Page 51 of Claimed By the Cowboys

She frowns. “Let me see what they look like first.”

I pass over my phone, and she clicks through a few, her eyebrows pinched together in focus. She’s so cute like this. I love to see her in her element, working hard on the problems that we’re bringing her. Or that she comes up with all on her own.

There’s no denying that Piper is amazing at what she does. She’s a whiz when it comes to social media, and marketing in general. We’re awfully lucky to have her.

“Here,” she says, handing the phone back to me. “You had your finger in two of those other pictures, and in the third one, the lighting was bad. This is the only one that’s going to look good.”

Brent whistles. “Hardass over here, putting you through your paces, Tate.”

I grin. “You can put me through more than that if you want to see what my paces are, baby.”

Dalton grunts. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

Piper, however, is struggling to hide a laugh. I give Dalton a smirk. “Just because you don’t get it, horse boy, doesn’t mean that the intended audience missed the point.”

Brent does laugh at that, and Piper’s laughter follows soon after.

My heart, which already was feeling good because of the fact that everyone is enjoying my food, soars.

This is what I want.Us. As a family. Together.

Can’t Piper see this is meant to work? That we’regoodtogether?

I glance over at her, and I’m about to say something when Dalton kicks my shin. Hard.

I can’t hide the yip of pain that comes out of me. Dalton’s eyebrows raise.

His expression saysdon’t ruin this, motherfucker.

I shoot him a glare.Fine. I won’t.But I have to find some way to show Piper that we’re meant to be. There just has to be a way.

Piper’s phone jingles, and she startles. Looking down, she gives a little gasp of surprise. “Shoot.”

I love that she never cusses. “What is it, baby?”

“I forgot that I hired someone to come by and give me a quote on replacing my water heater.”

Brent bristles. “Who the fuck is coming over?”

“Literally just a guy from town,” Piper says, her eyebrows raising.

“Why didn’t you ask us?” Brent growls.

I’m about to tell him that he’s never replaced a water heater in his goddamn life, but I’m also a little wary of a strange man at Piper’s place. So I decide to just let it play out.

Piper shrugs. “I didn’t think you knew about plumbing, Brent.”

“I know that I don’t want fucking strangers at your house, Piper.”

She rolls her eyes. “That is unnecessary. He’s there to do a job, and he’s probably like ancient.”

“What does that matter?” I ask.

Piper blushes. “Um. Well. I don’t know. I guess it doesn’t.”

Jealousy, again, pulses through me.

“You don’t need to ask strange plumbers for sex, Piper,” I say.

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