I nearly choked before letting out an awkward laugh. “I’m not in love with Corina. I care about her…a lot. But love? Hell, we only spent one night together and that was almost a year ago. I feel something, but I’m not ready to call it love.”
Tripp and Cord looked at each other. “You don’t have to be having sex with someone to fall in love with them, Mitchell,” Tripp said before taking a drink from a bottle of water.
“Can you let me get used to the fact that I actually want to be with one woman first?”
Cord chuckled. “Yep, you’re in love.”
Rolling my yes, I turned to walk away.
“Okay, okay. Stop. We’ll cool it with the love talk,” Tripp said. “But, Mitchell, I do need to tell you that Corina has already told me she’s in love with you.”
I could feel my cheeks burn as I smiled.
A look of horror moved across Cord’s face. “Jesus, you’ve turned into a fucking pussy! If this is what love does to you, no thank you. I’ll keep my bachelor ways.”
Tripp slapped Cord on the back. “Dude, your life is going to turn upside down when the right woman comes along.”
He huffed. “Well, I’m certainly not going to stand here with a damn Smurf-looking smile on my face.”
“Smurf?” I asked with a chuckle.
“Yeah, you know the little blue people.”
I looked at Tripp, and he shrugged his shoulders.
“I know who they are. Why did you pick Smurfs?” I focused back on Cord.
Cord stared. “I don’t fucking know, dude. They’re happy little creatures who are full of love and all that shit. That’s what you look like with that goofy smile on your face. Like a Smurf.”
I pulled my head back. “I look like a Smurf?”
Tripp laughed harder.
“Fuck you, Mitchell. You know what I mean.”
Laughing, I replied, “I don’t. Should we call Smurfette and ask her? And if I look like a Smurf, does that make you Grumpy Smurf cuz, well, you see where I’m going with this?”
Cord shot daggers at me. “Don’t you have someone to arrest or some shit?”
Placing my hand over my holster, I looked at Cord as seriously as I could. “I don’t know, have you spotted Gargamel and Azrael?”
Tripp fell back on the bar, laughing. I couldn’t help but join in while Cord shot me the finger.
“I hate you both.”
Hitting my brother on the back, I jumped over the bar as I sang, “la, la, lala, la la” and helped myself to a beer.
“First off, it’s Sunday and I’m off,” I said. “I don’t arrest people when I’m off.”
Cord rolled his yes.
“Second, I really do need y’all’s advice. I don’t want to fuck up again with Corina. Last night we stayed up nearly all night talking. She ended up falling asleep on the sofa, and I didn’t have the heart to wake her up so I sat there beside her for the rest of the night sleeping sitting up.”
“Wow,” Tripp said with a slight grin. “Papa Smurf would be proud of you.”
Cord groaned.
I grinned before rubbing the back of my neck. “Yeah, my neck is killing me. I bet I only got an hour of sleep.”
Cord smiled. “I take having her in your arms was worth the lack of sleep.”
I could feel my grin turn even bigger. “Let’s hope I don’t have to go arrest anyone, I’m so damn tired. But, yeah, it was worth it.”
“Alright, listen,” Tripp said. “I don’t feel like spending my whole morning off with you two, so here’re my thoughts. Take it slow. Don’t push her into anything to make up for lost time.”
“I agree,” Cord said.
I looked back and forth between my brothers, nodding. “The no sex thing I had already planned on. I want Corina to see that’s not all I care about. I mean, we started out doing that and look where it got us. So, you think I need to date her, show her how much she means to me?”
“Yep, that’s what I think,” Tripp echoed.
“What if she wants sex?” Cord asked.
I shook my head. “Yeah, I thought about that. She was sort of hinting about sex last night. I did the only thing I knew to do.”
“You ran?” Cord asked with a smirk on his face.
“No, dickhead. I made popcorn and put a movie on.”
They looked at each other before laughing their asses off. When they finally stopped, Cord jumped over the bar and reached for a bottle of whiskey. He poured himself a shot and drank it. “Jesus, dude. Don’t put me down for love. I’d like to keep my man card.”
I reached for my cowboy hat and shot Cord the finger. “I cannot wait until the day a woman walks through that door and knocks you flat on your ass.”
As Tripp and I headed for the door, Cord shouted, “That’s never gonna happen! Ever!”
“Hello? Earth to Corina?”
Fingers snapped in front of my face, pulling me from my memory of last night with Mitchell.
“What did you say?” I asked as I looked from Paxton to Amelia, and then to Waylynn.
The three of them stared.
“You and Mitchell did the deed, didn’t you?” Amelia asked with a squeal.
“What?”
“Oh, my God! They did!” Waylynn added.
“No, we didn’t!”
My voice cracked, and I knew Paxton caught it. Pointing to me, she exclaimed, “Corina Miller. You better talk, woman!”
I could feel my cheeks heating, which made all three of them jump up and fall to the floor in front of me.
“Forget talking about the reception, I want to hear what happened with you and my brother!” Amelia squealed.
I let out another awkward laugh. “Nothing happened. I mean, we had a lot of fun with Chloe, and well, we decided to…to…”
“To fuck like rabbits after you dropped her off because the sexual tension was so crazy you couldn’t keep your hands off each other?” Waylynn called out. The three of us all looked at Waylynn with shocked expressions.
She half shrugged. “What?”
“No, that would be you and Jonathon, Waylynn.” Amelia chuckled.
“Hey, it was a moment of weakness. It can’t ever happen again.”
“Why?” all three of us asked at once.
Now it was Waylynn’s turn to look like we were insane. “Um, he’s six years younger than me, for starters.”
“So?” Amelia replied. “He’s hot, has a rocking body, and you said he knows how to use his tools.”
Waylynn wiggled her brows. “He’s got a really big SCREWdriver , too.”
I covered my mouth to hide my chuckle. The Parker girls could be so dirty.
Paxton hit both Amelia and Waylynn on the arm. “You two are so bad, I swear.”
Brushing Paxton off, Waylynn focused on me. “We are not changing the subject. Corina, spill it.”
With my hands over my flushed cheeks, I smiled. “We haven’t had sex again…yet.”
All three of them screamed like middle school girls.
Paxton pointed. “But something happened. I can tell by how red your cheeks are.”
Peeking at Paxton, I nodded. “He might have relieved some of my pent-up tension.”
“O to the M to the holy shittin’ G!” Amelia shouted. “What did he do?”
“Wait!” Paxton cried out as she flailed her arms around to stop the talking. “I don’t know if I want details. I mean, he is my brother-in-law and y’all’s brother!”
“Screw that, I want details!” Waylynn said. “Did he use his hand or mouth?”
I rolled my eyes and looked away.
“Both!” all three shouted.
Picking up the sofa pillow, I threw it at them. “No! His hand.”
Waylynn stood. “Ugh. I thought my brothers were better than that. Maybe all those rumors about the Parker boys aren’t true.”
Paxton smiled. “Trust me, they’re true. At least they are for Steed.”
We fell into a giggling fit as Chloe walked
into the living room. “What’s so funny?” she asked.
“Nothing, sweetheart. What are you doing?” Paxton got up and picked up her daughter, giving her a kiss.
“I’m waiting on Daddy. He said he was gonna take me to town to buy Aunt Meli and Uncle Wade a weddin’ gift.”
Amelia stood up. “Oh, Chloe Cat. That’s so sweet of you.”
Chloe beamed with pride. “Aunt Meli, can Patches come to the party?”
Pressing my lips together, I tried to keep from laughing, especially seeing the shocked look on Amelia’s face.
“Well, um…I…Patches?”
Chloe nodded.
Waylynn walked to Chloe and kissed her on the cheek, then faced her younger sister. “I vote yes!”
Chloe clapped. “Yay!”
“Wh-what?” Amelia said, giving her sister a death stare.
“I mean, if Patches was at Steed and Paxton’s wedding and my welcome home party, it’s only fair he gets to come to the reception.”
Amelia turned to Paxton, who was desperately trying not to laugh. Focusing back on Chloe, Amelia forced a smile. “Of course Patches can come. We’ll have him sit next to Waylynn.”
“Thank you, Aunt Meli!”
Paxton put a very excited Chloe down as she ran out of the room calling for her father.
Waylynn turned from watching Chloe to face Amelia. “You think you’ve won this round, but wait, little sister. You forget who your teacher was.”
After I left the ranch, I stopped by and checked my house. The entire second floor had been gutted and work had already begun. It was Sunday, so the workers were absent.
I headed back to Mitchell’s place. Standing in the middle of Mitchell’s living room, I looked around for something to do.
Milo jumped onto the back of the sofa and meowed.
“Hey, buddy. You want some food?”
Another loud meow signaled he was more than ready. He followed me into the kitchen where I poured him some kibble. Milo stared at it before looking up at me.
“Don’t tell me you want soft food.”
He gazed at me with those big blue eyes.
“Fine. I need to get something for dinner anyway. What time do you think Mitchell will get home?”
With a tilt of his head, Milo answered with his little bark meow.
“No, I’m not texting him to ask. The last thing I want to do is be a pushy girlfriend.”
I paused to smile. Reaching down, I lifted Milo and snuggled him. “Is it too soon to call myself Mitchell’s girlfriend?”
Milo struggled to get out of my arms.
“Don’t be jealous, Milo.”
He ran to Mitchell’s bedroom. Traitor. Milo hadn’t slept with me since I’d moved in, preferring Mitchell’s bed.
“I’m going to get cat food!” Rolling my eyes, I headed down the stairs. “I cannot believe I’m letting the cat know I’m leaving.”
Stepping outside, I locked the door. When I turned around, I let out a small scream. Cassidy was standing there with a smug expression. “Still haven’t found a place to live yet?”
Ugh. I hated drama, and the last thing I wanted to do deal with was a crazy woman who had the hots for Mitchell.
Another voice came from my side. “Hey, Corina. I’ve tried calling you.”
I looked over, surprised to see Lane. He was the second-to-last person I wanted to talk to right now. “If you’ll both excuse me, I’m in a bit of a rush.” It was a lie, but they didn’t need to know that. Besides, I was still pissed at Lane.
“Corina, please,” he said. “Let me apologize.”
Glancing over my shoulder, I called out, “No worries, Lane. See you at work soon!”
I made my way across the street, catching a glimpse of Mrs. Johnson trying to put something into the backseat of her car.
“Mrs. Johnson?” I called out. She peeked up and smiled. “Oh, Corina.”
“What are you doing?” I asked as I got closer.
“Trying to get this body into my car.”
My brows pulled tight. “What?”
“This scarecrow I made with my crafting group. Darn thing won’t get in.”
I let out a sigh to see it was just a stuffed scarecrow. Leaning down, I helped her get it into the back seat of her car.
“May I ask why you have a scarecrow?”
“It’s for the fall festival pie eating competition.”
Okay, now I’m lost.
Once we got the thing into the car, I shut the door and faced Mrs. Johnson. “You need a scarecrow for that?”
“Now, Corina, I know this isn’t your first fall festival.”
I laughed. “No, ma’am. But it’s actually the middle of August and the festival isn’t for another month.”
“And I’m a month ahead of schedule. Now, come with me, I have a new pie for you to taste. I’m entering it into the contest.”
Mrs. Johnson’s house was two blocks from the main square on Orcher Ave, a block over from my house. The ride was quick and Mrs. Johnson went on and on about the pie contest. She was positive she was going to win this year.
After pulling up to her house, she got out of her car and ordered me to help her. “Help me carry this fellow in.”
Getting the scarecrow out of the car was easier than getting him in. I walked behind her, carrying him as we made our way to her garage. “Just set him in the corner there, Corina. Then come on in. I’ll put a pot of coffee on.”
“I can’t stay long, Mrs. Johnson,” I called out from over my shoulder.
She waved her hand and shouted. “One cup!”
After securing the scarecrow in the corner, I made my way into her house.
“You haven’t been by the last week,” she said.
I nodded. “I know, I’m sorry. With my house catching fire and trying to get things ready for school, it’s been sort of busy. I lost most of my school supplies in the fire.”
The older woman made a tsking sound while she filled up a pot with water to boil on the stove. She was the only person I knew who still made coffee this way.
“Have you seen those coffee machines where you put the little plastic cup in and fill the pot with tap water? About a minute later you have a perfect cup of coffee.”
She stared at me like I’d gone mad. “That’s insane. Why would you want something like that?”
“Well, it’s good coffee and super-fast. Plus, it’s perfect when you only want one cup.”
“What do your guests do?”
With a shrug, I replied, “They make a cup too.”
She rolled her eyes. “Pish posh applesauce. I ain’t got no time for that.”
I covered my mouth to hide my smile, deciding not to tell her that by the time she boiled the water we could have made and drunk two cups. Making a mental note, I decided to buy her a coffee maker for Christmas.
She took a pie from the windowsill and brought it over to the table. “This one’s been cooling.”
I chewed on my lip. I wasn’t sure how she thought putting a pie in the window when it was almost a hundred outside was cooling it. At least she didn’t have the window open.
“What flavor is this one?” I asked while I watched her slice a piece and put it on a glass plate.
“This one is blueberry lemon lavender.”
I took one bite and closed my eyes. With my mouth full, I tried to speak. “Ohmygawd.”
Mrs. Johnson took a seat. “Good?”
Nodding, I smiled. “I taste the lemon in the crumble crust. It’s so amazing.”
“Good. I think that one has a chance at winning this year.”
Moaning in pure delight, I took another bite. “So. Good. You’ll win for sure.”
“Anything need to be added?”
I shook my head. “No! Don’t change a thing. It’s heaven in a slice of pie. Almost orgas…mmm…umm.”
She lifted a brow. “I was hoping Mitchell Parker would be helping out in that area.”
I inhaled the pie that
was in my mouth, causing a coughing fit.
“Oh come, child. You don’t think I saw the way that boy was looking at you the last time you were both here? Besides, the ladies in my crafting group like to talk. Rumor has it you’re living with Ranger Parker.”
She waggled her eyebrows.
“Water!” I said, still coughing.
Setting the water on the table, she started pouring our coffee. My eyes were watering from swallowing the pie wrong. Once I got myself under control, I spoke.
“Mrs. Johnson, I’m not sure what you heard, but Mitchell…Ranger Parker was nice enough to let me stay with him after the fire. We’re friends and that is what friends do. Plus, I have a cat and all so it was hard finding a place that would take care of—”
“Your pussy?”
I was positive my eyes popped out of my head. I dropped the fork, jumping when it clattered against the glass plate.
“Pussy cat,” she corrected with a wink.
“I’m…I’m not even sure I know what to say after that.”
Mrs. Johnson laughed as she handed me the coffee. “Darlin’, let me school you on men.”
“I know men,” I replied, a defensive tone laced in my voice.
She frowned. “Child, you have innocence drippin’ off of you. I wouldn’t be surprised if you were still a virgin, but I know that’s not true because Mrs. Winsten saw Mitchell Parker go into your house one late night last fall, and he didn’t emerge from the house until early the next mornin’. So, that would lead me to believe that you bumped uglies with him on at least one other occasion.”
My mouth hung open. “What is it with you southern women and the ‘bumping uglies’ thing?” I asked when I finally found my voice.
“Do you think a man’s dick is pretty?” she asked.
“Um, I’ve never been asked that before.”
She shook her head. “Well, I don’t. Don’t know any woman who says a man’s dick is pretty. Oh, in those fancy romance books they say they are.” She rolled her eyes. “Please. I ain’t ever looked at my husband’s dick in all the years we were married and thought to myself, ‘now there is a beautiful long, thick shaft glistening with a bead of his cum that I can’t wait to lick off.’”
My body shuddered at the mental image.
She took a sip of her coffee, then she set it down and shook her head. “Instead, I thought, Jesus Christ, the man’s got himself another hard-on. A-gain. And it’s leakin’ all over my nice new clean sheets.”