Love, Diamonds, and Spades (Cactus Creek #2)(2)

“Rylan William Grey! You haven’t heard a word I’ve said for the past minute,” huffed Dani in a voice that said she was more curious than peeved.

Rylan grunted in annoyance at her poking him with the middle-name stick. Again. Or rather, still. A few months ago, Dani had somehow managed to get his folks to reveal his middle name, complete with the details of his mom’s harmless but utterly shameless Willie Nelson crush, and his dad’s suspiciously beer-scented anecdote of how she’d even tried to grow Rylan’s hair long enough for a red bandana and Willie braids back when he was in elementary school. Minutes later, an unearthed first grade Halloween photo Rylan distinctively remembered torching attested to his mom’s success on that particular venture. Needless to say, that was the last time he allowed Dani to bring one of her pub kegs to a Grey family cookout.

Damn woman had been retelling the story ever since—with a copy of the photo—all over Cactus Creek. Yes, even once on this very rooftop stage. After a particularly killer set he and the guys had just finished, no less.

The collective ‘awww’ from all the familiar female fans who regularly came to Ocotillos to see him play on the weekends hadn’t made him want to throttle Dani any less.

Being reminded of the incident had him now intentionally ignoring Dani. Which of course prompted her to start merrily humming a Willie Nelson tune and casually twining her ponytail into a braid…until Rylan picked her up by the waist with one arm to hold her prisoner while he tickled her ribs mercilessly. Her laughing, screeching demands for him to put her down fell on deaf ears. And he probably would’ve kept right on tickling her until she cried uncle too, if not for the killing look being shot his way from the other side of the dance floor.

Interesting.

For a man supposedly here for a ‘business meeting’ with Dani, the town’s new chocolatier…Luke-something if memory served, sure did look like he wanted to punch Rylan something fierce.

Rylan let up on the tickle torture. Not because he was worried; he wasn’t. Luke definitely looked like a guy who could hold his own in a fight, but Rylan came from a long line of Greys—the scrawniest of them being his youngest cousin, a six-foot-two NFL linebacker. Even without the daily workout Rylan got from his day job, genetics alone was responsible for most folks thinking he was a big, mean bouncer.

“I think your new neighbor has the hots for you, babe,” Rylan mused, finding the whole situation immensely more fascinating when Dani turned bright red. “You’re into him, too. I’ll be damned. When the hell did this all happen? Does Xoey know?” Generally, Dani’s best friend Xoey knew all the biggest town gossip before everyone else. And this was unquestionably big news. “That seems like something she would’ve told me. Something you should’ve told me.” He gave her a stern look before lifting a teasing eyebrow. “Should I alert the media?”

“It’s complicated,” Dani hissed, going a little slap happy on his shoulder to shut his laughing ass up. “And of course Xoey knows. Sort of. She’s the one who instigated it the other night down in the pub.”

“Really? Out-meddled on your own turf?” Rylan chuckled again but stopped from ribbing her any more than that, not wanting to inadvertently give her another reason to talk herself out of dating again. He and only a handful of folks knew the reasons behind the shadows that would cloud her mood at times; and they all agreed it was high time she moved on with her life.

“I think it’s great,” he said softly, sliding over to a new topic when he saw a few cloudy memories dimming her expression. “Okay, I’m heading out. The new sound equipment is terrific, by the way. Everything is all set for tomorrow night.” Ruffling her hair affectionately, he added, “Try not to assault anyone at this meeting of yours, will you? The guys missed you over the holidays, so if you end up in jail, they’ll probably ditch me up here and start a fight downstairs just to go hang out with you.”

“While you’d let me rot behind bars, no doubt,” she wagered, all smiles at the mention of his three bandmates.

“Can’t have a vicious, hardened criminal like you out and about.” He grinned and dropped a peck on her cheek.

Amidst the quick goodbyes that followed, Rylan couldn’t help but notice that Luke was trying to again murder him dead on the spot with another pissed-off glare.

Which wasn’t half as interesting as the equally hostile, but very different caliber side glance being shot his way by a pair of magnificent sapphire blue eyes.

Well, now.

Luke’s unnecessary reaction over the innocent kiss Rylan had planted on Dani’s cheek was inconsequential. Dani would nip that nonsense in the bud soon enough. They were friends, nothing more.

The other, far prettier jealous reaction from Luke’s companion, however, was what had Rylan deciding to stay and hang out for a bit.

Okay, okay, maybe that wasn’t the only reason.

With Dani looking ready to go to battle with the pair over what was starting to look like a little neighborly feud that could rival Cactus Creek’s legendary ice cream and frozen yogurt showdown of three years back—biggest town betting pool to date—Rylan figured a witness was likely important for any possible police reports that followed. Seeing a few other Ocotillos workers and townfolk nosily starting to gather around as well—assuredly for the same civic duties he was staying for—Rylan headed over to grab a ringside seat a few tables over.