“Says the girl who has clearly never been in a relationship.”

Ouch. “Eff off, Ty.”

“I’m sorry, hon, but how is he supposed to know that you want to stay if you don’t tell him? Josh has many talents, but being psychic isn’t one of them.”

“You’re psychotic,” I mutter, and glare at him, making him laugh.

“You need to communicate if you want it to work, you know. That’s just Relationships 101.”

“Are you a lawyer or a couples counselor?”

“A little of both.” He smiles softly, his blue eyes full of humor.

“I have to pee. I’ll be right back.” I jump up and head for the bathroom, needing a minute to gather my thoughts.

Could it be that simple?

Is that why Josh looked so torn yesterday when he watched me pack? Maybe he wanted to ask me to stay, but didn’t think I wanted to.

Yep, I’m an idiot.

I wash my hands and walk back to the living room, surprised to see Ty with my phone pressed to his ear.

“Dude, seriously? Don’t be an ass. Cara’s back. Here she is.” He hands the phone to me, his face sober.

“Hello?”

“What the fuck is Ty doing at your house this late in the evening?” Josh’s voice is deceptively quiet.

“He came over to say hi. My lights were on.”

“How long has he been there?”

“Why?”

“I’m just asking a question, Cara.”

“Long enough for us to get naked and have wild and crazy sex in every room of my house. Is that what you want to hear?”

“Watch yourself, Carolina.”

“No, you watch yourself! Who do you think you are to call me and question me about having my friends over? I’ve known Ty my whole fucking life, Josh, just like you. What exactly are you accusing me of?”

“Cara, stop.” Ty is standing with his hands on his hips, shaking his head. “You’re not helping.”

I shake my head in return and listen to silence on the other end of the line.

“Well?” I ask Josh.

“I’m not accusing you of anything,” he murmurs, his voice resigned and tired. “I’m sorry. I hope you sleep well, baby.” He hangs up.

I throw my phone across the room. “What the fuck, Ty?”

“Cara . . .”

“Why is he acting like this? I just saw him this morning, and he has the balls to be jealous because you are over here talking with me?”

“Cara, he’s in love with you. He’d be jealous of fucking Santa Claus right now.”

“Bullshit.” I’m panting, my hands are in fists at my side, and I’m just fucking pissed.

“No, it’s not bullshit. If the roles were reversed, I’d kick his ass. It was inappropriate for me to come over. It just didn’t occur to me because you’re my sister in my head, but not in his head.”

Ty sits at the edge of the couch, his elbows on his knees, and watches me calmly as I process what he’s said.

Well, shit.

“I fucked up,” I whisper, and sit dejectedly in my chair.

“It happens. He’ll get over it.”

“He was so mad.” My voice is shaky, and I feel the tears welling in my eyes.

“Whoa.” Ty raises his hands in surrender, his blue eyes wide. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. It’s time to call Jill.”

He finds my phone across the room, pops the battery back in it, and as soon as it’s rebooted, he finds Jill’s number and calls her.

“No, I’m not fucking Josh right now, thanks for asking.” He swears under his breath about what girls talk about on the phone and pushes his hand through his hair. “You need to talk to Cara. She’s crying, and tears are so not my department.”

Ty walks back to me and kisses my forehead gently. “You’ll be fine. I’m gonna go home and call Josh. Talk it out with Jilly.”

He hands me the phone and lets himself out of my house.

JOSH

I’ll fucking kill him.

And spank the shit out of her.

What the fuck?

I’m never going to sleep now, so I get dressed and head out to the barn to get a head start on chores. With a wolf out there killing some of my cattle, I have more on my plate than I can handle.

This week is going to be hell. I don’t know when I’ll see Cara again, and I need to see her, like I need to breathe.

Apparently I need to remind her that she’s mine.

As I walk up to the barn, I’m surprised to see my mom coming from the chicken coop, a basket looped in her arm.

“Mom?” I hurry over to her. “Is everything okay?”

“Of course.” She smiles at me and kisses my cheek when I bend down and offer it to her. “Couldn’t sleep, so I figured I’d come out and see if there were any fresh eggs for breakfast.”

“Any luck?”

“Yep. Come inside, I’ll fix you something.”

“You should go back to bed,” I mutter, secretly longing for some bacon and eggs.

“Nonsense, come inside and talk to me.” She smiles and leads me to the house, dressed in her usual yoga pants and oversize T-shirt.

At sixty-eight, my mom is in great shape and is active in our community, serving on the board at the credit union and on the town council, and she still helps with fund-raisers for the school.

I take a seat at the table as she pulls out a skillet to cook the eggs.