'm not rushing things," Thornton said flatly.

"Uh, yeah." Ethan was perplexed. 'You don't have to tell me that. You're not the type—-"

"And Blake?"

"And Blake what?"

"Do you think she's the type?"

THORNTON CHECKED HISwatch.Ten-fifteen in the evening.She was supposed to be here by dinner, dammit. It wasn't like her to be late, and even more unlike Blake was her not sending amessage to explain the delay. The only reason he wasn't calling the police now was because he had incognito bodyguards tailing Blake from the moment he realized his attraction to her.

They had kept him updated throughout the day, and it was through them he found out that she and Teller had finished talking even before dinner. After that, she had stayed with her grandmother...and stopped contacting him since then.

What the hell was happening?

He took his phone out and backread on all the messages they had exchanged throughout the day.

Blake:Missing you already.

Blake:Thorn! I said I'm missing you already.

Thornton:You just got inside the car.

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