Page 26 of Wrangled

Teague shrugged. “Couple of hours.” He frowned. “That’s not why you’re here, is it? Because of me and Butch?” He snorted. “Course it isn’t. You’d have said something before now. I mean, how long has it been going on?”

I’d forgotten that too.

I gestured toward the couch. “Can I warm these old bones in front of your fire?”

He let out another snort. “You ain’t old, but sure.”

I sat on the worn fabric couch, covered with another colorful Indian throw. I held my glass in both hands, elbows on my knees.

“How come you’re not sleeping?” Teague asked as he sat in the room’s only armchair. Then he almost dropped his glass as he scrambled to grab the bottle of lube, and stuffed it down the side of the chair.

I pretended not to notice.

“If I knew the answer to that, I could do something about it.”

“Maybe the doc can give you something.”

I snorted. “And maybe I don’t wanna take pills.” I peered at him. “Can we get personal for a second?”

Teague’s lips twitched. “I guess that depends onhowpersonal.”

“You were wrong, by the way. This… thing you’ve got going with Butch…”

He blinked. “Thing? You’re not usually this coy.”

I rolled my eyes. “Fine. You and Butch are fuckin’. We both know that. Hell,everyoneprobably knows, even if they don’t say as much.”

He laughed. “Yeah,that’sthe boss I know and love. So… what about us?”

“I wouldn’t presume to tell you your business, but—”

“I knew there was a but coming.”

I put my glass down on the table. “What you two do in this cabin is nothing to do with me or anyone else, okay? It’s not my responsibility—unlessit goes tits up, and suddenly you two can’t work together anymore.”

He fell silent.

I leaned back. “At the end of the day, you’re the foreman. I want you to see to the smooth running of this place, and if you and Butch—”

“Robert.”

I gazed at him. He only ever referred to me by my name when we were alone, when it was important.

Teague sighed. “It’s not that kind of relationship, honest.”

“I know it didn’t start out that way,” I fired back. “I get it. You both have itches, and you get ’em scratched. Thatwashow it got started, right? I mean, that was what you said.” He nodded. “And I’ve stayed out of it. I didn’t pry. Like I said, it’s nothing to do with me. But for all I know, things might have moved on since then. There might have been… developments…”

Teague stared at me. “Are you asking me if I’m falling for him, or him for me? Hearts ‘n’ flowers kinda stuff?” He snorted. “You’ve got no worries on that score. We’re strictly platonic. Besides, he’s not my type.” He smiled. “I mean it, Robert. Don’t be thinking we’re gonna break up one day, and sour the atmosphere around here.”

I sagged into the couch. “I had to be sure.”

“I know, and I get it. Hell, if I saw two ofmycowboys sneaking off to play hide the salami, I’d want to know whatever they had going on wasn’t gonna spill over into their working life.” He gazed at me earnestly. “And it’s not, all right?”

“All right.” I was satisfied. I shook my head. “Remember that time I came into the barn late one night? And caught the pair of you—”

“Please, don’t remind me,” he begged. “I swear, every time I saw you after that, you could’ve heated the big house with the fire in my cheeks. Took me a whole three days to get over it.”

I grinned. “Maybe it was payback for the night we met.” I gave him a fond glance. “You kept your promise. All these years, and you never told a soul.” What came to mind were my conversations with Zeeb and Diana. I huffed. “They found out anyway.”