Page 29 of Redemption

“Great! You can show me some later on tonight then, I need to change up my hair.”

She hit me with a sly look. “Why? For Jack?”

“Absolutely not!” I spluttered. “I hardly think dating our mother’s killer is appropriate.”

Although I didn’t take my eyes from the road, I could sense Tilly withdraw.Ugh, yes bring up our dead mom while you’re trying to connect with her.

“Is the eye makeup to impress anyone in particular?” I tried again. “Like a boy at school, maybe?”

Tilly snorted. “Boys are lame.”

True.But I couldn’t help but notice that her new look was a little bit like the type of women I’d seen Max flirting with at The Lonely Bison.

“You’re not trying to impress a certain bartender who’s eleven years older than you, are you?”

“Oh my God, can you not!” Tilly groaned.

“I’m just saying, he’s too old for you. You can think about men when you’re eighteen, and you need to let me and Leo check them out first. Maybe we need to talk about sex?”

“I think I’ll take advice from someone who has it, thanks.”

“I have it!” I defended myself and I don’t know why, it wasn’t true.

Teenagers are mean.

Tilly snorted again and before she could say more, I pulled up outside the school. She was opening the door before I even came to a stop.

“Have a great day, honey!” I called after her and she just waved without looking back at me. I watched her walk past a small group of girls who all began whispering and giggling at her. My heart constricted at the idea of my little sister being bullied. I made a mental note to talk to the principal about it when I saw Tilly give them a saccharine smile and flip them the bird, withboth hands.

I had a feeling the principal would be wanting to speak to me soon enough.

*

When I got back to the house, I spotted Jack perched against our porch like he owned the damn place.

“So nice to keep bumping into you, Mr. Drayton,” I gave him a smile with teeth.

“Thanks for putting on clothes,” he drawled, my cheeks heating when I was sure I heard him mutter, “not that I minded.”

“Something I can help you with?”

He tucked his hands into the back pockets of his jeans and his too small t-shirt pulled tight across his chest. Did he not own clothes that fit? One pec jumped under my perusal and my eyes flicked away.

“Working on the ranch? I came to see what you wanted me to do first?” His pale blue eyes twinkled in the sun, light and gentle, disarming me.

I folded my arms across my chest, I’d Googled power stances to help me feel more in control and this was a pretty good one. Now I felt like a badass bitch. “I figured you would want some time to settle in first?” When really, I needed time to get used to the idea of him being here. “Then we can start and you can shadow Gus, he can show you the ropes.”

He nodded slowly. “Because this is a cattle ranch, right? The practice of raising herds of animals on large tracts of land?”

I wrinkled my nose. “You sound like you swallowed a textbook.”

“I kinda have. I spent the weekend at the library.” He rubbed the back of his neck, with an embarrassedexpression on his face. His bicep flexed with each stroke of his neck and I was suddenly very aware of whateveryonekept pointing out: I hadn’t had sex in a while.

I shook my head. “Really? Not out partying or getting laid after twelve years of celibacy?” My comment was catty and I expected a smart remark back, not the surprised look on his face or the way his cheeks flushed.

“Uh, not quite. I wanted to get ahead of the game, that’s all. I don’t really have experience with this.” He gestured to the ranch.

That makes two of us.

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