Page 8 of Claimed By the Cowboys

“Well. That’s impressive, Miss Power of Positive Thinking,” she chides. “What are you up to now?”

The question is laced with a little longing. I know I need to invite Blaire to come up to the farm. It’s been a while since she’s been here, and she’s way overdue for a visit.

I’m just… not ready. Yet.

Inviting Blaire over is going to just remind me that I’m still single. I love her. I do. But she’s not exactly an easygoing person.She’s going to ask about my love life, because she knows one of my goals is to have kids soon, and then I have to deal with all the emotions that come with that.

Blaire has a gift for making me feel like I’m five again. Like, I can hide my feelings about my lack of children from myself, but if she’s here, and she asks, I can’t hide that from her. And if I can’t hide it from her, I think that everything might fall apart. Including myself.

So no, I haven’t had Blaire over in a while. I can’t. Not while my timeline is slowly ticking away into the future.

“I’m going to dinner at the guys’ house,” I say softly.

Blaire laughs. “After all this time, you don’t have to sneak over there, Piper.”

“I’m not sneaking,” I retort.

“Well, then, why did you say it all quiet?”

“I just said it in my normal voice.” I did say it quietly.

“No, you didn’t.”

“Yes, I did.”

“Piper.”

“Blaire.”

She sighs. “Okay. Well. I won’t keep you, but it’s okay if you just want to hang out with your friends. Unless you want to tell me something about that whole situation?”

I feel my face flush. “There’s nothing to say,” I say quickly. Too quickly.

Blaire leaps on it like a mountain lion stalking a baby deer.

“Piper and the guys, sittin’ in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G,” she teases.

“Stop it. It’s not like that with them,” I mutter.

“Oh, is this your whole ‘swearing off men’ thing again?” Blaire says, the teasing lilt in her voice still there. Ugh. I can practically hear the air quotes.

“No. Yes. I have still sworn off men, and dating, but that isn’t even related to how I feel about them. We’re just friends,” I say fiercely.

“Friends,” Blaire echoes. “Friends who stare at each other with visible lust, and project so much sexual tension that it’s physically uncomfortable for everyone else?”

“We don’t do that,” I snark back.

“You definitely do.”

I huff a sigh. “No, Blaire. We don’t. And I’m still on my man diet, so it wouldn’t matter, anyway.”

“That is such a weird thing to say,” she laughs.

I wave a hand, even though she can’t see me. “You know what I mean.”

“Piper,” she chides softly. “How are you going to do the whole family thing if you don’t have a way to start a family?”

“I don’t need a man for that,” I say defensively. I don’t. There are a million options open to me. But they’re all… far. I live in the middle of nowhere, and the nearest sperm bank is in Helena, which is at least a four-hour drive.

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