Page 11 of One Scorching Summer

“He’s an asshole. His face is plastered right under the definition. Drop it, Nettie,” Jorja said with more force than intended, wiping the smile off her friend’s face. “I’m not into him.” She jettisoned to her feet and paced.

“Really? My friend doth protest too much.”

“Drop the Hamlet. It’s really simple. I don’t like him, at all.”Liar.“I find him repugnant.”Liar.

“You” —Nettie held her stomach, her words spaced out by the waves of giggles— “are full of shit. It was the Carpenter Ranch where you had a meeting at yesterday, right? And where youtook a spill? In front of him? Dressed to impress? No wonder you’re so uptight. It’s interesting that you sized Rake up as an asshole when the two of you barely spoke. You can try to deny it, but you did look at him tonight, more than a few times. He did too, at you. Those combo lingering-and-darting looks. Your I’m-totally-interested-meter blew its gasket.” She paused before speaking again, then said slowly, “Rake has slipped under your skin.”

“Nettie-e-e.” Jorja whined, wanting to shake her. “Drop it.”

“Let’s go. Since you’ve got a second wind, we’ll watch a movie. I’ll make nightcaps.”

“Fine. Just promise me that the topic of Rake Carpenter won’t come up again.”

“You’re kidding me. The attraction between you two is like, intense. Fireworks are on the horizon. Where’s my curious and fearless friend?” Nettie unlocked the door and flipped on a light. “By the way, he’s the one I thought you should hook up with.”

“Not happening.”Liar.“Your curious and fearless friend is frustrated as hell. There’s a larger issue. My great-grandfather bought the majority of mineral estates from Rake’s great-grandfather and refused to sell any back. He made a killing during the oil boom and founded Ogden Oil, now Ogden-Keller Oil. There’s bad blood between our families.”

“Oh my … How interesting.” Nettie’s eyes narrowed and a shadow of a smile appeared. “This is juicy stuff and explains a lot. I want to hear more. Go get your pjs on. I’ll meet you in the loft with our nightcaps and refills.”

“Net—”

“Uh-uh.” Nettie pointed toward the loft. “Go. I’ll see you in five or so. Then we’re going to watch … mm … your choice.The Wedding Planner,Pride & Prejudice, or” –Nettie tapped her chin, then held a finger in the air— “The Notebook.”

“Those are all over the place.”

“I assure you; there’s a theme.”

“Right. Rom-com.”

“Enemies to lovers, girlfriend. Or we could watchTitanic.”

Dammit. Her friend was too intuitive. Jorja paused at the first step and turned; arms crossed over her chest. “Seriously? No. I’ve experienced enough of a disaster between yesterday and tonight.”

Nettie side-hugged her. “Aw, poor Jorja. Whatever you wish.”

Jorja placed the small tray of vegetables, hummus, and crackers on the table in front of the comfy couch. The basket of plates, napkins and utensils went next to it. “I can’t even believe I’m hungry after eating half of a chicken and drinking roughly the equivalent of a pitcher of beer.”

“Your emotions are burning up the calories.” Nettie arranged the pitcher of iced water and the two whisky ginger cocktails next to the food. She handed one to Jorja, wrapped herself in a quilt, sat, and picked up her drink. “Levi said Rake admitted he might have been slightly unwelcoming when you showed up at the ranch and tried to discuss a lease. He didn’t give a reason.”

“He was expecting someone else. Rake thought he had an appointment with a man named George. His niece got my name wrong.”

“Hey, it happens. Skye, Rake’s niece, is a wonderful young lady. Did you meet her?”

“No. Slightly? He said, slightly?”Get the fuck off my property. “He was downright rude.” Jorja growled. “Unbelievable. He was a total douchebag.”But holy hell, can he kiss.

“Carpenters’ is one of the few remaining massive ranching operations in Texas. It’s very profitable.”

“Iknowthat. It’s part of my job to know.” Like her friend, Jorja was a trust fund baby, too, and worked because she enjoyed it. “I also know that drilling has been going on there for decades.”

“Sometimes I forget about your depth and breadth of knowledge since you rarely talk about it.” Nettie settled into the plush cushions. “Levi said Rake has greatly improved the ranch’s bottom line. I bet he’s worried about future projects and how they impact the land and agribusiness. Aside from cattle, breeding Quarter horses, and crop farming, the Carpenter Ranch allows for seasonal recreational hunting. Given what you just shared about the intertwined history, showing up at the ranch dressed as you were, was gutsy as hell. But that’s so you.”

“I’m aware of his drive for preservation and innovation. Hell, I respect it. In hindsight, I may have overplayed my visit. Two of our other landmen tried to meet with him and were run off by shotgun, so I devised a plan to throw him off his center after researching his reputation. He’s a womanizer, Nettie.”

“The womanizer piece isn’t exactly true. He appreciates women. Levi says he’s particular and tries to keep a low profile regarding romantic interests.”

“Sure he does.” Jorja scoffed, thinking of the beautiful blonde he was with earlier. “I presume Rake is concerned about the ranch, but I didn’t even have the chance to talk to him before he kicked me off his property. He will come to the table, and we will address everything. I left him a message yesterday after my soak in the tub. And, if there are still sticking points in the lease, which I don’t expect there will be, we’ll mediate. Better that he deals with me. We can keep it in the families, so-to-speak. The lease will happen regardless.”

“Just remember that he enjoys a challenge. He’s competitive and strategic, but then so are you. It seems that that the two of you got off on the wrong foot. You need a deep talk.”

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