All-American Princess - Maggie Dallen Page 0,6

me this past summer. I knew that. And she probably had a point. Most seventeen year olds weren’t so stressed all the time.

Even my mom, who knew very well why I was so tense, was always pushing me to get out more. To have a little fun. Amber arched her brows. “Brandon, the ranch isn’t going to fall to pieces if you take one afternoon off.”

I met her gaze, and for a moment there, had this overwhelming urge to confide in her. She was a friend, after all. But not even Jack knew the full extent of our money problems, and much as I might want to take someone into my confidence—much as I might want a sympathetic ear—confiding in people just didn’t come easily to me.

Apparently, I took after my dad like that. He and I were alike in a lot of ways—looks, for sure. I was the spitting image of him, which wasn’t a terrible thing to inherit considering he’d been voted Sexiest Man Alive back in the day.

Amber’s brows fell and concern filled her pretty green eyes. “Brandon? Is everything okay?”

I drew in a deep breath and took a step back, ending the hug. “Yeah, yeah. Everything is fine.”

She didn’t look convinced. “You’ve been working so hard lately.” She bit her lip and hesitated before continuing, “Is everything all right with the ranch?”

I swallowed, the truth right there on the tip of my tongue. The fact that my father’s beloved land could be lost forever if I didn’t find a way to turn things around. “Fine,” I said. “Everything’s just fine.”

Amber still didn’t look convinced, but she dropped the topic. “Come on,” she said. “Kathleen is going to be there. Zoe and Pete said they’d show up, too…” She kept rattling off the names of her friends.

Our friends.

“I even convinced Jack to go,” she said, her smile growing with pride.

I widened my eyes in surprise. “How did you manage that?” Jack was even less fond of big group gatherings than I was. I didn’t think he had the same issues that I had—Jack had never lacked in the confidence department, and he seemed to be at ease no matter where he was. No, Jack just had little patience for parties or small talk. He gave new meaning to the whole brooding bad boy vibe, but maybe that was why he and I got along so well. He was fine with silence, and I was comfortable keeping my secrets.

“If I can convince Grumpy to join in on the fun, you have no excuse,” Amber said as she poked a finger into my chest. I laughed at her nickname for Jack. Only Amber would think to give Jack a cutesie nickname—no one else would dare.

She was watching me expectantly, her eyes wide with excitement.

“Okay, fine,” I relented with a sigh. “Let me leave a note for my mom.”

“Great.” She beamed at me like I’d just made her whole year by agreeing to go party at the lake. “I’m going up to your room to find a new book to borrow.”

She was already halfway up the stairs, and I shook my head. The girl hadn’t changed at all.

Unfortunately… I had.

Three

Jack

I kept my voice low as I took my father aside. “You can’t be serious.”

Amusement had his eyes crinkling up at the edges. “I’m offering you the chance to help a beautiful babe—”

“Dad, never use the word babe.”

“The least you can do is say thank you,” he continued.

I sighed. “Dad.”

He arched his brows in question. “What’s the problem? She seems like a sweet girl.”

I narrowed my eyes in disbelief. “Sweet? That girl?”

We both glanced over to the uptight princess who stood by the door, eyeing everything around her like it was covered in some sort of flesh-eating virus.

Instead of answering, my dad handed me a set of keys. “Go show her how to use the shower. You know how finicky that faucet can be.”

I stared at him. “You want me to show her how to work a shower.”

He widened his eyes meaningfully. “I want you to be a considerate host for our new, rent-paying guests.”

I studied him for a second as that registered. “They’re paying full price?”

My father gave me a small smile. “Full price, and they’ve paid the first six months upfront. In cash.”

I blinked. Well, hell. No wonder he was so eager to please the hoity-toity blonde. “What are they doing here?”

We were close enough to the ski areas that we got the occasional snow bunny, but it was