So she wasn’t his friend Allie, or his neighbor Allie. Heaven forbid that she might be his girlfriend Allie. Hell, no! She was the woman who was redoing his house. Lizzy had been right all along. She didn’t have enough sense to know not to wade right into hell.
Toby kissed Irene’s hand, shook hands with Katy and with Allie, and said, “I’m right pleased to make your acquaintance, ladies.”
Irene’s eyes started at Toby’s toes and traveled slowly up his long legs to his zipper, hesitated a brief second, and went on up to the top of his head. “Are you kin to Blake?”
“Yes, ma’am. He’s my brother, and I’ll be moving into the house with him in a couple of months,” Toby answered.
“Who are them cheap barroom Rosies in the kitchen?” she asked.
“Just a couple of women who followed me and Deke home last night,” Toby said.
“Like a couple of dogs in heat, I suppose,” Irene said.
Toby chuckled. “Don’t let them hear you say that.”
“I’ll say whatever the hell I want. Truth is truth, don’t matter if you pour chocolate syrup or cover it up with fresh cow shit, it’s still the truth.”
“Lord, help us all,” Katy moaned. “Allie, you’ll have to stay home with her today. You know how she gets after she runs off and comes over here. I can’t manage her at the store, and Lizzy sure can’t keep an eye on her on a Saturday at the feed store. That’s her busiest day.”
“I thought she was with you at the store. Lizzy said you’d taken her,” Allie said.
Katy shook her head. “I did but she stole my car keys, slipped out the back door, went home and obviously changed her clothes, and here she is. I had to get Nadine to loan me her van to come get her. The car is parked at home. You can come get me at five.”
“I’ll be there,” Allie nodded. “Go on back to the store. I’ll take her home and get her warmed up.”
“We need to talk,” Blake whispered.
“Nothing to talk about.” Allie took off her work boots and slipped her feet back down into the rubber boots.
“Later.”
“Probably not,” she said.
He pulled a heavy jacket from the rack and held it out to her. “I tell you, it’s not what it looked like. Take my coat. You can’t go out there without something to keep you warm. That rain is cold.”
She shook her head. “I come from sturdy stock. I’m not sugar or salt, so I don’t melt in cold rain. See you in church tomorrow.”
“And you and your brother are welcome to come home with us for lunch,” Katy said as she escorted Irene out onto the porch. “I won’t take no for an answer.”
“We’d love to have Sunday dinner with y’all,” Toby said.
“Tell Deke, too,” Katy threw over her shoulder.
“You sure you want to do that?” Allie asked Blake.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world, would we, Toby?” Blake said. He turned to his brother. “Now can you please get rid of yours and Deke’s women so we can take a drive around the ranch? It might be sleeting, but you can still see what I’ve gotten done around here.” Blake talked to Toby but most of it was for Allie’s ears.
“Lookin’ forward to it, ma’am.” Toby nodded toward Allie.
Blake laid a hand on her shoulder. “I did not…” he started.
She shrugged it off.
“I don’t care.” She closed the door behind her.
Chapter Twenty
Is that the woman that’s got your heart in a twist?” Toby asked.
“What makes you think that?” Blake asked.
“You’ve got that look in your eyes.”
Blake shrugged.
A lot of good it would do him if he did fall in love with Allie. She’d declared that she didn’t care. Just when he was contemplating hanging up his wild ways and entering into a serious relationship with a decent woman, she said that she didn’t care. Blake Dawson, the player, had been played.
“What’s on your mind, big brother?” Toby asked. “What happened in that bedroom?”
Blake shook his head. “I’m not totally sure, but I believe the tables got turned on me and it’s one strange feeling. I don’t want to talk about it right now. We don’t have time for women.”
“Except for Laneys and Lisas, right?”
“Not even for that if we’re going to get this place in shape in four years like we said we’d do,” Blake said.
Toby headed for the kitchen. “Man, I’m not goin’ celibate for four years, not for this ranch, not for you, and not even for God. And you ain’t, either, because when you go a month without a woman you get cranky as hell.”
“Who’s goin’ a month without a woman?” Lisa asked. “We’ve been poutin’ because y’all weren’t here to share this breakfast with us and now it’s time for us to go. We’ve both got appointments at eleven in Wichita Falls and the roads are probably getting icy. But don’t pout, darlin’s, we’ll be in touch. You can’t get rid of us. We know where you live.”
Laney wrapped her arms around Blake’s neck and laid her head on his chest. “Next time, darlin’, I’ll prove that lust can get rid of that love bug faster than hittin’ delete on the computer. You boys stay ready and maybe we’ll see you at the bar in a couple of weeks.”
Lisa tiptoed and kissed Toby on the cheek. “It was fun. It was real. It was real fun, but next time, talk your brother into joining us.”