Page 32 of Pretend To Be My Cowboy
“That sounds great,” he said, in what had to be the understatement of the year. What it sounded like was heaven.
He watched her walk away before turning toward the large barn structure that acted as a warehouse, shop, and also housed the small office Nash used for the property’s paperwork.
One of the unsung glories of being the property manager was all the paperwork it entailed. He still had spreadsheets to update and wages to figure, not to mention all the onboarding paperwork that went along with the new seasonal hires.
But not even thoughts of paperwork could dampen his mood, and he found himself replaying every second of his time with Emma, cataloguing each smile and every laugh like he could store it all away for a rainy day.
“Well, well, look who finally made it.” Kit sauntered past his office, then lounged against a tool bench to watch his younger brother, Cody, work on the stump grinder that’d been broken for weeks now.
Cody glanced over with a small smile of sympathy. Cody was a good kid—quiet and serious. Basically the opposite of Kit.
“Come on, man, give us the details,” Kit said as he pushed away from where he’d been lounging.
“There’s nothing to tell,” Nash said. “The lady wanted to see the property and so I showed her around.” He shrugged, keeping his gaze on the stack of mail he’d picked up and was shuffling through.
It was bills and junk mail, mainly, but he frowned down at it like each envelope required his utmost attention.
“Aw, come on, man,” Kit said. “It’s not every day we get a gorgeous new owner on the property. What’s she like? Did you ask her out?”
Nash glanced up. “Don’t you have anything better to do than wait around here looking for gossip?”
Cody laughed at that as he continued to mind his own business.
“Nope,” Kit said, undeterred. “I’m done for the day. I’ve got nothing to do but learn all there is to know about Aspire’s newest pretty lady. Did you find out if she’s single?”
Nash’s muscles stiffened, and a flood of something toxic and green had him gripping the mail like he might shred it to pieces. He loved Kit like a brother but right now all he could think about were his jokes over the past couple years about needing to find a mama for his twins.
“Did I hear something about a pretty lady?” JJ strolled in, grease-stained and grinning.
Nash groaned. “Not you too.”
JJ scratched at his scruffy beard with an unapologetic shrug. “I saw you two speeding up to the homestead in the UTV. What’s the story there?”
Nash shrugged. “No story. Just giving the lady a tour. That’s it. I didn’t ask her out, and I don’t even know if she’s single.”
All three men stared at him and JJ’s eyes widened, dancing with laughter. “I just meant, did she say anything about her plans to sell, but clearly I’m missing something.”
Dang it. Nash scrubbed the back of his neck, avoiding all three of their laughing stares.
“Oh, you missed something all right,” Kit said. “Nash here was just going to tell us all about his lovely new houseguest.”
“Want me to ask her if she’s single?” JJ asked. “I don’t mind.”
“Oh no, no, you leave that to me,” Kit said. His easy laughter made Nash tense even more. “I’ll just ask her out and then we’ll have our answer.”
“You will do no such thing,” Nash growled.
This made Kit and JJ crack up all over again.
“Leave him alone, you guys,” Cody said with a tolerant grin as he swiped his dirty hands on a rag. “Nash here needs our help.”
“Oh, he definitely does,” Kit agreed. “When’s the last time you asked a girl out, man?”
Nash shrugged. It had been...a while. Not only because his family and all their nagging about getting married had made dating feel like a chore, but because the ladies in Aspire and the surrounding towns made it unnecessary for him to do the asking.
The last three dates he’d gone on, the women had asked him out first. Maisie Traynor, the hairdresser from two towns over said if she’d waited for him, she’d have been old and gray before he got around to it.
She might have had a point.
