All Jacked Up (Rough Riders #8)(46)

Jack zipped his pants. “You never got caught?”


“No. But I caught them plenty of times and that wasn’t any less awkward.”


“Carson and Carolyn doing the nasty? I’m shocked.”


“Let’s just say I had no clue what a ball gag was until one weekend I came home from college for a surprise visit, and I saw one in my mother’s mouth and my father had her tied to a dining room chair.”


“Really? Maybe your dad can share tips about which brand is better, since I’ve often wanted to gag you.”


“Jack Donohue, don’t you dare bring it up! I swear to God, if you—”


He smashed his mouth to hers, cutting off her protest. But his kisses didn’t placate her. She pulled back and glared at him. “I’m not kiddin’.”


“Relax, cowgirl. I’ll behave. But I sure am hoping we’re sitting in the dining room.”


Carolyn McKay slanted them both a knowing look and blithely offered them a slice of peach pie.


Carson McKay’s glare could’ve set Jack’s hair on fire. But his grin for Keely was genuine adoration.


Mr. Tough Rancher was absolutely whipped for his daughter. Whipped.


Jack was beginning to understand the feeling.


“I see you cleaned up the barn again, girlie. Thanks. You and Rosa have a good ride?”


Keely wiped her mouth. “It was a great ride. We must’ve been gone three hours. I thought after all the party preparations and being around family yesterday you’d do something just the two of you?”


“Who’s to say we didn’t?” Carolyn winked. She addressed Jack. “Did your mother and Justin get off all right?”


“Yes. We had brunch before they started home. My mother was upset she’d ended up with your cake server. She made me promise I’d hand deliver it to you.”


“Which is why it ended up on the floor in the living room…how?”


Keely wouldn’t look at him, the coward.


Jack smiled at Carolyn. “An oversight. I got busy doing something else and must’ve dropped it.”


Carson harrumphed but didn’t demand details.


“So what’s next for you two lovebirds this week?” Carolyn asked.


“Tomorrow we find out if Jack got approval on the remodel plans from historical committee. Then he’ll do his thing and I’ll do mine. I’m working at the clinic Tuesday through Friday.”


He frowned at Keely. “Not Friday. We’re flying to Milford early Friday morning. Technically we’re landing in Salt Lake City and then making the two hour drive to Milford.”


“That’s this week?”


“I told you about it last week.”


“When?” she demanded. “We had a fight before you left. You were gone right up until the party started last night and when we got home—”


“We didn’t do a whole lot of talking, did we?” he murmured, ignoring Carson’s low snarl.


“Dammit, Jack, that’s not funny. You said we were going to Milford at some point, but you never said when.”


“Well, buttercup, it is this weekend. Friday night they’re having a dinner for us. Saturday I’ll do one last run through before giving them my final set of suggested updates. There’s another dinner on Saturday night. However, I am hoping we can sneak out of town Sunday morning before they drag us to church.”


“I can’t believe this is the first I’ve heard of it.”


Jack warned her, “You’ve known about this ‘commitment’ from the very start, Keely.”


“Don’t sound to me like Keely’s too keen on goin’,” Carson mused.


“Doesn’t matter. She is going.”


Keely sighed. “I’m not gonna have to wear a long dress and some kind of freaky head covering, am I?”



Carson laid his hand over Keely’s. “Darlin’ girl, if you ain’t comfortable goin’, then don’t go. Just


’cause you’re engaged to him don’t mean you gotta do everything he says.”


What the f*ck? Jack couldn’t believe Carson was encouraging his daughter to blatantly oppose him.


He was her fiancé for Christsake. Keely had better realize early on that their relationship took precedence over every other relationship in her life.


What relationship? This engagement isn’t real, remember?


Ah hell. With the intensity of the last twenty-four hours, somehow Jack had forgotten that.


Keely squeezed her father’s hand. “It’s okay. I want to go with Jack. This is a big potential client and he’s talked about everything so much I’m looking forward to it. It’s just…the timing caught me off guard.”


Keely smirked at Jack. “My man and I tend to fight first before we figure things out.”


“Sounds like someone else I know,” Carolyn muttered.


Carson’s lips twitched.


“Anyway, I’ll reschedule my Friday clients. No big deal. Daddy, can you ride Rosa for me this week?