Well, that explained the flowers.
“She and your Gran don’t get along?” I asked.
Gray shook his head. “Macy wants peace in the family. Gran can hold a grudge. Dad being firstborn son meant he inherited the land. Me being his only son meant I inherited it. When Dad died, her boys wanted their slice and didn’t mind letting that be known. They didn’t shut up about it, Gran lost her mind. They’d been marrying, divorcing, carousing and brawling for years, none of this she liked and all of it, dollface, they still do. So when Dad died and they made their play, got slapped back and wouldn’t let it go, she was done. She hasn’t seen any of them in years except when she can’t avoid them if she’s in town and then she ignores them.”
This concerned me.
“Are they still wanting their slice?”
He shook his head again. “They gave up. None of ‘em are bad seeds, they just got a lotta stupid in ‘em. Woke up, paid attention, saw they had a nephew who lost his Dad, a Mom who lost her son at the same time she lost her legs, they lost their brother and they got their heads outta their asses. All of ‘em, in their way, none of those ways good but still, they did it, extended an olive branch. It was too late. Gran was done.”
I felt my face get soft when I whispered, “That’s kind of sad.”
“Yeah,” he replied quietly. “It is. But Codys have owned this land for six generations, Ivey, and it’s always been that way. Tradition. Firstborn son to firstborn son. Over the years, the others lived on the land and worked it. My uncles never did. They turned eighteen, took off and wreaked havoc elsewhere. Gran wasn’t a big fan of that either. But for six generations, it’s been the same. Started as ranchers and horse breeders, Granddad sold off the livestock and put in the orchard,” he grinned again, “looks better, smells better and a lot less hassle. But we’ve always had the horses. The town of Mustang is called Mustang because my great, great grandfather refused to have the town named Cody after him but he captured, broke and bred mustangs so they named it that instead.”
I blinked in shock at learning this information. Then I stared.
Gray kept talking.
“So, seein’ as the Codys were the first to settle in these parts and the town grew up around them and their ranch, tradition is kind of important.”
“The town of Mustang is named Mustang because your family captured, tamed and bred mustangs?” I asked on a breath.
“Yep.”
“The town of Mustang is named Mustang because your family captured, tamed and bred Mustangs?” I repeated like he didn’t answer.
He smiled big and repeated his answer of, “Yep.”
“So, you’re like Mustang royalty.”
His smile got bigger and his beautiful body shook when he again repeated, “Yep.”
“Wow,” I whispered.
His smile grew wide and white and his body shook more as did his voice when he remarked, “You’re lyin’ in the king of Mustang’s bed, wearin’ his shirt after he took your virginity, dollface. Now, aren’t you lucky?”
I kept my eyes glued to his and I knew he was joking but my answer was deadly serious when I said, “Yep.”
He heard it and his smile faded. Then he grabbed the plate, reached across me, dumped it on the bed behind me then his arms were around me, hauling me up his body.
Then he was kissing me.
He tasted of apples and Gray.
It was delicious.
His hand went up his shirt then down in my panties and I had about three seconds of thinking how much I liked his hand in my panties before we heard a knock on the door.
My head came up and both of our gazes turned to the opened door of his bedroom.
Then Gray muttered an annoyed, “Fucking hell, I get a day with my girl in my house all alone and someone’s at the goddamned door.”
He didn’t move. Lying mostly on top of him, I didn’t either.
Another knock came, this one louder.
“Is your plan to ignore it?” I whispered like whoever was out there might hear me if I didn’t.
“If that’s possible,” Gray replied not in a whisper.
We stayed locked together and silent, our eyes to his bedroom door.
Another knock came, even louder and the caller knocked for longer.
“Shit,” he clipped, rolled me to my back then let me go and rolled out of bed.
Guess it wasn’t possible to ignore it.
He tagged a random, dirty, long-sleeved tee from the floor and tugged it over his head.
He was still pulling it down his chest when his eyes came to me and he ordered, “Don’t move. I’ll be back.”
“I’ll be here.”
His eyes held mine then they moved down the length of me, they heated and then my cheeks heated.
Another knock came at the door.
“Shit,” he bit out, turned on his foot and stalked out the door.
I pulled myself up, rearranged the pillows so they were behind my back and then bent down to grab the plate.
It was on my thighs and I was munching, still careful of the crumbs no matter what Gray said, when I heard it.
“I do not deal with you, motherfucker, I deal with my sister!”
My body locked.
Casey.
Why on earth was he shouting and what was he doing here?
And how did he even know where Gray lived?
I hadn’t seen him since he took off from the diner. Neither of us had cells, we couldn’t afford them. But he knew where I worked and told me he’d pop by. He didn’t and I got so busy with work, Gray and happily living a normal life, I had to admit, I didn’t really think about it.
In fact, truth be told (guilty truth), I was kind of enjoying the break.
Now he was here and shouting.
Then he shouted more.
“Stand aside, goddamn it, and let me see my sister!”
I put the plate on the bed, rolled out quickly and hustled on a jog-run out of the room, down the hall then halfway down the stairs.
It was only halfway because I saw Gray standing, blocking Casey at the front door but Casey caught the movement on the stairs, his eyes came to me and the minute he saw me his face twisted in fury so ugly, I froze on a step.
“She’s wearin’ nothin’ but your shirt,” he whispered, his eyes sliding to Gray.
Gray’s head turned and his eyes came to me.
“My sister is wearin’ nothin’ but your shirt,” Casey semi-repeated and Gray’s head started to turn back to Casey but not fast enough.
I sucked in breath then cried out, “Casey, no!” as Gray’s moment of inattention put him off-guard giving Casey the opportunity to get the drop on him and he did. Casey dipped a shoulder and lunged. Catching Gray in his chest, he powered him back five steps.