Cowgirl Up and Ride (Rough Riders #3)(40)

“Ah, yeah, why?”


“Your cheeks are red.”


“Oh. Don’t you think it’s hot in here?”


“Not particularly. Feels good. Always a bit cold in the front room.”


“You want me to adjust the air conditioner?”


“No. It’s fine, I’m used to it with the way the heating system in this house has never worked the way it’s supposed to. Stop fussing. Get some fresh air. Work with Lucy for a few hours.”


“I’m not gonna ditch you to hang with my horse, geez. I’m taking care of you, remember? I’ll deal with Lucy when you wake up.” AJ helped her mom back into bed.


She stirred up a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies. While they were baking, she sat on the back porch and called Keely.


“So?” Keely answered. “Did you do the deed?”


“Yep.”


She squealed. “And?”


“Oh. My. God. Why didn’t you tell me it’d be like that? He was everything, so amazingly perfect, romantic, hot, sexy. Sweet. Intense. God is he intense.”


“Okay, I don’t want down and dirty details, because, eww, he’s my brother, but he treated you right?”


“Unbelievably right. A couple of times.”


“Too much information, AJ. So now that your cherry’s been popped by your dream man, you’ll be moving on?”


“Literally moving on.”


“Why? What did he do?”


“It’s not what you think—”


“I’ll come back there and kick Cord’s ass if he pulled that typical McKay love ’em and leave ’em bullshit—”


“No, calm down. It doesn’t have anything to do with Cord.”


“Then what?”


AJ told Keely about her mom deciding to sell the ranch and found herself sobbing out the fears and frustrations she couldn’t tell anyone else.


“Come on, AJ. Dad and my brothers will take good care of it, just as good as you did all those years no one knew about you being the youngest ranch hand in the county. You can stay with us whenever you wanna visit, so it’s not like it’ll be in the hands of total strangers who’re putting up a gate and keeping you out forever.”


“But when we leave Denver for Christmas, I won’t be coming back here. You will be. Where will I go?”


Keely was quiet. “I’m having a blast living in Denver, but I know I can always go home. There’s never been any doubt I’ll move back to Wyoming as soon as I’m done with school. And I can’t imagine that I won’t be able to hop on a four-wheeler or a horse and high-tail it over to your place whenever I want.”


“You’re supposed to be cheering me up, Keely.”


“Sorry. Back to my favorite topic: sex. So you officially seeing Cord now?”


“In secret. We won’t be two stepping at the Golden Boot. Or eating supper at the Twin Pines.”


“Probably for the best. You’ll get to live out your sexual fantasies with a wild McKay man and no one will be the wiser. Not that you’ll have to worry about your reputation in Crook County because you won’t be livin’ there much longer.”


“True. Tell me about your date with Lex the other night.”


“I’m afraid he’s a serial killer. No. Don’t laugh, I’m serious.” Keely regaled her with another dating horror story. “That’s the last time I date a guy who’s not a cowboy. Next time I say yes to some doofus in a three piece suit, remind me about Lex, the letch.”