Page 24 of Embracing Hope

“Honey, don’t waste your breath on explaining. We both know if you’re not fashionably ten minutes late everywhere you go, then you're ill.” Jean saluted her with her bottle of beer.

Out of her peripheral, Hope watched the door swing open and had to blink three times to make sure she saw what she thought she saw. Isaac strolled in. He must have left the ranch minutes after she’d left. She feasted her eyes on him, and it wasn’t until he got closer that she saw he was with Billy, Robbie, and Keifer As the cowboys passed to get to the table near the back room, they each greeted her with a casual “hello”, but Isaac's gaze lingered on her a little longer as he thumbed the brim of his hat. His expression spoke volumes. Not wanting to appear overly interested, she didn’t swivel and watch him walk by, although her inner thighs begged for a peek at his buns.

Jean, on the other hand, brazenly followed him with her gaze until he mingled in with the crowd. “Holy shit he’s delicious. Is that a new hand at the ranch?” When Hope didn’t answer, Jean turned to face her. “Hello? Have you been hiding him from me?”

Hope hadn’t even told her close friend what happened with Isaac. “No, he’s not a new hand.” She played with her cocktail straw, poking at the cherry floating at the bottom. “He’s a guest.”

“And why haven’t you told me about this handsome guest?” Jean flipped the ends of her shoulder-length bob over her shoulder.

Hope shrugged. “Why would I?”

“Oh, maybe because he’s built like a Greek Adonis and looks like one too. Is he single?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Hope said casually.

“Wait a minute.” Jean stared into Hope’s eyes as if searching for the truth. “You’ve had sex with him, haven’t you?”

The cocktail went down the wrong pipe, and Hope sputtered and coughed. “No, of course not.”

“You liar! You’ve slept with him, and you haven’t told me.” Jean was offended.

Setting her glass down, Hope laid her palms on her thighs. “You’re imagining things.”

“Remember, I’ve been your best friend since we were five. You can’t lie to me.”

“There’s nothing to lie about.” Hope studied her drink intently.

“He makes my shriveled ovaries chime just looking at him. How is he in bed?”

Hope started to deny the accusation again, when she heard…

“Well, well, look who we have here. Hope Rose.”

She saw Courtney’s ex-husband, Dex. Her stomach turned. Remembering how he’d mistreated her best friend made her sick.

He shoved his way into the space between the man sitting next to Hope and her shoulder. “Come on, Hope. We used to be friends.”

She turned away and continued to ignore him.

“I see how it is. You like to screw up marriages and then wash your hands of the issue.”

“Jump off a cliff,” she said without looking at him.

“Just like a Rose. Thinking she’s better than everyone else,” he said loud enough for people around her.

“Ignore him,” Jean said.

“It’s hard to ignore someone who likes all that attention,” Hope muttered.

“I guess we can’t be friends any longer.”

It was then that she looked at him. “I won’t be friends with someone who mistreated my friend. You need help.”

“Thanks for the advice. Trust me, I’m working on that,” he said, then walked away.

A chill raced down her spine.

“What the hell was that about?” Jean said.

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