Page 56 of Silos and Sabotage

“I can’t believe I’m saying this.” Gage gave his coworker a lazy smile. “But I finally met two people who make me prefer your company.”

A snicker escaped Ella from the backseat. “And I finally found out what’s worse than not having family.”

Johnny, who was still guffawing over Gage’s statement, twisted around to waggle his eyebrows at her. “Oh, yeah? What’s that?”

“Having family,” she informed him in a glum voice.

He laughed harder. “Good luck sneaking in your first kiss with two chaperones breathing down your neck. Or is it three?” He slapped his knee. “If I tag along, we can make it four.”

“No!” Gage and Ella shouted in unison.

Johnny recoiled in his seat, pretending to be offended. “I’m beginning to think you weren’t serious when you said you preferred my company, bro.” He sent Gage a comically sour look.

Gage shook his head at him. “Don’t you have Friday night plans of your own?”

“Nope.” Johnny popped the P at the end of the word. “My family lives up in Wyoming, most of my friends are on the rodeo circuit, and I’m between girlfriends.”

Ella leaned over the console. “It probably wouldn’t hurt for me to take another bodyguard along. Just saying.”

“Can’t.” Gage shook his head emphatically. “He’s already put in more hours than Lonestar allows in a week.”

“Then I’ll come as a friend and just hang out.” Johnny settled more comfortably in his seat. “No one else has to know I’m not officially on duty.”

“As tempting as that is,” Gage’s tone was politely sarcastic, “it doesn’t feel right taking advantage of you like that.”

“What doesn’t feel right,” Johnny shot back, “is sending me home to an empty apartment with no créme brûlée.”

Ella snickered again. “Aw, Gage! Look at him. He’s so pitiful.”

“And in need of nourishment,” Johnny added in a small voice that fooled nobody.

“Fine.” Gage sounded supremely annoyed as he pulled into the parking garage. It was nearly empty. “Go change and meet us at my place in an hour. We’ll carpool.” He drew alongside Johnny’s pickup.

“What’s wrong with what I have on?” Johnny pushed open his door and hopped to the ground, striking a dainty pose in his well-worn jeans and slouched Stetson.

Gage waved despairingly at him. “I wouldn’t know where to begin.” He revved the motor impatiently. “Don’t forget to shower.”

Johnny slammed his door shut, pretending to be offended, but Ella didn’t miss the twinkle he was trying to hide. He was tickled to pieces about crashing their dinner date.

“He grows on you, doesn’t he?” She gazed around the dimly lit garage. It had a Batman cave feeling to it. A safe feeling. The moment Gage drove out of the garage, she felt exposed again.

“Yep. Like a disease.” He set their course for home.

“What is it about him that gets under your skin so badly?” There was no way Gage was jealous. Not once had Johnny been even remotely serious when he was flirting with her.

“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Because he’s immature, I guess.”

“He does have that annoying younger brother vibe.” Which she found a lot more entertaining than he did.

“Except he’s three years older than you.” Gage glanced over his shoulder at her. “Don’t ask me how I found that out.”

“By being nosy, I imagine,” she chuckled.

“Yep.” Gage waved a hand. “He looks younger, though, when he acts the way he does.

“I think he’s just young at heart.” Her gaze narrowed in speculation as his dilapidated farmhouse came into view. It had peeling white paint, and the roof rippled in places, like a candy bar that the sun had melted in the heat of the day just so it could cool and cling tighter to the rafters at night. Not for the first time, she wondered if Gage was tight on cash, since he seemed in no hurry to tackle any renovations.

He parked between the back porch and the guest house, which was completely adorable with its pristine white vinyl siding and red metal roof.

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