Page 81 of Parading the Cowboy Billionaire (Bluegrass Ranch 4)

That was the story of Mariah’s life, and she’d endured the apple extravaganza a couple of weeks ago, and she’d told no one that she and Lawrence hadn’t spoken since that night.

Dani would get the story out of her, but Mariah couldn’t put her off forever. She finally got up and shimmied into a pair of leggings to give her sister the appearance that she was going to work out today.

She wasn’t, because Saturdays simply weren’t for working out. They were for sleeping in and sipping pumpkin spice lattes, and Dani understood that.

Mariah padded out into the kitchen, where she found Dani pouring raw scrambled eggs into a muffin tin.

“It’s about time you got up,” Dani said. “I was going to slide these in and come see what was going on.”

“What’s going on,” Mariah said as she overturned a mug her older sister had put on the counter. “Is that it’s Saturday and barely eight a.m.” She smiled at her sister as she poured her coffee and reached for the container of pumpkin spice creamer. “You are a Godsend, though. I’ve had a horribly busy week, and next week is going to be worse.”

“You shouldn’t have—”

“I know,” Mariah said, giving her a glare. “Okay? I know.”

Dani held up one hand in acquiescence and slid the muffin tin into the oven. She leaned one hip into the counter and asked, “How does your boyfriend feel about your busy schedule?”

Mariah tucked her messy hair behind her ear and shrugged.

“You broke up with him.” Dani’s voice carried shock.

“He broke up with me,” Mariah said, and Lawrence was right to do so. Mariah wouldn’t want to only go out with him so he could have an in with his boss. The fact that he’d kept doing it for almost a month after the Smash was a testament to him, and Mariah wished the situation was different.

“What happened?” Dani asked.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Mariah said. “That’s why I didn’t text you back or come to the last two brunches.” She cocked her left eyebrow at Dani. “Can we not talk about it today?”

“You liked him so much,” she said. “I could tell.”

“This is the opposite of not talking about him.”

“Hey, I came and made coffee and breakfast,” she said.

“Yeah, because your husband is out of town, and you don’t know what to do with yourself if you’re not mothering someone.”

A pinch of hurt crossed Dani’s face, and Mariah added her pain to the guilt that had been collecting in her stomach for a while now. “Sorry,” she murmured.

“It’s okay,” Dani said. “What are you doing for Halloween?”

“Halloween?” Mariah chuckled. “It’s almost two months away still.”

“You make elaborate costumes, though.” Dani smiled at her. “I know you have a plan. Just tell me.”

“I was thinking about, I don’t know. A Smurf or something.”

Dani laughed and shook her head. “You’re impossible.”

A dog barked, and she straightened before walking over to the back door to let in her dog. “You’re not supposed to bark,” she said. “You and that little dog next door need to learn to get along. Your relationship is dysfunctional.”

Mariah laughed, because the idea of the two dogs having a dysfunctional relationship was hilarious. Dani’s black dog with the big white patch on his chest caught sight of her and came running over.

“Whoa, whoa,” she said, still giggling. “Not so fast.” Phantom skidded to a stop just in time, his doggy face so happy to see her. “Yes, it’s good to see you too. So good.” Mariah scratched the dog’s back and that white patch, his fur so soft. “You’ve been to the groomer recently, haven’t you, bud? Yes, you have. You have.”

“So, are you looking for a new boyfriend?” Dani asked, stepping over to the stove to check on the baked eggs.

“No,” Mariah said. “I have plenty of clients right now. Let Dr. Biggers overwhelm someone else for a few months.” She picked up her coffee and took it to the couch. Phantom followed her and jumped up beside her.

Mariah relaxed into the couch and closed her eyes. She could get used to someone taking care of her while she relaxed, as that hadn’t happened in a while now. She’d been gearing up to ask Lawrence to come to her house for dinner, as he’d never been here to pick her up or anything. She hadn’t wanted him to cross into her personal space while he was her client.

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