Page 15 of Loved By Tandy

“Right. Normal. Neither of us are normal, Tandy. You know it, and I know it. You’ve just been at it a couple of decades longer than me.”

“Okay, so here’s the tea. Matthew had the audacity to imply that I was dating Colt. Dating him! That’s asinine. Not to mention creepy. He called him a fling.” I slap a hand to my heart, playing up the theatrics, and Joji is eating it up. “It made me want toflingMatthew across the room.”

Laughing, she swings her purse onto her shoulder, and we head to her truck. “Has he recovered from his wasp stings?”

“Now you’re just making me feel bad. How was I supposed to know that gasoline would make those things mad? Besides, I didn’t even know he was coming. It’s not like I did it on purpose to hurt him.” After getting in my seat, I stare out the window and wait half a second before adding, “But now we’re even.”

“Tandy! Have you spent the last four decades aching for revenge?”

“Five.”

She starts the engine, and it rumbles to life. “What did that man do to you?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

She shakes her head. “It must have been one whopper of a sting. The mischievous gleam in your eye nearly disappears when you talk about him.”

“What color truck should I get?” If that wasn’t enough of a hint to change the subject, I’ll resort to talking about engines and motors, but only if I have to.

I parkmy shiny new red truck on the street in front of my house. I’ve been leaving my driveway vacant for Blake and Matthew, and both of their trucks are still here.

The door swings open as I reach the porch, and Blake lets out a long whistle. “Fancy! The color suits you.”

“Thanks. I thought so too.” I pat his arm as I walk inside. “I can’t wait to show Stephanie when I work at the winery on Saturday.” It’ll be my last shift out there because all my time going forward will be focused on the ranch.

“She’ll love it.”

“I thought you were leaving.”

“Change of plans.” He leans in close as I walk by. “What did you put in Matthew’s coffee? He’s been moping around since you left.”

“Love and light.” Snickering, I drop my keys onto the entry table.

Matthew walks out of the kitchen. “Did you buy anything?”

“It’s out front.”

He shoves his hands in his pockets and stares at the floor. “Sorry about earlier. I probably shouldn’t have said all that. Especially after I called you a cougar at the party.”

Blake beelines out of the room. Smart man.

“And how long did it take you to come to that conclusion, Einstein? Look at me. You really think I would date a twenty-year-old?” I hold Matthew’s gaze, waiting for an answer.

A smirk plays on his lips as he shrugs. “What if I said you look as young to me as the day we met?”

“I’d say you were an old windbag who’s going senile.”

“Tell me about your ranch and your new friend.”

“I’m calling the place Matchmaker Ranch, and I’ll set it up somewhat like a dude ranch, but we’ll only host one or two couples at a time. I’ll have to cut back on my other jobs so that I can make love matches.” I pull two Dr Peppers—the good kind in the glass bottles—from the small fridge I have tucked in the corner of the dining room and hand one to Matthew. “And my new friend is my wrangler and handyman. He’s overseeing the repairs to the barn and the construction of a new one.”

“What about the other buildings on the ranch?”

“They need to be built. The house on the land was torn down years ago. I’m trying to find a contractor to handle that stuff.”

“That’s what I did for years, Tandy.”

“So I’ve heard, but you’re retired.”

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