Page 22

“Rayma,” Pasha scolded, “he can hear you!”

“Sorry,” Asher murmured. “Was in the hot tub, didn’t know you were out here.”

Her mouth was dry and her eyes wide as she tracked him across the house to the stairs where he disappeared into the dark.

“Be still my pulsating clitoris,” Rayma purred, when Triss finally lifted the tablet up again to face her sisters who were both grinning like two Cheshire cats.

“Shut it,” Triss warned.

“I’m gonna say you’re fine, no need to call the cops, and you are getting over that breakup by getting under a cowboy,” Pasha said, unable to stop smiling.

“He’s a rancher not a cowboy, and no. I’m not under him.”

“Oh, so you’re doing the cowgirl thing then, huh?” Rayma teased. “Riding that stallion straight to the races.”

“Oh my God, shut the fuck up right now, you brat.” Her face was on fire. “Nobody is riding anybody anywhere. I’m not on top, under, in front of or any other sexual configuration you two wanton beasts can come up with. Leave it alone.”

“Why the fuck not?” Rayma asked, bewildered. “If I didn’t have a sexy piece of ass waiting for me at home to go mount, I’d be all over that. And since you don’t have a sexy piece of ass waiting for you at home, you should definitely go and mount that Mustang. Ride him bareback or reverse. Climb up on that beast and chafe your inner thighs.”

“I’m hanging up now,” Triss said with a hiss.

“Okay, okay, we’ll stop,” Pasha said, swatting Rayma on the arm. “But in all seriousness, who is he?”

“Hannah’s Uncle Asher. Apparently, her dad was from her grandfather’s first marriage, and Asher and his brother are from their dad’s second marriage, hence the big age gap and why he’s closer to Hannah’s age than her dad’s.”

“There are two of them?” Rayma squealed. “Tell me you’re the cheese in the middle of this cowboy Christmas sandwich. Please!”

“Rancher, not cowboy. And no. Nate is in Texas delivering a yearling, and then he’s going to Oklahoma to pick up Hannah. Get your pea brain out of the gutter.”

Rayma just grinned. “It has its own address in the gutter, get over it.”

“So it’s just you and this Asher guy at the ranch?” Pasha asked.

Triss nodded. “Yep. And the horses, goats, pony, chickens and miniature horses.”

“Is he gay? Married? Widowed?” Rayma probed. “Why hasn’t he tried to mount you like a mare in heat?”

“I’m seriously going to hang up if you do not shut this child up,” Triss said, addressing Pasha.

Pasha murmured something to Rayma, which made their baby sister pout then disappear from the screen. Then it was just Pasha and Triss. “She’s gone,” Pasha said, her brown eyes turning soft. “How are you really, though. I’m sorry Lorne dumped you. That sucks. But if I’m being honest, the guy was a bit of a douche. Just don’t throw that in my face if you get back together, okay?”

“We won’t be getting back together, trust me. So yeah, say what you want about him. Don’t hold back.”

“Does that apply to me, too?” Rayma shouted.

“No!” Triss replied, though the pull of her lip into a half-smile wasn’t unwelcomed. For all her lack-of-a-filter faults, Rayma had really come into her own in the last few years. She was a hardworking, brilliant, kind-hearted soul who would defend those she loved with everything she had.

“I’ll text you my list of his faults,” Rayma replied. “Maybe buy more data to receive the file.”

Triss rolled her eyes and focused on her older sister. “As awkward as it was—and still is in some ways—being here had been good for me. I’m so busy helping Asher with the animals that I don’t have a lot of time to wallow and dwell.” She laughed in spite of herself. “I mean, I still am wallowing and dwelling, but I’m not doing as much of it as I could.”

Pasha pressed her lips together in a flat line. “I wish I could hug you right now. You look like you need a hug.”

“I’m hugging horses. Hannah promised me goat cuddles, but so far none of them are snugglers. But there’s one old horse here who Asher says would literally climb into my lap if he could. So I go cuddle and talk to Macklin when I’m sad.”

“How much longer do you think you’ll be there?”

Shrugging, Triss balanced the tablet on her knees and reached for her wine. “A couple of days I think. Snow hasn’t let up and I kind of want to wait to see how Hannah is doing. But we’ll see. I don’t want to overstay my welcome since I pretty much wasn’t welcome in the first place. I just showed up on his doorstep in the middle of the night.”