a lot of good ideas.”
“I look forward to seeing them,” Karen said. “These gentlemen can ride, can’t they?” she asked Christina.
“We’ve been watching them do it since they were kids,” Christina answered, as amiable as Karen.
Blah, blah, blah.
What Karen was really saying was, Sorry, sweetie, you had your chance.
To which Christina would reply, Eat it, woman. This is not what it looks like.
Grant had called Christina and told her what Carter had relayed to him last night. After Christina got over the double shock of Grant being able to find his phone and then Grant calling her, she’d settled down to listen.
I’m drawing the line at helping her get into bed with you, Christina had said. My loyalty to Riverbend only goes so far.
Darlin’, I’d rather get into bed with a coral snake. Be a faster way to go.
I don’t know, Christina had said. I can be kind of a viper.
Grant had chuckled, that low, warm sound. No, honey, you’re a sugar bear.
And he’d hung up.
The words had warmed her all afternoon, even when she’d watched Karen walk in, fixed to his side.
“How about we go join your brothers?” Karen asked Grant, done conversing with Christina.
“All right.” Grant took up his beer, looked at it, set it down again. As Karen turned away, Grant said to Christina. “Give that to someone thirsty. Twenty minutes, all right? Then you come rescue me.”
“Is that all it takes you these days?” Christina said. She didn’t touch the beer.
Grant pointed a finger at her. “You are so asking for it.”
Christina only gave him a little smile and let him walk away.
Chapter Eleven
“This is our baby brother, Ross,” Grant told Karen.
Karen gave Ross, who wore civilian clothes of black shirt and jeans, a once-over. “The deputy,” she said archly. “Very pleased to meet you.”
She held out her hand and squeezed Ross’s when he shook it. Ross’s brows went up the tiniest bit.
Knew it, Grant thought. She’s into the cowboy cop thing.
Ross curled his hand back and put it on his lap. “You not drinking anything, Grant?”
Karen looked around. “Oh, you left your beer on the bar. I’ll have your little barmaid bring it over.”
Grant caught her hand before she could raise it. “It’s fine. Did you enjoy the bake sale?”
Karen’s straight-toothed smile flashed. “Yes, it was the cutest thing.” To his brothers’ surprised looks, she said, “Grant took me to an actual bake sale at your church. Where people baked things and sold them to raise money. This town is just adorable.”
Tyler looked mystified. “Yeah, we like it.”
“Then, honey, we have to keep my ex from ruining it,” Karen said.
The three of them stopped. “Your ex?” Tyler asked carefully. Carter had filled him in about Karen’s ex but the brothers waited to hear what she had to say.
“Preston Waters, the Third.” Karen took a sip of her martini. “He owns a development company with me. He wants to do a master-planned community out here. Part of why I’m here is I promised to check it out. Personally, I think he’s an idiot.”
The people at the next table, hearing this last statement, turned in their direction. They said nothing, but swung away to talk to each other. And to the next table. The gossip machine cranked to life.
“I hear he wants to buy up a lot of land,” Grant said casually. “Including the middle of town.”
“Preston wants to buy the world and make it his own,” Karen said. She wrinkled her face, her makeup creasing before smoothing out again. “That’s all he cares about. Why do you think I dumped him? The I’m a hot, rich, successful businessman thing got old real fast. I’ve turned into a more down-home kind of gal.”
She caressed Grant’s wrist, while Tyler and Ross concentrated on their drinks, faces contorting as they tried not to bust up laughing.
“He’s sure that people will rush out here and buy a suburban home seventy miles from anywhere.” Karen shrugged slender shoulders. “He might be right, but I think he’ll be disappointed. I predict he’d have about one-third sell-through and then be stuck with all those properties and all those new houses no one wants. Seen it happen before. Would be a shame.”
A real shame, Grant thought. Land got overbought and overbuilt, and the people the developers counted on buying the individual places didn’t come. Communities disappeared and people were scattered, for nothing.
“Preston’s already got irons in the fire.” Karen stirred her drink. “So it’s moving forward. I’d love to see him fall on his