Page 38 of Make Me Crazy (Loco, Texas 2)

“She asked you how the husband hunt was going.” Jamie’s voice was loud, even in the ruckus of the Longhorn Bar. They sat at a table in the corner, the perfect vantage point to observe the other people, but Rand hadn’t seen a man to strike her fancy. None of them had the right shade of sandy blond hair or the brilliant green eyes. None of them were Jake.

Rand took a drink of her fruity concoction Tabby had insisted she try before answering, “Actually, it’s complicated.”

“What’s complicated? Is there someone or not,” Tabby asked.

How much do I tell them?If it had been Jake or Red, she wouldn’t have held back but although she knew these women, she didn’t really know them. And Red was Tabby’s brother.

“Hypothetically, what if you had one guy who was really great, but you didn’t really think of like that, ask you to marry him; would you do it?” She knew she was taking a chance that they might guess who she was talking about but she needed to talk to someone.

Jamie jumped in. “Please tell me it isn’t Jay.”

Rand saw Jamie’s face look pale and worried. “No, it’s not Jay. He’s in a relationship with someone.”

Jamie made a face and sat back. “Ugh, his old girlfriend from Dallas. God, I hate her.”

“Hello, back to the subject at hand.” Tabby pointed her finger at Rand, punctuating her words. “I know this sucks, and it’s only temporary, but you still have two months. I wouldn’t settle.”

“Two months isn’t very long,” Rand said, nibbling her bottom lip.

“Its long enough to find someone who at least makes your hooha go, whooo hooo!” Tabby said, making Jamie laugh and Rand blush, horrified.

“Is there anyone who you might like,” Jamie asked.

Rand grabbed a handful of peanuts and started cracking the shells against the table. “I don’t know.”

“That’s a big fat fucking yes,” Tabby crowed. “Who is it? And why isn’t he in the running for Mr. Rand Coleman?”

Rand shoveled the peanuts into her mouth, biding some time. “I didn’t say there was anyone.”

“No, you said ‘I don’t know’, acting all coy. That’s a dead giveaway, ” Tabby said.

Rand tugged on her hair, and said, “There’s no one else that wants to marry me, okay?”

Jamie, at least, took the hint. “Then he’s an idiot.”

Rand smiled. “Thanks.”

“Well, you aren’t going to find your future hubby here. This place is deader than road kill,” Tabby said with disgust.

Rand took another drink of her cocktail and looked at her phone, wondering what Jake was doing tonight.

Jake was just locking up the store when Red called his cell phone. He had been itching to get off work and talk to Rand about what was going on with them, but he still wasn’t sure what he wanted exactly. He’d never planned on getting married, not really. He just didn’t think he had it in him to commit to a woman long term, but even if he did, he wouldn’t want kids.

Not that he didn’t like kids, but he knew the score. His dad had walked out when his brother and he were seven and eleven. They had huddled at the crack of their bedroom door and listened to him tell their mom he had never wanted this life, that she had trapped him, and he wanted out. His mother had pretended for a while that he would come back, that it was only temporary, but Dustin, his older brother, had told him she was lying. Dad was gone.

He didn’t want to put a wife and kid through that. He wanted to be sure, a hundred percent no doubt in his mind, that he wouldn’t bolt. There was no way to be sure though and that was why even if he did get married, kids wouldn’t be a part of it. Asking a woman for that would be too much.

With Rand things could be different. She only needed him for a year, just long enough to keep the Double C. If they were still working after a year, who knew? Maybe marriage would agree with him.

He pulled himself out of his own head and hit talk on the cell phone. “What’s up, Red?”

“Hey buddy, I got something to tell you. Wanna meet for a drink,” he asked.

Jake almost said no so he could get to Rand, but he really hadn’t hung with Red lately, just the two of them. Plus, Red usually didn’t have anything to tell him. “Sure buddy. I’ll be there in ten.”

“What,” Jake shouted, drawing looks from the other patrons surrounding them atThe Watering Hole.

Red raised a brow at him. “I said, I asked Rand to marry me.”

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