Page 11

CHLOE

H olly, Lacey, and I pulled up to the property. Butterflies rioted in my stomach. Once today was over, I’d be able to see my vision for the wedding just a touch clearer.

The mower buzzed, competing with the deep voices of the workers on the ranch. When we reached the gates, we saw they had started on the left side of the property.

I shielded my eyes from the midday sun and spotted a shirtless Duke. On the right, a few of the guys combed through the tall grass, searching for branches, stones, and other debris that needed to be cleared before the mower came through. Some were shirtless, while others had theirs open to let the breeze cool them off. They all had hats firmly planted on their heads. Some even had gloves, but their jeans and boots were the main things they needed to wear out there. Who knew what things lurked in the tall grass?

“You’re joking, right?” Travis jogged over.

“What?” I asked innocently.

“You are a pain, you know that?” He relieved me of the cooler I was lugging around. I laughed along with Holly and Lacey when they were also relieved of their coolers. “We would have grabbed these from the car.”

“I can carry it all by myself, thank you very much.” I crossed my arms over my chest.

Matt sauntered over, looking absolutely drool-worthy with his jeans slung low on his hips and his shirt discarded on the fence with the rest of them. “It has nothing to do with what you are capable of, Greene, and everything to do with the fact that we’re supposed to be gentlemen.” His muscles glistened with sweat, and his skin was turning pink. I licked my lips. Maybe he would let me rub some aloe on him tonight.

Matt tugged me against him. My hands flew to his chest, and he planted a toe-curling kiss on my lips.

“Gentlemen… ha! I don’t see any of those around here. Do you, Holls?” Lacey joked, making me giggle when Matt backed away.

Holly snapped her mouth shut before Matt saw her. They both knew about Matt, but he wasn’t usually this affectionate in public. I knew it had everything to do with Hunter and Kyle… who happened to be glancing our way from the fence line.

“Halloway. Jackson.” Matt tipped his hat at them. “What are you ladies doing out here?”

“We wanted to get measurements. Maybe do a little sketching.” I extracted my tablet from my bag. “I need pictures too.”

“Duke’s almost done with that side,” he said, pointing at the mower. “You might want to come back tomorrow. You’ll get a better view then.”

“I need to start today. I have to place orders. We won’t get in your way.” I smiled and snuck past him, Holly and Lacey following close behind.

“Seriously, Chloe.” Holly leaned against my shoulder when we stopped at our first section. “He is way hotter now than he was in high school. I can’t believe you got him.”

I shrugged. “Except I don’t really have him yet.”

“What do you mean?” They both stared at me, surprise etched into their faces.

“It’s complicated. I don’t want to get into it now.” I pointed toward the tree. “Holly, count steps to the tree from here. Lace, you to the fence.”

They set off in their directions, counting paces. I knew how big their boots were, so I could calculate the distance based off the number of steps for each. While they counted, I took pictures, then brought up the sketchpad app and drew out the land.

About twenty minutes in, we almost had the mowed side done. The property went out farther, and I wanted to explore more.

“You know they make a gadget that helps surveyors do this quicker.”

I nearly jumped out of my skin when Hunter’s voice hit my ears.

“And do you happen to have one of those devices?” I peered over my shoulder at him.

“No.”

I chuckled. “Then this is how I have to do it. It might not be as accurate, but it’ll be close enough. I just need to know that things can fit in certain places. How big a tent I can get or how large of a dance floor I need.”

He nodded. “Thanks for bringing the waters. It’s brutal out here.”

“You are going to burn so bad.” He had on a white short-sleeved Henley to keep him cool, but it was completely covered in dirt. “Don’t get a farmer’s tan. You will not be sexy if you have a tan like that.”

“You think I’m sexy?” He winked.

I rolled my eyes. “I did , but now I’m having second thoughts.” I scrunched my nose, as though I was disgusted with him. His booming laugh was contagious, and I couldn’t help but chuckle along with him.

“Nope. You said it. You can’t take it back. You think I’m sexy.” He did a ridiculous victory dance, and I smacked him in the chest.

“Where’s Kyle?”

“Over on the log. He’s on break.” He threw his thumb over his shoulder. I peeked around him and saw Kyle resting in the shade with a few others.

“Perfect. I need him.” I started in his direction, only for Hunter to catch my hand as I passed by and spin me around. I lost my balance, falling onto his chest.

“Not without a proper hello.” Hunter’s palm grasped the back of my head and tilted it slightly, angling me just the way he wanted before he planted his lips on mine. I opened my own to him, so I could deepen the kiss the way I wanted it. When his tongue swiped mine, I groaned. Between Matt and Hunter, I was getting turned on far more than I needed, especially in front of half the ranch staff.

I was completely aware of Matt on the far side keeping his eye on me as he picked through the tall grass. Hunter had been doing the same.

“Now you can go talk to Kyle,” Hunter said, releasing me. He spun me to face the right direction and smacked my ass.

I let out a squeak and set off toward Kyle, glancing over my shoulder only to see Hunter wink. I narrowed my eyes playfully, then closed the distance between Kyle and me. When I walked by Holly, Lacey, and the twins, I could see the girls staring at me with huge grins on their faces. They knew about Matt and Hunter, but I hadn’t exactly told them about Kyle.

Kyle’s eyes were glued to me as I approached. We hadn’t had any alone time since the very hot encounter in his room, but I knew he was someone I wanted to get to know more. He helped balance Matt and Hunter out. Helped balance me out. And right now, I needed his help.

The last two times I’d spoken to him about my ideas and plans, he was eager to share his thoughts and help tweak mine.

With Kyle sitting on a log, I came up and perched myself on his lap. I wrapped my arms around his neck, leaned in, and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Hey.”

Now, here I was, almost feeling like I was putting a claim on Kyle. Matt and Hunter had openly kissed me, but I knew Kyle wouldn’t do that. I felt the need to let everyone know Kyle was also mine.

I nodded to the other guys in the group. They were all relaxing in the shade, taking a break from their hard work.

“Hey. You getting everything you need done?” Kyle smiled.

“Actually… that’s why I’m here. I need your help.”

“My help?” He shifted under my butt, and I straightened while wiping sweat off my brow.

His eyebrows furrowed, and he immediately held out his water bottle. “Drink first.”

I took a few sips.

“Nope, all of it.” He nudged the bottle.

“Oooh, bossy.” I winked, loving the slight flush that stained his cheeks. I lifted the bottle to my lips and drank the last of it, then sighed. “Thank you.” He was so good at knowing what I needed.

“Can you guys make sure the girls have water too?” Kyle called out, melting my heart a little more.

Ryder was up before he finished the sentence. “On it.”

“So what do you need my help with?” Kyle gently held my hands.

“I started sketching, but you mentioned different places around here that would be good to utilize. I was hoping you could show me so I can map them out.”

Kyle reached up and swiped a water droplet from the corner of my mouth.

Butterflies swarmed in my stomach. With Kyle, everything was so different. I knew Hunter and Matt wanted me. I’d already slept with them. But it was exciting to have this new thing with Kyle.

“Okay, let’s go.” We stood and stepped over the log, and he slid his hat on his head.

My phone dinged in rapid succession.

Holly: It’s “complicated?”

Lacey: All 3 of them?

Holly: You owe us DEETS.

I swiped the messages off my screen and opened the app where my map was started. Turning the tablet around, I made sure it was in the right direction, lining up with the land. Kyle studied it over my shoulder.

“This side is pretty good.” He pointed around on the screen. “But on this side, you’re missing the tree stump. The one I told you about earlier. It’s a little hidden right now with the grass, but it’ll be visible soon.”

“Okay, do you see anything else I’m missing? I have to the tree line.” I waved my hand at the large cottonwood trees.

“There’s a set of bushes we were going to trim up. You can get rid of the log, if you want. We’ll drag it out of here by the end of the day.”

I made the corrections and looked up to see Kyle not studying the screen, but me. Thank goodness I was already red from the heat, or he would’ve noticed my massive blush. “What is it?”

“Nothing. Just admiring your beauty.”

Oh hell . I could feel my ears flaming.

“Right. I am a hot, sweaty mess, and you think I’m beautiful.” My hair was likely frizzy, and a bead of sweat slipped down my spine, following the thousand others before it. Where was that breeze from earlier?

Kyle tucked my hair behind my ear. “You really are beautiful, inside and out.”

I was bound to melt into a puddle for an entirely different reason. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”

His eyebrows furrowed, and he turned his gaze away. “I don’t. You should know, Chloe, I don’t have a lot of experience with women.”

“What do you mean?” I turned to him, tablet and map completely forgotten, grateful everyone else had wandered in other directions.

“I put so much focus on my riding growing up, I didn’t have much time for girls. I had a girlfriend here and there, but nothing serious. Spending time with someone who didn’t understand me didn’t seem appealing, so I let riding be my number one priority.” Kyle palmed the back of his neck.

I hated seeing him even the tiniest bit stressed. And it seemed like admitting this was a big deal to him.

“Has that changed?” I stepped into Kyle’s space and lay my hand on his bicep, letting him know I appreciated his candor.

His hands dropped to my hips, and he snuggled me in closer. “It’s definitely starting to.”

I went up on my toes, wrapping my arms around his neck, and kissed him.

A wolf whistle had me jumping away. I couldn’t tell who had whistled, but it brought me to the present and reminded me I had a reason for being out here other than to make out with all the guys.

“Will you show me more of the property?” I grabbed Kyle’s hand, and he smiled.

“Sure.” He led me to the other side of the trees then went over what he thought could be a possibility for the ceremony. He had a point—the line of trees gave some privacy to the far side, which worked well for putting the dressing tents behind them. He led me to an outlook that was gorgeous as a backdrop for the photos.

Kyle really had an eye for details. I was thrilled with the prospects and couldn’t wait to get everything underway. When I left, Matt, Hunter, and Kyle said they would be finished by the end of the day, so I planned on stopping by tomorrow to take updated photos of the space.

“You guys are way too filthy and tired from working today. I’ll see you all tomorrow.” I gave each one of them a kiss, which ended up being a contest of who could give Chloe a better farewell . I didn’t mind the competition, but I really hoped it wouldn’t be like this all the time.

“Tomorrow. I know all of you are free. Let’s get together.” I left no room for argument as I shut the car door and waved. None of them seemed super excited, but I wanted to see how they handled being together in a different environment. Matt said he would keep an open mind, but I had the feeling they were all competing to win me.