Winning the Cowboy Billionaire - Emmy Eugene Page 0,43

anger now. “Have you thought of that, Blaine? That sure, I can be smart and successful, but at the end of the day, I go home alone.”

Blaine didn’t know what to say next. She edged away from him, and he felt like the ocean now separated them. “I’m sorry,” he said.

“You just don’t get it, because you like being alone.”

“Is that what you think?”

“Why don’t you date?” She faced him then, her bright blue eyes full of challenge. There was still plenty of sunlight left to see everything on her face too. “You know it’s hard for women to get dates. They can’t really ask a man without coming off as desperate. And yet, you’re not asking anyone to go out with you. None of you Chappells do.”

“That’s just not true,” Blaine said, his own fire really getting stoked now. “Conrad and Duke have girlfriends. Spur does now too.” He looked down to her work boots and back to her face. “Are you saying you want one of us to ask you out? Who? I’ll talk to him.”

She rolled her eyes and faced the field again. “I don’t want to go out with one of your brothers.”

“Are you sure? Because it sounded like you did.”

“I don’t.” She practically bit the words out of her mouth.

Blaine sighed and looked out at the pasture too. He didn’t want to tell her everything, but maybe he’d carried it for long enough. “I don’t date, Tam, because I don’t want to get hurt again.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I broke off my engagement with Alex, because she was cheating on me.” There. He’d said it.

“She was not.” Tam sounded horrified, and when Blaine looked at her, he found her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open. “Why would anyone do that?”

“Because she’s not a nice person?” He shrugged. “I’m over her. I am. I’m just maybe not ready to let someone new in yet.”

“I’m sorry, Blaine,” she said, linking her arm through his again and leaning her head against his shoulder. “I didn’t know.”

“Assumptions aren’t pleasant,” he said, repeating something his father had told him many times.

She nodded, and they fell into silence. Blaine had always been so comfortable with Tam, and he didn’t want to lose that. Deep down, he didn’t want her to date anyone, because if she fell in love and got married, they couldn’t be best friends anymore. He wouldn’t want his wife to be snuggled up with another man, talking about life and love and everything in between.

“I have an idea,” Tam said, and Blaine looked at her as she straightened.

“Oh, no,” he said, finding that mischievous glint in those baby blues. “I’ve seen that look before, and I almost got arrested when I went along with your idea.”

“Just hear me out,” she said, but she simply stood there and looked at him, not saying anything.

13

Tamara Lennox couldn’t believe what she was about to propose.

Bad word choice, she told herself, her voice still not working. She’d been friends with Blaine since the moment they met. They were just two peas in a pod, cut from the same cloth, and born with the same eyes.

That was what her mother said, anyway.

She’d always gotten along with him, and some of her best memories included him.

Why shouldn’t she include him when she needed him most?

“Are you going to say anything?” he asked. “Or am I supposed to guess what your idea is?” He folded his arms, and the man had some impressive muscles. He liked to lift weights in the shed where he worked, and Tam suddenly wanted to see how heavy the barbells were.

She cleared her throat. “Yes, I’m going to say something.”

“Spit it out,” he said again, looking out across the field. He seemed off, but Tam couldn’t put her finger on exactly how. She’d always been able to tell when something was bothering Blaine Chappell, and something was definitely bothering him.

“I think you should be my boyfriend,” she said, spitting it all out at once, just like ripping off a bandage.

He turned toward her, his eyes wide. He had eyes the color of coffee with a lot of cream in them, and she’d always found them beautiful. She’d seen them dance when he laughed and water when he cried. She’d seen a glint of naughtiness in them in the past, and plenty of happiness or contentment as he simply lived his life.

“Excuse me?” he asked, reaching up to press down on his cowboy hat. He never went anywhere without