Page 28 of The Cowboy's Off Limits Option

All heads on the lawn swivel in sync to look at me.

"Cal?" Rowan's voice is all kinds of curious.

"It's always been Archer for me," I confess. "Since long before I even knew what the hell love was really going to be. But yeah-- these last couple of years, my feelings for him kind of...grew into something I'll never be able to let go of."

"So you never dated anybody-- because of that fool?" Rowan jerks a thumb toward Archer.

It's my turn to get shy, with a weak shrug of affirmation. Maybe it's ridiculous, but it worked out.

Well, it worked out for me and Archer. Judging from the expressions on the faces around us, it's going to take a while for our brothers to get used to the new arrangement.

"Looks like you got things handled then." Lance breaks the silence but the rest of us continue our stare down. "So, uh, I'll just go let Mom know she was right."

Rowan and I are both confused by the younger O'Leary's statement, but Gunner throws his hat to the ground with a loud curse and Archer drops his head back to look at the sky with a long groan.

"You're gonna give Ranger the hundred you just cost me, asshole." Gunner picks up his hat and backhands Archer's arm as he replaces it on his head. "Never thought you'd pull a stunt like this in a million years."

Lance laughs as he walks toward the main house where their mother, Kim, lives.

Gunner grumbles about losing money on some bet with his older brother that seems to have involved Archer and me getting to together, as he gets back in the side by side and heads back toward the working side of the ranch's sprawling property.

Rowan and Archer hold each other in a steady gaze filled with testosterone and defiance.

When my brother takes a step in Archer's direction, I rush to get between them. Taking my place directly in front of Archer to make my position on the matter as clear as possible.

Archer

Once again,Callie puts herself right in the middle. I appreciate her standing with me and making it clear that she won't be backing down from the promises we've made to one another, and she's certainly shown that she knows where to hit a man when she's fed up with his behavior-- note to self-- but I'd rather she wasn't between me and her brother.

Not when he's stalking toward me with murder still written in his features.

But when I move aside so Cal's not in danger, Rowan's path of travel doesn't follow me. He keeps walking till he's toe to toe with Callie, the two of them locked in a staring match the likes of which I've never witnessed.

"You should have told me." Rowan finally speaks, scolding and hard.

"Told you what? I was in love with your best friend? How was that going to go over, Row?"

Rowan's face only darkens. I don't know if he's taking time to think it over or if he's just fighting to keep his temper under control.

I move closer to Cal, laying my hand on her shoulder in a move that has Rowan's eyes narrow where I'm touching his sister.

"You're too young." He tells her firmly.

"Correction: Iwastoo young." Callie edges forward, forcing her brother to step back or get stepped on. "Now I'm a grown woman with a career and my own business, Rowan. Other girls in the valley were getting married straight out of high school. Girls I graduated with are already on their second baby and you never seemed to think that was too young for anybody else."

"The girls you graduated with married boys their own age, Cal. Archer's got ten years on you. What the hell do you have in common that's gonna get you through the long haul together?"

"It's not like I'm marrying a stranger--" I watch Rowan's eye twitch when she says "marrying" and I might feel for my buddy, but hearing her claim me out loud like that feels mighty damn good. "I've been friends with Archer and his whole family just as long you have.

"He's yourbest friend, Rowan."

It's hard to fight the grin that threatens the corner of my lips when lays it on thick like that.

"You wouldn't have been so close to someone for so long if he wasn't a good guy."

She's got him. I see the moment my buddy's resolve cracks open.

"She's got a point, Row." Now I step fully into their space, wrapping my arm around Callie and taking in the slack when she leans into me with her own arm around my waist. "You've known me a long damn time. We've been though some epic shit together. You know I'd never disrespect that.

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