Roping the Cowboy Billionaire - Emmy Eugene Page 0,59

when they’d relocated from Tennessee to Kentucky. When she pulled up, the driveway already held two extra cars, and she knew she and the corgis were the last to arrive.

“Come on, guys,” she said, opening the back door for them to jump down. Jasper barked as he did, always the more vocal of the pair.

Tam followed them to the front door, where they both waited with their paws up on the step. She opened the door, and Jasper barked again, alerting her father of his arrival.

Her daddy laughed and scooped Jasper right into his arms. The dog licked his face and kept squirming to get closer. Tam closed the door behind her and drew in a deep breath. She put a smile on her face, realizing it was a game face she was donning.

When she turned around, she caught Daddy bent over as he put Jasper back on the ground. “Hello, baby,” he said, straightening.

“I’m not too late, am I?” she asked, stepping into his arms.

“Heavens, no,” he said. “Your mother just took the pecan pie out of the oven. We’ve got loads of time.”

“That’s dessert, Daddy,” she said, shaking her head. “Oh, I got you a present.” She reached into her shoulder bag and took out a small box.

Daddy looked at her, his bright blue eyes glittering like sapphires. “I’ll give it to Momma.”

“No, you open it,” Tam said, glancing over his shoulder toward the kitchen. It sat around the corner, but Tam could hear voices back there.

“She’ll want to see it.”

Impatience ran through Tam, but she nodded. She didn’t know what else she was supposed to do. “Okay,” she said. “Happy anniversary.”

“Thanks, baby.” He turned and went into the kitchen with the gift, and Tam followed. Not only was Chris sitting next to Cara at the bar, but Stacy had brought her boyfriend too. Tam didn’t know how to treat Rupert. He and Stacy weren’t married. They weren’t engaged. They did live together in a town about an hour north of Dreamsville, which Stacy had not made a secret. She said they lived in Huntington, because it was a good “buffer zone” for both of them. What she really meant was her family couldn’t pop in on her whenever they wanted.

Since they weren’t married and they weren’t engaged, Tam wasn’t sure how to think about Rupert. He was a know-it-all who talked down to everyone around him, and how Stacy could stand to be with him for more than an hour was a mystery to Tam.

“Tam, baby,” her mother said, grinning widely as she hurried toward her. She embraced Tam, who closed her eyes and held on tight.

“Hi, Momma.”

“Oh, you smell like that shop,” her mom said, pulling away. She still wore the fond smile, though, so Tam knew she was teasing. “Where’s Blaine?”

“I didn’t know Blaine was invited, Momma,” Tam said, shooting a glance at Cara. “No one told me.”

“Of course he’s invited,” Momma said, backing up. “You two are practically engaged from what I hear.”

Tam frowned. “Where’d you hear that?” She pinned her youngest sister with a glare. “I’m not wearing a ring, so I wasn’t sure.”

“Cara’s not wearing a ring either,” Mom said. “She knew.”

Tam looked at Cara, who shrugged. The more likely scenario was that Cara hadn’t known. She just didn’t care if her parents wanted Chris there or not. She wanted him there, therefore, he was there.

She looked around at the people in the kitchen, hating that she was all alone. “Hey, Stace,” she said, keeping her voice light as she stepped over to her sister. The girls were about five years apart, and Stacy would be thirty just after the New Year.

Tam hugged her, but it was like embracing a bag of bones. She said hello to Rupert, who looked like he’d gotten at least half a dozen new tattoos since she’d seen him last. He owned a tattoo parlor in Huntington, and Stacy’s reasoning for never coming to things was his busy work schedule.

“How are things at the shop?” she asked him. Rupert loved to talk about himself, and he started into a story that Tam lost interest in after about thirty seconds. She kept humming and nodding though, secretly wondering if she could text Blaine and have him come to dinner.

“We’re ready,” Momma said, and Tam put the idea out of her mind. He’d show up about the time they finished eating, and she didn’t need to call more attention to herself.

“Can you just open the gifts already?” Cara asked,