Page 21 of Loved By Tandy

“Not sure. But I’ve been thinking about everything that needs to be done. It feels like it’s taking forever. It helps that you’re on the team now.”

His warm hands clasp my shoulders, and he kneads my tight muscles. “I’m happy that we’re working together.”

My eyes slip closed, and I relax my tight shoulders. “Okay. That feels amazing.”

His breath tickles my ear. “You like that, do you?”

I jerk away, reminding myself that our relationship is all business. “Thanks. I think that helped. I need to make sure the room is ready for Colt.”

“A room for Colt?” Matthew crosses his arms, his gaze boring holes into me.

“Calm down, old man. Colt is moving in until his place is ready.” I step closer and pat his chest. “You’d have to be insane for that to bother you.”

One half of his mouth quirks into a smirk. “Insane, huh?”

“We’ve hashed this out already, remember?” I pat his cheek. “We’re old. He’s a kid. And I don’t want him wasting his money on a fleabag motel.”

The doorbell rings, and I wag my finger in Matthew’s face. “Be nice.”

“I finally get to meet your new young friend.”

I’ve avoided introducing Matthew to Colt simply because I wasn’t sure what Matthew would say. “You promise to behave?”

He leans in close. “Only because it makes you happy, Tandy.”

I huff and hurry to the door.

Colt grins when it swings open. “Smells good in here.”

“Come on in. Colt, this is Matthew Gallagher. He’s handling all the building projects on the ranch. And he brought the plans for your place.” I motion Colt inside. “And Matthew, this is ColtReed, my wrangler and handyman. I’m sure you two will be seeing a lot of each other.”

Matthew extends his hand. “Nice to meet you. Has she asked you to take off your shirt yet?”

I cannot believe Matthew is bringing that up. “Of course I haven’t asked him to take off his shirt. He works for me.”

I may have garnered a reputation for asking men to take off their shirts, but it was truly all in fun. Occasionally one said yes—actually, only once—and I got a book cover out of the deal.

Matthew and I went decades without seeing each other because I rarely came back to this town. But since he knew me when I was young, it feels like he knows me better than my current friends. And maybe he does. He knew the me that didn’t have strategically placed, well-reinforced emotional walls.

One thing I know for certain. Matthew knows how to push my buttons.

Colt rubs his mouth, trying to hide either horror or a laugh. I don’t know him well enough to decipher the look in his eyes. “No, sir. She has not asked me to remove my clothing. Thankfully. Because that would be awkward.”

I poke Matthew in the ribs. “You’ll pay for that jab.”

He clasps my hand as I start to walk away and whispers, “Would a Big Hunk make everything better?”

He is maddening. But I’m caught between wanting to smack him and wanting to plant a big fat kiss on him. If he actually got his hands on my favorite candy bar, which I can never find, kissing him might be what I choose.

After dinner,we spend more than an hour poring over the plans and sketches for the structures I want built. Colt loves the layout of his new house, so that’s a plus.

An alarm sounds on my phone, and I check the weather app. I’ve learned not to ignore warnings when it comes to Texas storms. “Oh, this looks bad. Hail and strong winds.”

Matthew peers over my shoulder. “Oof. I don’t like the looks of that. They updated the warnings. It was supposed to be just a rainstorm.”

“You should stay. There’s no point in your driving home right now. You have no business being out in that sort of weather.”

He cuts a glance at Colt. “I don’t want to impose.”

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