Page 14 of Buckled in Barbwire

“This is an unfamiliar side of Brody too. He’s normally very disciplined and collected. Controlled. Deliberate. Rarely strays from his strict routine. The opposite of how he’s been lately,” she muses.

“What can I say? We bring out the worst in each other.”

“Is there more to it?” There’s no missing the suspicious quirk in her question.

“Only if you’re referring to Brody constantly crossing my path. I thought he never steps foot in the barn, hmm?” Not that I mind seeing him. It’s only an issue once his mouth opens.

“He rarely does. Or did. To be honest, Brody isn’t acting like himself. Maybe he’s finally losing his grip after Mom…” Bianca’s voice drifts off, but her meaning is clear. She sniffs and pastes on a smile. “Either way, he’s damn determined to take control of your employment status. Don’t worry, Lee. That’s not happening.”

“It’d be nice if he got back to locking himself in the office or wherever he counts his billions. Running such a valuable company should keep him busy.”

She snaps her fingers. “That’s it! He needs a new challenge after reaching that financial tier.”

“And he chose me as entertainment? How sweet.” I inspect my chipped manicure as another thought occurs tome. “But that doesn’t explain all the random incidents cropping up all over the ranch. I assumed it was Brody messing with me, but that wouldn’t make sense. He’s the one who has to fix everything. Unless he enjoys manual labor.”

“Not when it comes to repairs. From the bit I’ve gathered, he’s extremely frustrated about wasting precious time. It just might bother him more than your delightful presence.” Bianca winks.

“Uh-huh, the feeling is mutual. And we’re forced to fix stuff together. Did you know an entire section of the paddock fence was cut straight down the middle? All three rows. It’s like the wires were sliced with a sword. How does that happen?”

“No idea. Wow. What does my dad have to say?”

I shrug. “Dennis just does his own thing. He doesn’t get too worked up about much.”

“That sounds about right,” she mutters. “For what it’s worth, I doubt those damages are done on purpose. The pranks are another story.”

“Such a mess. It’s safe to conclude the place is falling apart without you. When are you coming home to end the chaos?”

For once, her laughter isn’t bogged down by gloom. “It can’t be that bad.”

“You’re right. It’s worse.” My grin is a crooked slant.“He calls me Twinkles.”

“To be fair, you have a lot of sparkle. Inside and out.”

“But you mean it as a compliment. Your brother is a condescending ass.” Steam is probably spewing from my nostrils.

Bianca twists her lips. “Should I cut my trip short?”

“No,” I huff. “I’m just venting and hogging the conversation. Tell me the latest on your end. Still in Germany?”

She nods. “We arrived in Essen on Monday. It’s this adorable little town where my grandmother grew up.”

“Are you living the dream?”

Bianca’s smile could chase off the threat of rain. “Better than I imagined. I feel like this is where I’m meant to be. It’s beautiful here. The architecture alone is stunning. Everything takes my breath away. Their culture and customs are really interesting. There’s so much history to be found. A sense of peace too. Does that make sense?”

Tears prick my eyes as I listen to her describe the trip she was desperate to take. “Definitely. Just what you needed.”

“Yeah.” More pain sheds from her with a heavy sigh.

“And how’s Colton?”

Her carefree expression folds into a frown. “Urgh, he’s awful. The man is always hovering. I barely get enough personal space to pee without him stuck to me. Don’t even ask about what happened when he caught me in bed with my favorite toy.”

Air gets trapped in my throat and I choke on that unwanted visual. “I’m not even sure how to respond to that.”

“Terrible, right? It’s his mission to ruin this vacation for me.” A hint of her previous smile returns. “But it’s not all bad. Despite his stalkerish efforts, I’ve managed to find fun people to hang around. A group of them took us out to a club last night. I met this guy who was crazy sexy. My pussy purred when we locked eyes. He had a smolder that could’ve brought me to my knees. I was seconds away from—”

“La-la-lahhhh! Too much information,” I cut in while glancing at my very public surroundings.

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