Kimberly Raye – Texas Outlaws: Jesse (страница 9)
Jesse dug his fingers even deeper and the younger man blurted, “Sure thing. Family’s family,” he muttered. “We stick together.”
“Great, because I told her all about you and she’s dying to meet you.”
“Who’s dying to meet who?” Pete Gunner walked into the fitting area and slid an arm around his wife-to-be.
“Hannah,” Wendy told him. “Ever since she moved to Houston from New York, she’s been dying to meet a real cowboy. I told her all about Cole and she’s super hyped.”
“Wait a second.” Cole shrugged loose from Jesse’s warning grasp. “Picking her up is one thing, but this sounds like a setup.”
“Don’t be silly. You don’t have to be her date for the wedding.”
“That’s a relief.” Cole tugged at the tie around his neck as if he couldn’t quite breathe. “For a second there, I thought you wanted me to babysit her the entire night.”
“Of course not.” Wendy smiled. “Just sit with her during the reception. And maybe ask her to dance once or twice. Oh, and make sure she gets back to the motel that night and—”
“Pretty much babysit her the whole danged night,” Cole cut in. His mouth pulled into a tight line. “Hell’s bells. I knew it. It is a setup.”
“Okay, maybe it is.” Wendy shrugged. “But it’ll be fun. And speaking of fun, I’ve got to decide on the actual centerpiece so the florist can finalize the order.” She planted a kiss on her groom’s lips and headed for a nearby doorway and the endless array of floral arrangements spread out on a table in the next room.
Cole opened his mouth, but Pete held up a hand. “Don’t fight it, bro. It’ll only make things worse.”
“But I can get my own date.”
“True, but Wendy doesn’t want you bringing one of your usual buckle bunnies to the wedding.”
“He’s talking about the Barbie triplets,” Billy chimed in.
“They’re not triplets,” Cole said. “They’re just sisters who are close in age. And I wasn’t going to bring all three. Just Crystal. She’s the oldest and the prettiest.”
“And the wildest,” Pete added, “which is why she’s off-limits for the wedding. Wendy thinks you need to meet a nice girl.”
“I meet plenty of nice girls.” Cole unhooked the cummerbund and handed it to Mr. McGinnis.
“Nice and easy,” Billy added.
“What’s wrong with easy?”
“Nothing if you’re sixteen and horny as hell,” the youngest Chisholm pointed out. “You’re twenty-nine. You should be thinking about your future.”
“Like you?”
“Damn straight.” Billy nodded. “As a matter of fact, I’ve got my own date already lined up for the wedding and I can guarantee her last name isn’t Barbie.”
“Big Earl Jessup’s great-granddaughter is not a date,” Cole pointed out. “She’s a death wish. She’s liable to challenge you to an arm-wrestling match.”
“So she’s a little rough around the edges,” Billy admitted. “She’s a tomboy, and that just means we’ve got a shitload in common. She’s interesting.”
“And safe,” Jesse offered.
“Exactly.” Billy unhooked his own tie and handed it to the tailor. “I’m not looking to settle down, which makes Casey Jessup the perfect date for this wedding. I don’t have to worry about her sitting around getting bright ideas from all this hoopla. She’s as far from wife material as a woman can get.”
“Casey’s got a cousin.” Cole’s gaze shifted to Pete. “I could ask her to the wedding.”
“Too late. Wendy got the draw on you and now you’ve got to man up.”
“But I hate fix-ups.” He shrugged off his jacket.
“Look on the bright side,” Billy added, “Wendy’s friend could turn out to have a smoking-hot body and zero morals.”
Cole shook his head. “You know the odds of that are slim to none.”
“True, but it can’t hurt to fantasize.” Jesse motioned to Billy. “Just like this one outriding me in Vegas in a few weeks.”
“That buckle is mine,” Billy vowed, trying to wrestle free when Jesse grabbed him in a headlock.
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