Page 10 of Jewel in the Rough

Teagan narrowed his eyes. “Truthfully answer.”

“Fine, party pooper.Truthfully answer.”

Benny got to ask the first question—thank goodness, because now he had a reason to throw the game. He was gonna askallthe questions—and hopefully keep Teagan from asking him questions Benny didn’t want to answer. Like… why he was on Piedras.

“Alright, my question is…” he tapped his lip pretending to think about it. “I’m going to make it easy for you. What’s your favorite movie?”

“God, I hate this question.”

Leaning back in his chair, Benny crossed his arms over his chest and waited for Teagan’s answer.

“I haven’t watched a movie in ages,” Teagan groaned, glancing up at the ceiling. “The last one I liked was Iron Man.”

Benny got to ask the next question too. “Madonna or Miley?”

Without hesitating, Teagan swept the cards into his hand and began to shuffle them. “I’m more partial to Melissa Etheridge.”

“Oh, good choice and you stayed with the Ms. Nice work. And for the future, it’s always Madonna.”

Next time, Teagan got to ask his first question. As hard as Benny tried to lose, he still managed to win the hand.

“What’s your favorite movie?”

“Easy. Newer movie, it’sMamma Mia!, of course. And for older, I’m a huge fan ofWest Side Story.”

“So, it’s musicals all the way for you?”

Benny frowned and cocked his head, wondering what Teagan was getting at.

“I heard you in the barn earlier, talking about Guys and Dolls.”

For the first time in his life Benny experienced a full body blush. “That…” he sputtered, “was a private conversation between me and Betty W.” Oh, mortification take him away, he’d had no idea Teagan was close enough to hear him.

“A private conversation between you and a cow?” Teagan sounded puzzled. Like it wasn’t perfectly normal to talk to livestock.

“Oh, you’d better be careful there, buddy.” Benny shook his finger at Teagan. “If Ciara hears you calling the Indignant Gurlscowsyou are going to be in real trouble. How did she come up with that, anyway?”

Teagan’s lips curled upward. “I don’t know, but she had our dad wrapped around her little finger. Always complaining about how she was the only girl, so he let her do whatever she wanted. Our mom died when she was six and was in and out of the hospital a lot before that. Pretty sure Dad felt guilty that us kids, Ciara especially, didn’t have a normal family life.”

“I’m sorry about your mom.”

“Thanks, but honestly she was ill a long time, I don’t remember her ever not being sick.”

Benny had the next question, he probably shouldn’t ask it, but he couldn’t help himself. “Do you hate me being here?”

“Hate’s a strong word,” Teagan shifted around in the kitchen chair and stretched his long legs out bumping Benny’s booted foot underneath the table. “At first, I’d say what I felt was strong-dislike.”

“And now?”

“That’s two questions,” Teagan pointed out.

“Related questions,” Benny argued leaning toward his opponent waving his finger again, “you have to give me that.”

An un-Teagan-like grin bloomed across his face, his blue eyes sparked mischievously catching Benny by surprise. “Are you wanting to know if I like you?” Benny didn’t answer,no waywas he answering. But, also, yes, he did want to know if Teagan liked him or if it was his imagination there’d been a change in Teagan’s behavior.

“Now it’s just dislike.”

“Damn, I’d hoped to achieve mildly irritating by now.”

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