by Mari Carr
Bridget collapsed into the nearest chair, throwing her hands up in exasperation, while everyone laughed.
She’d met the youngest James brother, Jacob, at dinner, and Bridget suspected Rodney was now regretting his assertion that they put a leash on their libidos. There was clearly some chemistry between the two men.
Jacob grinned. “Well, that was the tiebreaker, and the James boys have successfully trumped you guys again. That’s three games to your two.”
They’d begun the evening playing a guys-versus-girls match with other guests in the inn, but as more and more people headed up to bed, the teams had shifted.
Bridget grimaced when Mark and Matt rose from the couch in unison.
Before the last match, some competitive trash-talking had started up and she’d foolishly made a side wager with the brothers. Her father had always tried to impart the concept of playing games for sheer enjoyment, but she’d never been able to resist the almighty bet. She rarely played Monopoly, Truth or Dare, or basketball without some sort of extra incentive—typically monetary—to make things interesting. Dad always told her that her “betting ways would bite her in the ass”. Though she hadn’t always come out on top, she could admit with not a small amount of pride that she won far more often than she lost. Problem with this wager was she didn’t regret losing to the James twins at all.
“Well,” Matt said, reaching forward to help her rise from her seat. He pulled her toward him—too close for comfort. He whispered in her ear in a voice only she could hear. “Shall we settle up the terms of our wager?”
Mark slapped Todd on the shoulder in a friendly gesture. “Great game. Enjoyed trouncing you again.”
“Again?” Bridget asked, taking a step away from the incredible heat of Matt’s body. She was used to being the tallest woman in most rooms and often used her height to her advantage in situations where she wanted to intimidate. Matt and Mark eclipsed her five foot eleven frame by almost half a foot. She suddenly found herself in the overshadowed position.
“How many times have we played charades with you guys?” Matt asked as Todd shrugged.
“I don’t know,” Steven replied. “Maybe ten, twelve times.”
“And how many times have we won?”
Todd groaned. “Every time.”
“Every time?” Bridget asked. Matt shamelessly winked at her and she knew she’d been bamboozled.
“Who wants coffee?” Stephen asked, clearly unaware of the undercurrents flowing between her and the twins she had every intention of kneeing in the balls the second the opportunity presented itself.
“I’ll have some.” Jacob stood up. “In fact, I’ll make it if you copy down the recipe for that stew you made tonight. Jessie loved it, and I was thinking I could make it for her birthday.”
Stephen looked around the room. “Where is Jessie?”
Todd wiggled his eyebrows. “She asked for the key to the guest house. She and Caleb snuck out about forty minutes ago.”
Jacob shook his head. “Jeez. I swear, sometimes I think I’m gonna have to turn the hose on those two before they burn the house down with all those heated looks.”
Mark laughed. “I keep waiting for some of that passion to burn out, but it hasn’t yet.”
“It’s getting worse. Who knows? Maybe tonight will be the night he finally pops the question.” Matt placed a friendly arm around Bridget’s shoulder when she took a step toward the stairs and her room. She’d promised Rodney she’d behave, but that vow was getting pretty damn hard to keep.
She thought she could escape while the men were preoccupied with talk of Jessie and Caleb. She’d met the couple tonight at dinner. Their undeniable love for each other nearly took her breath away. She wasn’t sure she’d ever seen such a bond between two people. She had no doubt her parents loved each other, but by the time she was old enough to recognize that emotion, theirs had cooled to the lukewarm companionship evident in most long marriages.
“Goin’ somewhere, darlin’?” Mark drawled.
She was well and truly stuck. “Doesn’t look like it.”
“That’s right,” Matt agreed. “You made a bet, so it looks like you’ll just have to stick around a couple more days to make good on it.”
“I wasn’t aware that I was working with a handicap taking on Todd and Steven as my partners. You cheated.”
Mark chuckled. “Didn’t peg you as the type to renege on a bet.”
“I’m not going back on my word. I’m simply saying you knew the cards were stacked against me and you still pressed for the wager.”
Rodney turned to look at her. “Wager?”
Mark saved her from answering. “Deal was if we won, she’d let us teach her how to ride a horse.”
Matt pulled her closer. “We’ll start first thing in the morning. Takes a while to get the hang of it though, so y’all might have to put off leaving for a couple days.”
She expected Rodney to lose his temper over her foolishness. What she did not expect was for him to shrug as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “That’s fine. No rush.” He glanced at Jacob. “Want some help making that coffee?”
She grinned at her friend’s transparent new attitude, especially when he checked out Jacob’s ass as they followed Steven and Todd to the kitchen.
She turned around to gloat about the hookup, but Mark held up his hand. “Don’t even say it. You were right. A man would have to be blind to miss the sparks flying between those two.”
“And you guys are okay with that?” She was surprised to discover two hardcore alpha cowboys living in the heart of the West who weren’t squicked out about their brother’s homosexuality.
Matt shook his head. “We’ve known about our brother’s sexual preference for a very long time. Had plenty of time to get used to the idea. It’s not a life I’d choose for myself—I like boobies too much—but if he’s happy, I’m happy.”
Bridget laughed. “You like boobies, huh?”
He nodded. “I like your boobies.”
She swatted playfully at Matt’s arm. “You need to keep your eyes pointed at regions directly north of my boobies.” She indicated her face. “There’s nothing down here for you,” she teased as she pointed at her chest.
Matt let his gaze linger on her chest. “That’s where you’re wrong, sweetheart. There’s plenty down there for me.”
Mark rolled his eyes. Taking Bridget’s arm, he led her to the sofa, where they sat down together. “Ignore my brother. He’s missing a filter or two and usually says completely inappropriate things as a result.”
She moved closer to Mark on the sofa, enjoying the jealous glare from his twin. “So I wouldn’t have to worry about that with you?”
Mark hopped on board the flirting train, putting his arm along the top of the cushion at her back, gathering her closer. “Absolutely not. I can assure you I’m a complete gentleman.”
Matt plopped down on the couch on her other side, grasping her hand. She was ultrasensitive to every touch, every glance from these men. She wasn’t sure she’d ever been so hot for a man. Unfortunately, this wasn’t one man, but two.
“Get away from my girl.”
“Your girl?” Mark asked.
Though she could tell they were teasing, Bridget decided she’d be wise not to let the game go too far. “Oh no, you don’t. I’m not getting in the middle of a pissing contest. Something tells me the two of you take too much pleasure in it.”
Matt shrugged. “We’re brothers. It’s in the sibling rivalry codebook.”
She laughed. “Find something else to fight over. I’m only here for a few days more and I’d like to spend them in relative peace and quiet. I’ve had enough violence to last me a—”
She froze as both men’s faces turned from smiling to scowling in an instant.
Shit. Way to go, big mouth.
“Violence?” Mark asked.
She struggled to find a way out of the mess she’d just made. “I just meant fighting amongst siblings.�
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Matt looked toward the kitchen. “Siblings? Do you and Rodney fight? Does he hit you?”
“Dear God, no. He’s the mildest, kindest, most compassionate man on the planet. How could you ask such a thing?”
Mark turned her face toward his with gentle fingers on her chin. “Violence is sort of strong word for simple arguments between a brother and a sister. You know you could tell us if something’s wrong, Bridget. We’d keep you safe.”
She’d never received a more welcome invitation. For the second time in one day, her heart ached to share her painful secret. Common sense reared its ugly head. “Help me? You don’t even know me.”
“We know enough to see you’re in some sort of trouble,” Matt said. “Rodney’s constantly running odd errands around town without you, while you’re supposedly on vacation. You’ve yet to leave this inn and, well, you’re a tad bit jumpy. What’s up with you two?”
How could anyone be that observant? Maybe Rodney had been right about them hiding somewhere more secluded. They obviously had shitty poker faces. “Nothing’s up with us. Everything is as we said. We’re just here on vacation.”
Matt looked like he wanted to press the subject further, but Mark’s heavy sigh cut him off. “Okay. We’ll go with that. For now. If you change your mind and want to talk, the door’s open.”
She forced a lighthearted grin to her face. “Nothing to talk about. I’m downright dull.”
Mark shook his head. “I seriously doubt that. So, about these riding lessons—”
While Rodney had given her the go-ahead, it didn’t change one very simple truth. “I was stupid to make that bet. I wasn’t kidding when I said I’m afraid of horses.”
Matt squeezed the hand she’d forgotten he was holding. “We’ll take it nice and slow, sweetheart.”
“In other words, you’re not letting me out of the bet.”
Matt grinned at her. “Not on your life. You’re going to spend the next three days—”
“You said it would take two days.”
The mischievous rogue winked at her. “You said you wanted to learn to be a cowgirl. That takes time. Trust me, at the end of four days, you’ll be—”
“Four days?” As much as Bridget hated to make the break, she forced herself to stand and walk away from the incredible heat of their strapping bodies. Facing them where they still sat, she put her hands on her hips. “You are a shyster and a con man. I agreed to riding lessons. I’m fairly certain that can be achieved in one day.”
Mark stood slowly. “Three days.”
“Two,” she countered.
Matt jumped up and shook her hand as if sealing the deal. “Two days plus one date.”
“Date?”
Matt retained the hand he held, using it to pull her closer. “You just shook on it. We teach you how to ride, and you let me take you out dancing one night.”
“You get to take her dancing?” Mark interjected. “I don’t think so. The whole idea behind this wager was mine to begin with. If anyone’s taking Bridget out on a date, it’s me.”
Bridget threw her hands up. “Enough. I’ll agree to three days of riding lessons if you two agree that we’re just going to remain friends. No more fighting.”
Matt looked like he wanted to argue about the friends idea, and Bridget tried to suppress the part of her that hoped he’d press the issue.
“Fine,” Mark said, though his tone indicated he wasn’t happy about her demands.
She grinned. “It’s better this way. Trust me.”
Matt shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
“I’m going to head into the kitchen for some dessert. Do you guys want some?”
Mark shook his head. “No. I think I’d better head back. One of the horses was acting strangely this morning and I’m worried she’s getting sick. I want to check on her before I go to bed.”
“I’ll walk back with you,” Matt said. They’d told Bridget earlier in the evening there was a small path toward the rear of the house that led straight to the James Ranch. “Jacob can ride back in the truck with Caleb and Jessie or on his own if the two love birds don’t make it back from the guest house. You mind letting them know we left?”
Bridget shook her head. “No, not at all.”
Mark tapped her nose playfully. “We’ll expect to see you at the ranch bright and early tomorrow morning.”
She narrowed her eyes. “What’s bright and early? Nine? Ten?”
Matt laughed. “I was going to say six. Maybe another compromise? How’s seven thirty sound?”
“Painful,” she groaned. “But I’ll be there.”
Mark reached for her hand and lifted it to his lips. She suppressed a slight shiver when he pressed a quick, hot kiss on her palm.
Never one to be outdone by his brother, Matt upped the ante, placing a friendly kiss on her cheek. “Night, sweetheart,” he drawled, his hot breath tickling her sensitive skin.
It was a clear moonlit evening. There was enough light from the night sky that Mark and Matt could make their way across the yard without using the flashlights they’d grabbed from the truck before embarking on their return trip home.
Mark managed to hold his tongue all the way to the head of the path, a feat Matt didn’t think his brother capable of. Once they reached the edge of the woods, he let loose, saying everything Matt was thinking.
“What the fuck is going on here?”
Matt pretended to be oblivious. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t play dumb with me. We’re both attracted to the same woman.”
Matt thought attraction seemed a mild word to describe what happened to him whenever he was in the same room as Bridget. Miffed at his brother for presenting a very big roadblock between him and his desires, he decided to make Mark work for it. “So?”
Mark stopped walking and gripped Matt’s arm, forcing him to halt as well. “So? So we don’t fight over women. We never have. Not once.”
“I don’t see us fighting over Bridget.”
Mark threw back his head in annoyance and glanced skyward. Matt waited him out. Matt knew his twin, knew Mark didn’t like confrontations. While Matt tended to throw fists first and ask questions later, his brother’s temperament was the polar opposite. Sometimes that was irritating, but most times it saved them from bruised knuckles and fat lips.
When Mark looked at him once more, Matt could see he was calmer. “I’d really like to go out with Bridget. On a date.”
Matt lifted one shoulder. “I’m not holding you back. She is. In case you forgot, she’s here on vacation. Seems sort of silly for us to get so worked up over something that can’t be more than a short-term fling at best.”
Mark stared at him for a long time. Matt was grateful for the shadows of the woods. His brother knew him too well. If they’d been standing in broad daylight, he’d have seen the fact Matt was lying written all over his face. “If that’s really how you feel, then do you mind if I ask her out for dinner tomorrow night?”
“Hell yes, I mind.” The words flew from Matt’s lips quickly and loudly.
Mark chuckled. “Yeah. That’s what I thought. Shit.”
“We’re both being stupid, you know that?”
Mark nodded, repeating his words back to him. “Everything you said is right. She’s here on vacation. She lives in New York City, for God’s sake.”
“She’s also beautiful, funny and hiding something,” Matt added to the list.
“Yeah, I’ve noticed that last thing too. I’m worried about her. You think that’s the attraction? We’re curious?”
Matt shook his head. “Hell no. Curiosity’s got nothing to do with it. For a few minutes, I thought it was your white hat, defender of the downtrodden bullshit coming out, but I don’t think that’s it. You don’t think Rodney is hurting her?”
“No. I don’t. You heard the way she jumped to his defense tonight. None of that was pretense. She’s not afraid of him at all. Besides I’ve seen the way he looks at her. He’s de
finitely protecting her from something.”
“Yeah, well. I’m glad she has him. I just wish she’d tell us what’s bothering her. She was running from us yesterday when she took that tumble in the foyer. I saw her face when we walked in. It was pure fear.”
Mark turned and started walking along the path toward their ranch, running his hand over his face. “I’m not sure I’ve ever felt so many feelings all at once. It’s like I want to protect her and kiss her and, Christ, fuck her.”
“Keep her.”
Mark glanced at him, but he didn’t stop walking. “That’s on the top of the list. Couldn’t make myself say it. That’s wrong. I know that. I mean, hell, we just met her yesterday.”
Matt bent forward and picked up a large stick lying in the middle of the path, tossing it to one side. “Caleb said he fell for Jessie the first night they met. Said he knew after one conversation she was special. That she was the one. Hell, Dad popped the question to Mom on their second date. Said he wanted to ask her to marry him on the first one, but didn’t want to appear forward!”
Mark chuckled. “So what you’re saying is this is a James flaw?”
Matt stuck his hands in his pockets. “What I’m saying is Mom said yes and Jessie’s still with Caleb. Maybe we James men just know when we’ve met our soul mate.”
Mark stumbled for a step, but kept walking. “Soul mate? You know, there’s a problem with that theory if you’re right.”
Matt knew. It was a big fucking problem too. “Yeah. I know. All those things you want to do for Bridget, I want to do too. So what’s the answer? You want to arm wrestle for her?”
Mark chuckled. “I think Bridget gave us the answer. We ignore what we want, we offer her friendship for as long as she stays, and in a few days, she goes to New York and life goes back to normal around here.”
Matt knew his brother’s words made sense, but for the first time in his life, normal didn’t seem like enough. “Yeah. Normal. You realize that’s not going to work for me, right?”
He’d expected his brother to laugh at his joke, but it was met with only silence. They’d reached the edge of their property when Mark stopped walking once more. “Normal sucks. I think maybe it would be better if we took turns on the lessons. Since I usually work with the beginners, I’ll take tomorrow with her. You can take over the next day.”