Page 60 of The Prey (The Hillers of Barratt County #6)

I n The Fear , rancher Grady Hiller falls hard for his baby sister’s closest friend. Now he has to convince her he’s not the idiot lunkhead she’s always thought him— before the threat coming for Hala takes her from him forever.

Oh, the idiot. What a total bonehead.

Gorgeous apparently wasn’t synonymous with brains.

“You…are beyond insane.” Hala Hanan stared at the gorgeous man in front of her, not believing this at all.

He…was serious. Like a total fool, an idiot, and total ass.

“I don’t want you, Grady Hiller . I’m definitely not here to complete some master matchmaking plan of your mother’s.

I’m here to check on my family. That’s it.

I certainly don’t have designs…on you. The idea is…

laughable. You are the last Hiller on the planet I would ever be attracted to. ”

Ok, so maybe that part was a bit of a lie—he was seriously hot and beautiful. But every Hiller brother was gorgeous. Even George, who was technically old enough to be Hala’s father. Gorgeous Hiller brothers were just a thing in Value, Texas. Everyone knew that.

“I never said you would. I said you had just…probably better not get any ideas. Get your hopes up.”

“Why would I, to begin with? You are seriously not my type. Now…if Gunn would look in my direction, or Guthrie, then maybe it wouldn’t be so shocking.

But you ?” Him? She and Grady Hiller hadn’t liked each other for a good ten years now.

Maybe longer, but since she’d been a teenager ten years ago, she hadn’t paid much attention to this guy nine years older than she was.

Other than as an irritating older brother of her best friend. A completely, beyond belief, irritating older brother of her closest friend on the planet.

Now Grady Treyton Hiller was standing there in his own hallway, telling her that he suspected his mother had concocted some diabolical plan to see to it that all of her sons married her daughters’ friends.

And that left…Hala.

For Grady. Her. And Grady. For real ? It was never going to happen.

He’d actually told her not to get her hopes up. That Hala didn’t have a shot…with him. He was forewarning her. So she didn’t get any ideas.

OMG. He was utterly serious. He thought his mother was trying to set them up. Together.

“It’ll never happen.” Hala informed the idiot in question.

“Sorry to dash your hopes. But I won’t ever even think there might be something like that between us.

You are the worst Hiller brother of the bunch.

I mean…now, Gunn, maybe. He’s definitely more my type.

Too bad Ayla claimed him first, though.”

Maybe. No one knew exactly what was going on between Ayla and Grady’s twin, Gunn. But it was true—Gunn looked just like this beautiful bonehead in front of her, but Gunn was kind, compassionate, helpful, and loving. Grady was just…broody and glaring. Constantly.

Especially at her.

Hala glared a long way up at the man in front of her. Oh, the big goober. He had always been so clueless. Yes, he and Gunn were fully identical. But she’d never had a moment’s trouble telling them apart.

Gunn had a sweet soul. Kind and loving. This man…had the soul of a stump. “If you’ll excuse me, your sisters are waiting.”

“They can wait. I’m not certain why all the girls are here tonight, though.”

“They are here for me,” she said through gritted teeth, trying to pull her arm free of the barbarian who held it. She was not about to let Grady Hiller ruin tonight for her.

It was her first time in years.

Since a man she thought she could trust had almost destroyed her. Grady wasn’t going to be allowed to ruin it for her.

It just wasn’t happening.

“Why?”

“Why? Because I have plans.”

She yanked her arm free, and just for the fun of it, kicked him in the shin. He deserved it for the things he’d said, implied about her. For the way he’d tried to tell her what to do so many times before.

Why would she want him …?