Page 14 of Call Me Yours (Lodestar Ranch #4)

STEVEN

Organized chaos. That’s what this was. I felt like I had been thrust into one of those sappy holiday movies where a down-on-his-luck outsider learned the true meaning of family.

It was loud and boisterous, full of teasing and inside jokes.

Terry carved the chickens in the kitchen while Cole finished setting the table in the dining room and the rest of us had iced tea in the living room.

It didn’t seem to matter that everyone was spread out.

The Quinns carried on several conversations at once, laughing and shouting over each other from room to room.

Amy watched the Quinns like an anthropologist visiting a foreign land, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape.

Our family dinners were nothing like this.

No laughter. No teasing. No inside jokes.

It was loud, though. Dad had a lot of gripes and dinner was his chance to unload them on my mother.

With every beer he drank, he got louder and angrier.

Mom focused so much of her attention on pacifying him that she barely got more than a bite to eat herself.

I hated going home, so I used school, football, and rodeo as an excuse to stay away as long as possible. Watching Amy watch the Quinns now, I felt a pang of regret. I should have come home every chance I got. I should have protected her better.

Amy turned to me with an amused, can you believe families are like this in real life smile. She had never once given me shit for abandoning her. Hell, she’d been surprised when I told her she could live with me. Surprised, and so damn grateful it made my gut twist with guilt.

I had a lot to make up for with Amy. And if Chloe told her about James? I’d never get that chance. It would be confirmation of her worst fears that I was just like him .

I had been worried when they disappeared into the kitchen together, but whatever had been discussed, it wasn’t that . Amy wouldn’t be sitting next to me on the couch right now, sending comically baffled looks in my direction, if she knew about James.

I could feel Chloe’s eyes on me, but every time I looked back, her gaze skittered sideways.

I’d linger on the curve of her throat rising out of the chunky knit, ivory turtleneck she wore or the small dimple that formed in her left cheek when she smirked at something her brothers said, and then it was my turn to spin away when she felt me looking.

My heart pulsed harder during our stupid game of chicken than it ever had in eight seconds on a bronco.

“Birds are on the table,” Terry announced, clapping his hands to get everyone’s attention. “Let’s eat.”

I moved slowly, letting the throng file out first, hyper aware of Chloe’s simmering presence hovering off to the side. When I fell in line behind Amy, Chloe snagged me by a beltloop just above my ass and jerked me to a stop.

I smirked at her over my shoulder. “Well, hello, there, princess. Something I can do for you?”

“Since you’re asking? The lake’s not quite frozen over yet. How about you take a walk on it?” Her smile was sweet and sharp at the same time, like how I imagined a sea siren would look before she sank her teeth into a sailor.

My shoulders tightened. It shouldn’t have surprised me the way it did. What, did I honestly think that a week of semi-friendly 3 a.m. text conversations meant all was forgiven? Her best friend got hurt because of me. Chloe was never going to let that go.

“What are you doing here, Steven?” she hissed, giving my beltloop another sharp tug.

I rocked back a step to keep my balance and caught a whiff of her strawberry-scented shampoo. “If you wanted me closer, princess, all you had to do was ask,” I murmured.

She went so still that the hairs on the back of my neck stood up in alarm.

Fuck, that was a mistake.

There were only two things I cared about in this whole world, and Chloe Adams held them both in the palm of her hand. She could ruin my life if she decided to. I shouldn’t be goading her like this, but I couldn’t stop myself.

The growl she emitted went straight to my cock. Her hand tightened into a fist around my belt and she shifted onto her toes so she could enunciate every word slowly and carefully into my ear. “I would pull out every single one of my toenails with rusty pliers before I asked you for anything.”

It was tempting to prove her wrong. To drag those jeans down her body and lick her until she begged me to make her come.

I wanted to make her forget she hated me, make her forget her own name, make her feel even a little of this twisted hunger I felt.

Sure, she’d hate me even more for it after, but so what?

She already hated me. What was one more thing to add to the list?

Except…I didn’t want her to hate me. The only thing I hated about Chloe was how much I didn’t hate her.

“I didn’t think you’d be here,” I said. “Your dad said you were too busy with school and work.”

“So you knew Terry was my dad,” Chloe said flatly.

“Not at first. I?—”

“Chloe! Steven! What’s taking you two so long?” Angie called from the dining room. “Come eat.”

Chloe slowly unfurled her fingers and gave me a little shove to urge me away from her. “This isn’t over.”

“I know,” I said wearily, following her into the dining room.

Chloe claimed a seat next to her mother, and it didn’t take long for me to realize she had done that on purpose.

Angie’s hands were clearly bothering her.

I watched Chloe fill her own plate with slices of chicken breast the she cut into bite-sized pieces, a scoop of roasted veggies that she also cut into smaller chunks, scalloped potatoes, and a dinner roll that she tore in half.

Then, without fuss, she swapped plates with Angie, who gave her a tiny nod of appreciation.

Angie caught my gaze and smiled. “You have to try the potatoes, Steven. They’re Chloe’s favorite.”

I smiled back. “I’m not going to pass up cheesy potatoes.”

“Hand me your plate,” Chloe said, not quite meeting my eyes. “The potatoes are heavy. It’s easier not to pass them around.”

I gave her my plate across the table and then Amy’s. “Thanks.”

After also serving Terry and her grandmother, she looked at her brothers. “Who else wants potatoes?”

Of course everyone wanted potatoes, and there was a loud ruckus as her brothers informed her of that, each clamoring to be served first.

“Calm down,” Chloe laughed. “There’s plenty of food, even for you maniacs.”

“Please, miss, may I have some more?” Garret begged like Oliver Twist, his hands clasped. His was the last plate, and Chloe had already plopped a sizable portion next to his chicken.

“No way,” Jaxson protested. “It’s not humanly possible to eat that much. Not even for you.”

Garret smirked. “I ran thirty miles this morning. Watch me.”

With a sigh and a laugh, Chloe emptied the rest of the potatoes onto Garret’s plate. “Hope no one else wanted seconds, because I’m not cooking more.”

“Yes!” Garret pumped his fist. “That’s why you’re my favorite, Chloe.”

“Thirty miles?” Amy asked.

Garret nodded. “I’m training for my first hundred-mile race. Phoenix in November.

“Wow.” Amy looked impressed.

I shot her a don’t even think about it look and then saw Chloe’s plate. “You didn’t get any potatoes,” I said under the thrum of voices.

She shrugged it off. “I have plenty of food.”

“But—”

She stared daggers at me. All right, then. I’d mind my own business.

“So, Steven, Terry tells me you will be taking the farrier exam soon?” Margaret—who they all called Grams—asked, pulling my attention away from Chloe.

“That’s right, ma’am.”

“And what are your plans after that? Will you be going into business for yourself, or partnering with Terry? Terry, pass me the rolls, please.”

Terry cast a confused glance at the platter of roast chicken in front of his plate.

Chloe picked up the basket of rolls next to her and passed them to Margaret.

But Margaret was still watching me, waiting for my response, so after a moment of hesitation, Chloe set the basket down in front of her grandmother with a brief press of her lips.

“Well, I—” I looked at Terry, unsure what to say. A partnership hadn’t occurred to me.

“We haven’t had a chance to discuss it. I wasn’t going to spring it on you over dinner,” Terry said, shooting his mother-in-law an exasperated look.

“So, thanks for that, Grams.” He turned to me sheepishly.

“Grams and Angie have been after me to take on a partner, and step back from the more physical parts of the job. I was hoping that might be you.”

“Oh, I—augh—” I grimaced as someone’s shoe kicked my shin with too much force to be accidental.

“Are you all right?” Margaret asked, her brow puckered with concern.

“Banged my knee, that’s all.” I rubbed my leg and narrowed my eyes at Chloe.

She glared right back, her hand wrapped threateningly around a knife handle as she slowly and exaggeratingly mouthed the words, “Fuck. No.”

“Don’t let Margaret bully you into answering now,” Terry said. Margaret blinked innocently and sipped her ice water. “We’ll talk over the details tomorrow. There’s no rush for you to decide.”

“I’ll definitely think about it,” I said. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Chloe shift in her seat, preparing to deliver another blow.

This time I dodged.

It was hilarious watching Chloe boss the hell out of everyone without them seeming to know she was doing it.

With dinner over and everyone too full for dessert, she divvied up the chores—clearing the table, putting leftovers away, doing dishes—among her brothers, organized a game of UNO for her parents, Margaret, and Amy, and then reminded me of a promise I sure as shit had never made to put the snow tires on her car.

“Now?” I asked. “You happen to have your snow tires with you?”

She gave a bright, tinkly little laugh. “I keep them here. Usually Terry takes care of it for me, but since you offered…” Her voice trailed off and she arched an eyebrow.