Page 78 of Opposites (Never) Attract
“But while you’re here, for however long you’re here, let me take care of you.”
She immediately bristled. “I can take care of myself, Tag.”
“Of course you can. You’ve been doing it since you were sixteen and you’re rich because of it, which always makes things easier. I’m saying I brought you here, let me take care of you while you’re cleaning up this mess.”
“Which me? Kaitlyn or Sunshine?”
I laughed. “And that right there, darlin, is part of your problem. Pick a person and be that.”
“I thought I did,” she said, shaking her head. “I have to go back inside. I don’t want to disappoint Bliss.”
“You go on, then, I’ll watch to make sure you get back okay.”
“Worried about crime in Last Hope?” she said, climbing off herfrog with grace.
“More worried about some drunk stumbling out the back door and pissing on your shoes.”
She whipped her head toward the building, but there was no drunk. We were still alone.
“Please don’t let that happen,” she said.
I chuckled and watched her walk away.
Kaitlyn/Sunshine, whoever the hell she was, I liked both of them.
And that was going to be a problem.
SIXTEEN
SUNSHINE/KAITLYN
“Is thereblood coming out of my eyes?” Carter asked his younger brother, Mac.
“I understood everything she said,” Mac told Carter.
“Bullshit,” Ethan coughed into his fist.
We were back in the study at the Lodge, the brothers having congregated again to hear my plan to save the ranch, which gave me an excellent opportunity to bust out my PowerPoint presentation.
The last slide read: Questions?
The three men sitting on the brown leather couch looked at me like I’d presented the entire slide show in Mandarin. When, in fact, only two slides which highlighted the Asian markets had just a few words in Mandarin.
I didn’t see the problem.
“Is there a way to make any of what you just said comprehensible to normal human beings?” Ethan asked me.
My jaw must have dropped. “Seriously? That was my entire plan boiled down to its most simplistic form. I don’t know any other way to say it, other than big rewards need big risks.”
“There you go!” Mac said.
“Just say that,” Carter agreed.
The door to the study was pushed open by Harmony’s goose, with a corresponding honk to announce her arrival.
“I thought it went very well, Bruce,” I said to the animal. It had taken some time, but we were starting to bond.
Harmony was carrying a tray of snacks, and what looked to be a pitcher of iced tea.
