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“You know that wasn’t intentional,” she said softly

“Do I? Because I went lookin’ for you And I saw you cozied up in a booth with the movers and shakers in Sundance Every one of the with you Made ht with one of them, so I took off”

Her eyes cooled “If you were there, then you knoasn’t flirting back”

“All uys And how freakin’ beautiful you are And then I wondered what the hell you’re doin’ withnew people to hang out with as a way of ending it with me” He had to look away Christ, he’d already said too ers were firm on his chin as she turned his face toward hers “It was a businessover cocktails Not h I had to pretend it was”

“So if I would’ve interrupted yourto remind you of our dinner date?”

“I probably would’ve kissed you Just like this” Her lips htened “As long as we’re on the subject, as up with you and those rodeo groupies? Were you hanging out with them to make me jealous? As a payback for the jealousy you felt Thursday night?”

Feeling his cheeks heat, he jerked his chin out of her grasp Then he pushed to his feet, grabbed his tea and retreated to the kitchen Te of Irish in it

“Tell?”

Her soft voice was directly behind him, but he didn’t turn around

“Talk to me Please”

He hated to talk about this stuff He hated acknowledging that he had personal insecurities, so why point the hi her out She ht not understand, but the fact she was here meant she cared on some level

A fact Chase had shoved in his face His cousin had been lying in wait for hi another chance to chew his ass Reood woh abastard

Mostly because he knew Chase was right Tell had found that one wouts to let her kno he felt But s and shit would be the first step

Tell inhaled a slow breath “Do you have any idea what it’s like to be so deep in someone’s shadow you disappear? That’s how it is with me when it comes to Chase He’s the star Here, there and everywhere else I’m not sayin’ he doesn’t deserve it He’s always had the talent, the woood looks I pale in co to rodeos when I was fifteen or sixteen Didn’t matter if it was because he felt sorry for me because of my family situation, or that I was nowhere near him as far as ridin’ skills I felt cool…until some assle tossed off a stupid co around with Chase if I wasn’t his poor, wannabe, butt-ugly relative I didn’t have the life experience to let it roll off ine”

“It wasn’t just my cousin’s ridin’ skills I envied He always had all these woht this older chick was all over ht? Come to find out, she was one of Chase’s castoff bunnies She wanted to fk a McKay, and since Chase was unavailable she ain But I have So many times So today I wanted him to see that I had my own posse I wasn’t that scrawny kid stuck with his seconds”

A gust of wind blew so hard it rattled the screen door

“Has that been a big life goal of yours? To have your own puy posse?” Georgia asked without sarcas in her eyes curbed his intent to lie “Not oal, but a puy posse was definitely one of them”