The Rancher Meets His Match (The Millers of Morgan Valley #4) - Kate Pearce Page 0,63
Francisco,” Julia said. “He agrees that we should just stay friends.”
“Then that’s great.” Silver nodded. “As long as you are both on the same page, then you have nothing to worry about. I’ll tell Ben he’s totally on the wrong track about everything.” She switched on the lights of the huge en suite bathroom. “Now, come and take a look at this skin care stuff. It’s absolutely amazing.”
She went to move past and Julia reached out her hand. “I really do appreciate you treating me like family. Even if I don’t deserve it.”
“Everyone deserves a family,” Silver said warmly. “And, whether you like it or not, I already consider you part of mine. Now, before I forget and we get stuck into skin care, what were you saying earlier about a grant from the Morgan Valley Heritage Foundation?”
* * *
Kaiden followed Julia out the front door of Ben and Silver’s house and immediately did up his jacket. There was a cold wind blowing off the top of the snow-covered Sierra Nevadas that chilled his bones. Julia had her head down as she approached her dad’s truck. He wasn’t sure if it was because of the cold, or because she hadn’t enjoyed her evening.
Despite trying to keep his distance and keep things light, he hadn’t quite succeeded in not checking up on her every thirty seconds. When he’d come back from the barn with his brothers she’d been tense, which made him wonder what Silver had been saying to her. It wasn’t like his brother’s sunny-natured wife to upset anyone, so he had no idea what had happened, or even how to ask.
He called out to Julia as he approached the truck.
“Do you remember the way home?”
She fished out her keys to open the door, but didn’t turn around. “I’m good, thanks.”
“Hey.” He reached her side and put a tentative hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She offered him a brief, dismissive smile. “Silver’s really nice, and their home is lovely.”
“I like it a lot myself.” He hesitated, aware of the tension in her frame. “Are you sure that everything’s okay?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?” She opened the door, which meant he had to step aside, as she got into the truck. “Thanks for asking me for dinner.”
“I didn’t.” Kaiden gave her the truth before he thought it through. “Ben just told me he’d invited you on my behalf. Is that why you’re mad? Did Ben or Silver say anything about me?”
She wouldn’t meet his eyes, and he slowly exhaled.
“They stuck their big noses in, didn’t they?” He briefly tilted his head back and looked up at the heavens. “I didn’t ask them to do that, I swear. I’ll go right back in there and maybe kick some famous movie star ass if they upset you.”
“Please don’t do that,” Julia finally spoke. “It was nothing, really, and definitely not what you think. Silver was just trying to be nice, and I . . . well, I wasn’t ready to confide in her, that’s all.”
“Confide what?” Kaiden asked cautiously.
“Nothing—that’s the point.”
Kaiden was fairly certain he was being deliberately led away from the point. “What did she say?”
“Nothing.” She finally turned to look at him. “I told her we were on the same page, and that was that.”
“On the same page about what?”
She fussed around with the keys. “Just being friends.”
Even as he instinctively wanted to protest that point, he still managed to nod and take the necessary step back.
“Cool, then I’ll wish you good night.”
“Okay. Good night, Kaiden.”
He waited until she’d pulled away in the truck, the red lights flaring in the darkness before he turned to face the house again. Should he go back and ask what the hell had happened? Would it do him any good? Knowing his just married and horny brother, he might get an eyeful if he walked back in there, and, in his present celibate state, he really didn’t need to be any more jealous of his brother.
He got into his truck and drove home in the darkness almost by instinct. He parked and went in through the mudroom where he took off his boots and coat. There was a light on in the kitchen but most of the house was dark. He contemplated making some coffee, but he was already too hyped up to sleep. As he walked down the hallway, he sighed. The thing between him and Julia couldn’t go on like this so he knew he was doing the right thing, but