Page 24 of Pretend To Be My Cowboy
He was glad she could take care of herself. It wasn’t like he wanted her crying on his shoulder, right?
She wasn’t his problem.
“How’s the new owner settling in?” JJ asked.
Nash scowled over at him. “She’s not the owner.”
JJ arched a brow, but he didn’t argue.
“She and her sisters will be selling the place the first chance they get,” Nash said.
He assumed that would be the case, at least. And it was better for everyone if that was what happened.
It was definitely what his father wanted. It would be the best scenario for his family. And every Donahue knew that family was all that mattered.
Family came first. Always.
“So, she’s not sticking around?” JJ asked.
Nash shook his head, brushing dirt off his hands. “Nope. She’s only here for a week.”
Which was good. Great, even. The sooner she left, the sooner his life would go back to normal.
And normal was good. He was content with normal. He’d never wanted for anything, and what more could a man ask for?
“Too bad,” JJ said mildly. Too mildly.
Nash narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “Why?”
“Rumor has it she’s real cute.” JJ wiggled his eyebrows.
Nash growled. He legit growled. The sound shocked him almost as much as it seemed to surprise JJ.
But then JJ’s head fell back with a howl of laughter. “Oh man, you should have seen your face.” He pointed a finger at Nash. “I’ve seen a grizzly protecting its cubs out in the wild up close and personal, and not even that was as terrifying as the look you just gave me.”
Nash’s jaw clenched shut with a click. He didn’t trust himself to respond, so he turned around and headed to the main house. It was late enough. Emma should be up, and he felt like a mother hen because he’d been waiting all morning to check on her.
He wrenched open the door to the mudroom, kicked off his boots and stumbled to a stop in the kitchen. She was awake all right.
Awake and at home in his kitchen.
No, her kitchen.
He scrubbed at the back of his neck. Aw heck, this was getting confusing.
She was sipping on coffee and staring at a sheet of paper in front of her, her brows drawn together in concentration.
Her long blonde hair was piled up atop her head in a messy bun, with a few strands falling down around her cheeks. His fingers itched to brush it back and tuck it behind her ears so he could see every angle of her face.
He wanted to find out for himself if her skin was as soft as it looked.
The way her hair was up like that, it called attention to the long line of her neck, and from there his gaze fell to the oversized, faded college T-shirt that nearly swallowed her whole.
His throat tightened with the urge to laugh even as his heart squeezed with an ache.
Adorable. She was adorable.
Rumor has it she’s real cute.
