While It Lasts (Sea Breeze #3)(12)

Snapping my head up from its resting place against the tree, I took in the first real sight of Eva I’d had since the night at the lake. Her long brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She was wearing a short white cotton sundress and a pair of flip—flops. She was also trying really hard to look stern. She wasn’t upset with me. She was just being nosy. I liked that.

“Good morning to you too Eva,” I replied, unable to keep from smiling.

She tilted her head to one side and continued to force that frown. I’d seen the real thing. This was not the real “angry Eva” face. “Becca Lynn hasn’t come around in two days. That isn’t normal. Especially since she was so hot after you. So, what did you do to her?”

“I believe it’s what I didn’t do to her.” I took a slow swig of my water but I didn’t take my eyes off her as she let my words sink in.

Shifting her feet she put her hands on her hips. “What does that mean?”

“It means exactly what it sounds like. I didn’t do her. I’m guessing that’s the problem.”

Eva’s fake scowl disappeared and she was frowning. “But I saw you both naked at the…” she trailed off and her eyes grew wider. Two pink splotches covered her cheeks. Eva Brooks had come back to the lake the other night. She’d seen me naked. Yeah, I was going to have to spend a lot of f*cking time in the shower now. The image of her sneaking around to see me naked was just hot.

“Did Eva Brooks come back to the lake and get an eyeful?” I teased.

I was sure she’d spin around and run off but she didn’t.

“I didn’t mean to see anything. I was coming back to talk to you about… I was just…” she couldn’t say it. I needed her to finish that thought. She was coming to talk to me? Why?

“I was pretty sure you were ready to run me over with your truck that night.

Why would you have come back to talk to me?”

Eva twisted her hands nervously. I’d never seen her act nervous before. “It’s about Jeremy and me,” she began. I waited hoping she was going to shed some light on their screwed—up relationship.

A movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. Grabbing Eva’s shoulders, I shoved her behind me and faced down the big ass cows standing a few feet away from us. They were out of the fence. How the f*ck had they got out of the fence?

“What are you doing?” Eva squealed slapping at my back as I pinned her against the tree with my body. I wasn’t much of a barrier between her and the cows but at the moment this was the best idea I had.

“Stop hitting me!” I demanded. “And tell me how the hell I get these big ass motherf*ckers back in the gate.”

Eva stopped slapping me only to shove me hard. “Oh for crying out—loud, Cage. They aren’t going to charge us.” She pushed her way out from behind me and shot me an amused smirk. “They aren’t bulls.”

Who the f*ck cared if they were bulls are not? They were freaking huge.

Eva walked toward them without an ounce of fear and began hollering at them to go on. She stomped her feet causing them to back up and then they slowly began to move toward the fence that had been left open. She glanced back at me over her shoulder and rolled her eyes, “They’re ferocious beasts aren’t they?”

I was torn between feeling like an idiot and laughing at how damn cute she looked herding cattle.

Once she had the last one back in the fence she closed it and put the lock in place. “Might help if you lock them up next time,” she chirped in a playful tone.

“You’re enjoying this just a little too much,” I replied.

She shrugged her shoulders and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I gotta admit your gallantry at attempting to save me from the big bad mean cows was noble in a moronic sort of way.”

“Moronic, huh?” I liked seeing her playful and amused. So far, all I’d seen was the uptight version of Eva Brooks.

“You can’t be a very good cowhand if you’re scared of the cows.”

I let out a sigh, “Well, damn there went my future plans.”

What looked like the tugging’s of a smile played on her lips but vanished just as quickly. The playful glint in her eyes disappeared as well. What had I done to put her back in a bad mood? I liked the Eva I’d just gotten a glimpse of, not this sad snarky one that had reappeared.

“We’re not engaged. Jeremy and I are friends. Very good friends.”

Confused, I dropped my eyes to the ring on her left hand just to make sure I hadn’t imagined seeing it. The diamond was still there professing to the world that she was an engaged woman. Who the hell was she engaged to? The only guy I’d seen her with was Jeremy.

“You wear that ring for fun?” I asked jokingly in hopes of getting the fun Eva back but instead her face fell.

“No. I don’t wear it for fun. I’m not engaged to Jeremy. I’m engaged to his brother.”



Eva



I’m engaged to his brother? Why had I said it like I was still engaged to Josh? He was going to find out the truth. I’d darted away so fast that he couldn’t ask me any more questions but he would ask someone. Not that I thought he was really curious about me but because he was confused. I didn’t want him curious about Josh. I didn’t want him to know about everything that had happened.