breast-feeding and in half a mood for entertaining male demands.
Then Casey the dumb-ass stepped aside, and Casey the scam artist took his place. He leaned on the bar. “I know why you keep saying no,” he said to Abilene quietly.
Raina groaned. “Don’t, Casey.”
“Oh?” Abilene asked him.
Casey nodded. “My brother told me.”
Abilene’s hands went to her middle in horror and she glanced around, presumably looking for Vince so she could tear him a new one. “That asshole.” Raina didn’t think she’d heard the girl swear before now. Abilene tacked on a hasty “No offense, Kim.”
Kim smiled. “That shoe occasionally fits.”
“Jeez, what a shit. He promised he wouldn’t tell anyone.”
Casey held up his glass. “That’s my brother for you. Can’t be trusted.”
Raina kept her mouth shut and crossed her arms, preparing for a show.
“Well,” Abilene said slowly, “what do you think about it?”
“I’m . . . I want to know how
you
feel about it, I guess,” Casey said. A decent bluff, Raina had to admit.
Abilene thought a moment. “I’m not sure. I mean, I do
like
you. I’d like to go out with you, sometime.”
“Me, too. Perfect.”
“If that’s not too weird, I mean.”
“Why would I think it’s weird?”
Abilene shrugged. “I dunno. Some guys would. I just figure if a girl was pregnant by some other man, most of them—”
Casey’s eyes widened. “Wait—you’re pregnant?”
Kim grimaced as if a car wreck were about to go down, then hopped off her stool to intercept Vince as he returned from the men’s room. She steered him to the exit, and Vince offered a perplexed parting wave over his shoulder.
Abilene stared at Casey. “Yeah, I’m pregnant. What the heck did you think we were talking about?”
Casey blinked. “Fuck, I don’t know. But not that.”
She planted her hands on her hips and glared. “Your brother didn’t tell you shit, did he?”
“No, but—”
“I’d advise you to shut up now, Case,” Raina said.
Abilene’s angelic face was murderous. “Good to know which Grossier’s got the balls to tell me the truth.”
“I’ll just finish this and get going.” He took a long swallow of his drink, neck and ears pink.
Abilene eyed Raina, looking nervous.
She waved the girl’s worry aside. “I guessed weeks ago. You’re welcome to keep working as long as you like. Though we’ll probably want to switch you to afternoons soon.”
Her shoulders dropped in obvious relief.
A group of ranch hands came in, and Raina nodded to tell Abilene to tend to them—get her and Casey separated for a few minutes.
“Fuck me,” Casey said, staring at the drink in his hand.
“Next time, take our advice, maybe.”
He shook his head. “Jesus . . .”
Raina was poised to tease him, but then the door swung in, admitting the man she’d managed to keep her mind off for a good fifteen minutes, thanks to Casey’s romantic implosion. Duncan.
He strode for the bar, eyebrows set in a tight line.Uncharacteristically dressed—a heather gray T-shirt and jeans. It was Saturday, but that didn’t matter—seeing Duncan Welch wearing anything less than two-thirds of a three-piece suit made Raina feel as if she were staring at the man buck naked.
She met him at the corner of the counter, tossing a coaster on the wood. “Good evening, Duncan’s doppelgänger. You drink V and T like your evil twin?”
“Double.” He didn’t meet her eyes, and she couldn’t help noticing how his fingers trembled as he fished bills from his wallet.
“You okay?”
He swallowed, eyes on his shaking hands. “Not particularly, no.”
A touch worried, she mixed his drink in record time. As he brought it to his lips, she could see the liquid juddering like a stormy lake.
She was stymied. Though they’d been briefly tangled in a load of drama together, and flirted as if they were aiming to catch fire, she had no clue how to relate to him just now.
Concern
wasn’t
Then Casey the dumb-ass stepped aside, and Casey the scam artist took his place. He leaned on the bar. “I know why you keep saying no,” he said to Abilene quietly.
Raina groaned. “Don’t, Casey.”
“Oh?” Abilene asked him.
Casey nodded. “My brother told me.”
Abilene’s hands went to her middle in horror and she glanced around, presumably looking for Vince so she could tear him a new one. “That asshole.” Raina didn’t think she’d heard the girl swear before now. Abilene tacked on a hasty “No offense, Kim.”
Kim smiled. “That shoe occasionally fits.”
“Jeez, what a shit. He promised he wouldn’t tell anyone.”
Casey held up his glass. “That’s my brother for you. Can’t be trusted.”
Raina kept her mouth shut and crossed her arms, preparing for a show.
“Well,” Abilene said slowly, “what do you think about it?”
“I’m . . . I want to know how
you
feel about it, I guess,” Casey said. A decent bluff, Raina had to admit.
Abilene thought a moment. “I’m not sure. I mean, I do
like
you. I’d like to go out with you, sometime.”
“Me, too. Perfect.”
“If that’s not too weird, I mean.”
“Why would I think it’s weird?”
Abilene shrugged. “I dunno. Some guys would. I just figure if a girl was pregnant by some other man, most of them—”
Casey’s eyes widened. “Wait—you’re pregnant?”
Kim grimaced as if a car wreck were about to go down, then hopped off her stool to intercept Vince as he returned from the men’s room. She steered him to the exit, and Vince offered a perplexed parting wave over his shoulder.
Abilene stared at Casey. “Yeah, I’m pregnant. What the heck did you think we were talking about?”
Casey blinked. “Fuck, I don’t know. But not that.”
She planted her hands on her hips and glared. “Your brother didn’t tell you shit, did he?”
“No, but—”
“I’d advise you to shut up now, Case,” Raina said.
Abilene’s angelic face was murderous. “Good to know which Grossier’s got the balls to tell me the truth.”
“I’ll just finish this and get going.” He took a long swallow of his drink, neck and ears pink.
Abilene eyed Raina, looking nervous.
She waved the girl’s worry aside. “I guessed weeks ago. You’re welcome to keep working as long as you like. Though we’ll probably want to switch you to afternoons soon.”
Her shoulders dropped in obvious relief.
A group of ranch hands came in, and Raina nodded to tell Abilene to tend to them—get her and Casey separated for a few minutes.
“Fuck me,” Casey said, staring at the drink in his hand.
“Next time, take our advice, maybe.”
He shook his head. “Jesus . . .”
Raina was poised to tease him, but then the door swung in, admitting the man she’d managed to keep her mind off for a good fifteen minutes, thanks to Casey’s romantic implosion. Duncan.
He strode for the bar, eyebrows set in a tight line.Uncharacteristically dressed—a heather gray T-shirt and jeans. It was Saturday, but that didn’t matter—seeing Duncan Welch wearing anything less than two-thirds of a three-piece suit made Raina feel as if she were staring at the man buck naked.
She met him at the corner of the counter, tossing a coaster on the wood. “Good evening, Duncan’s doppelgänger. You drink V and T like your evil twin?”
“Double.” He didn’t meet her eyes, and she couldn’t help noticing how his fingers trembled as he fished bills from his wallet.
“You okay?”
He swallowed, eyes on his shaking hands. “Not particularly, no.”
A touch worried, she mixed his drink in record time. As he brought it to his lips, she could see the liquid juddering like a stormy lake.
She was stymied. Though they’d been briefly tangled in a load of drama together, and flirted as if they were aiming to catch fire, she had no clue how to relate to him just now.
Concern
wasn’t
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