Page 2 of The Fear
“It’ll never happen.” Hala informed the beautiful, clueless idiot in question, trying not to giggle like one of the kindergarteners she taught every weekday. “Sorry to dash your hopes. But I won’t ever even think there might be something like that between us. You are the worst Hiller brother of the bunch, Grady. The whole bunch. I know all your bad habits, dude. I mean…now, Gunn, maybe. He’s definitely more my type. Too bad Ayla claimed him first, though.”
Maybe. No onereallyknew exactly what was going on between Ayla and Grady’s twin, Gunn. Even Ayla. But it was true—Gunn looked just like this beautiful bonehead in front of her, but Gunn was kind, compassionate, helpful, and loving. Hala wanted a man just like Gunn someday.
When the time was right. The time was most definitely not right, right now, though. Far from it.
Grady was just…broody and glaring. Constantly.
Especially at her. It was a lifelong habit.
Hala glared a long way up at the man in front of her. In return. One good glare deserved another, after all. She was pretty certain she’d first learnedhowto glare by mimicking Grady when she’d been really, really little.
Oh, the big goober. He had always been so clueless. Yes, he and Gunn were fully identical. But she’d never had a moment’s trouble telling them apart. Gunn had a sweet soul. Kind andloving. This man…had the soul of a stump. “If you’ll excuse me, my darling future husband, your sisters are waiting.”
“They can wait. I’m not certain why all the girls are here again tonight, though.”
“They are here for me.” She tried to pull her arm free of the barbarian who held it. She was not about to let Grady Hiller ruin tonight for her. “It’s a big night for me. They are helping me get ready.”
It was her first time in years. Since a man she thought she could trust had almost destroyed her.
Grady wasn’t going to be allowed to pop her happiness bubble tonight. Not for her.
It just wasn’t happening.
“Why?”
“Why? Because I haveplans,mydarling future husband.”
Yep. That pushed his button right there.
“Quit saying that.” The scowl deepened again. Oh, Grady was so predictable.
She yanked her arm free, and just for the fun of it, kicked him lightly—very lightly, like she had so many other times before—in the shin. He deserved it for the things he’d said, implied about her.
Scheming to capture herself a Grady-shaped husband? No way.Not ever.
She didn’t wanthim.
He didn’t even know her. She hadn’t said two words to him in a good five or six months. She hadn’t even lived in Barratt County for four years, until two weeks ago, when she’d moved back to take a suddenly open spot at the Value elementary school. She hadn’t been to the ranch once in that time since. She’d just been too busy settling into her new job, finding an apartment and getting out of Hudson’s guest room, that kind of thing. She still had two dozen boxes to unpack!
To think he thought she had the hots for him and was planning to seduce him into marrying her…that was utterly insane. Because of his mother’s scheming. Really?
The man was insane. Yes, his mother was a champion schemer, but Gayle wouldn’t do that to Hala, right?
Hala headed inside. She needed someone rational—before she tossed him in the water trough.
“There you are!” Grady’s youngest sister, and her closest friend in the entire world—the sister of her heart—Greer said. “We were getting concerned. We are running out of time. We need to get started.”
“You planning on this taking a while?”
“Started on what?” Grady asked, in a seriously grumpy tone, right behind her. The man was limping. Score. “What are you brats doing tonight?”
Brats. Like they were ten years old or something. Did he seriously think they were still just kids?
“Getting Hala ready. She has a big date tonight. I thought we told you guys to get lost?” Greer glared at him. Greer had been a bit anti-man lately. Including her brothers. Hala still hadn’t gotten to the bottom ofwhy.Not yet.
She would. Greer was hurting. It was hard to miss. Greer was hurting—there wasn’t anything Hala wouldn’t do to fix it.
“Yeah, well, I live here. I don’t want to hide in my room so you can have another slumber party with all your pretty little friends.” Grady looked at Hala. Little friends.Grr. “So you have a date tonight? Who with?”
