Page 59 of A Sweet Deal for the Cowboy

Adeline winked. “Maybe not, but it’s fun to have secrets with you.”

Yes, it was fun to have secrets with her too. He started toward the door. “I should probably get them a gift?”

She nodded. “You don’t have to yet. Don’t just buy them something to buy them something. Tell them that their gift is forthcoming. Better yet, ask them what they need or want.”

Colton nodded, grateful he had such a wise wife.

Chapter 41

Gunner braced himself for the interrogation. His brothers had forced him outside, and now he felt guilty for not working because he could hear Bull rattling around in the barn. At least he hoped it was Bull. It could be a goat up to no good. “I’ve got to go to the barn,” he said and started walking.

They all followed him.

“I like Nova,” Tucker said, “but Gunner,whatwere you thinking?”

He didn’t answer. But then he saw Bull and veered off so that his brothers wouldn’t annoy Bull too. He stopped and leaned on a fence.

“I thought you had to go to the barn,” Colton said.

Gunner ignored him too. He was so glad Frankie had decided to throw him a wedding reception. He wished she had let him help with the guest list.

“You guys need to calm down,” Ryker said. “He likes the girl. She likes him. Leave it alone.”

“You don’t get married because youlikesomeone,” Kash said, as if he were the love expert.

“People have gotten married for far stupider reasons,” Ryker said, and Gunner shot him a look of gratitude.

“Okay, so you like her,” Kash said, “butmarried? You obviously did it for the kids, and even then, I don’t understand why you had to go so far as marriage.”

Gunner felt his jaw gape he stared at his little brother.

“What?” Kash said stupidly.

“Youwere the one who told me that she had to be married, and look! It worked! Kash to the rescue!”

Everyone fell quiet and stared at Kash. He held his hands up and looked around wildly. “I have no idea what he’s talking about. I swear this wasn’t my idea.”

It was obvious that none of them believed him, and they all slowly turned to Gunner for an explanation. “Tell us what really happened, man,” Tucker said.

Gunner gave Kash one last chance to defend himself, but he apparently truly had forgotten. “I knew that Kash had just been through a bunch of stuff with CPS, so Ibelieved himwhen he said that if Nova was going to get custody of those kids, she needed to be married, employed, and have a place to live.”

Kash gasped theatrically. “I never said that!”

Gunner wanted to pick him up by his belt and throw him in with the rutting bucks. “You most certainly did.” He took a breath to calm himself. “But whether he remembers or not, I’m glad he said it because it worked.”

Tucker and Colton exchanged a look that made him a little nervous.

“Kash is nuts, man,” Colton said.

What would Colton know about it?

“This isn’t 1850,” Tucker said slowly. “I really don’t think she needed to be married.”

“Whatever,” Gunner said. He didn’t care. “Let’s talk about something else.”

“A place to live and a job makes sense,” Tucker said. “Did you give her a job too? Are you paying her?”

“I’m going back inside,” Gunner said and tried to push through them.

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