Page 38 of Between a Rock and a Hard Cowboy

For the first time all day, his father smiled. “I knew I liked that girl.”

And with that, the subject of Emmett and the will was closed… for now.

ChapterNineteen

The snow that the storm had dumped on Roan Mountain and the town of Bitter End had been cleared from the roads by the time Eva had left Linc’s place.

She had no problem getting back to Rosie’s just fine even if the Wilder men did disparage her car’s abilities. That car had gotten her around Skaneateles, New York for the past ten years and it was still going strong.

Ha! That showed how much they knew.

Upstairs, her apartment was toasty warm, just as it had been when she’d left it. It was as if there’d never been a power outage and she’d never been stuck with Linc for the night and had never found that box that was about to take down the first family of Bitter End.

What a freaking nightmare.

The thought reminded her of Linc and his nightmares. When this will mess was over—and God she hoped it would be soon—she’d have to do a deep dive into Linc’s military service and find where he’d been and what he’d experienced that still affected him so. It would go a long way in helping her understand the man who, on some levels, remained a mystery.

The sound for a video call emitted from her cell phone at the same time the call alert took over the screen of the laptop open on the table in front of where she sat.

“Yes?” she said as she answered the video call.

“Oh, thank God. She made it home all right,” Poppy said to Olivia next to her.

Poppy was situated where she so often was nowadays, on Olivia’s bed with her.

“Thanks for texting to let us know.” Poppy cocked up one blonde brow to reinforce her sarcasm.

Rather than defend herself, Eva went on the offense. “You two are starting to look like an episode ofSister Wives, always propped up there in Wyatt’s bed.”

“Ew. Stop. It’s Livvie’s bed too and Wyatt’s not even home.” Poppy scowled but still looked beautiful.

“Okay, you two. Enough banter. We need to talk about you know who,” Olivia said, sticking to the ban on the mention of Emmett’s name they’d instituted back in January.

Like Voldemort, Emmett had been the snake which shall not be named for almost a year.

Eva hadn’t appreciated how blissful that year had been. They hadn’t had to think or worry about him because, like snakes do, he’d stayed hidden.

But now, thanks to her and that damn box, they had to worry… and wonder. When would he rear his ugly head again? And what would they do when he did?

“There’s nothing to discuss. The snake is not getting half of that estate. Not on my watch,” Eva proclaimed.

Poppy tipped her head. “I agree. He doesn’t deserve anything. From what Ethan told me, the cockroach showed up last year begging for a handout. They gave him a job instead and arranged for him to live above Rosie’s, then he got Darcy’s nanny pregnant and ran.”

Eva’s lips tipped up in a smile. “Precarious position, being Darcy’s nanny. Wyatt’s two for two with his live-in employees getting pregnant,” she teased.

The difference was, Wyatt had proposed to Olivia the moment she told him that the amorous encounters between the boss and his nanny had resulted in a baby. Now, they were married and in love. They were building a family. Whereas Emmett was just scum.

Olivia narrowed her eyes at Eva’s comparison between her and her predecessor but couldn’t deny the truth of it given her basketball-sized belly.

“Can we discuss a plan to make sure the cockroach doesn’t get anything?” Olivia asked, redirecting the conversation away from her baby bump—or in this case, baby mountain.

“No worries. I have a plan,” Eva told them.

“Care to share?” Poppy asked.

“Not yet.” Eva noticed the glance that passed between her two best friends. “What? What is that look?”

Poppy pressed her lips tightly together while Olivia drew in a breath so big, her Mount Everest of a belly rose even higher.

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