Bad News Cowboy

“I can absolutely eat a whole pie. And will.”

“Better idea. Only you and me know about the pie. Save it, and I’ll come back to your place with you.”

Kate blinked rapidly. “No.”

“What?”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to come to my house. I mean, I think we need to share it.”

He wasn’t sure why it was so difficult to find a topic that didn’t make her mad or...weird. Jack never had problems talking to women. Women liked him. He liked women. The exception seemed to be Kate. And seeing as he’d known her the better part of her life, he couldn’t fathom why. Usually, their banter was pretty good-natured. Lately, he wasn’t sure that was the case.

“Your total is one ninety. That includes shipping,” she said, the change in topic abrupt.

“Great. When do you expect it to be here?”

“Should only take two days.”

“Even better.” He reached into his back pocket, took out his wallet and handed Kate his debit card. “I might actually swing by the bakery and pick up another pie on my way home.”

“Yeah, I wish there was more I could do to help. For now, all I can think of is increasing my pie consumption. Which I’m not opposed to. But there has to be more that can be done.”

Ideas started turning over in Jack’s head. His brain was never still. Not unless he was on the back of a bull intent on shaking him loose. Or riding his horse so hard and fast all he could hear was the pounding of hooves on the ground. In those moments he had what he imagined was tranquility. Outside that, it never happened.

“If I think of anything, I’ll let you know,” he said. He was already determined that he would think of something.

The printer whirred, spitting out a receipt that Kate tore off and handed to him. “You’re all set. Someone will give you a call when it’s in.”

“Great.” And then, for no other reason than that he was curious whether or not he could make her cheeks pink again, he tipped his hat, nodded his head and treated her to his patented Monaghan smile. “See you later, Katie.”

He didn’t get a blush. He didn’t even get a return smile. Instead he got a very emphatic middle finger.

Jack laughed and walked out of the store.

CHAPTER TWO (#ulink_c693ca7c-e5a9-5ed1-b696-00e6d9d55479)

“I COME BEARING FISH! And chips. Well, French fries. But you knew that.” Kate pushed her way through the front door of Connor’s house holding two large white takeout containers. One held the fried fish fillets, and the other the fried potatoes.

“I’m starving.” Kate rounded the corner and saw her sister-in-law, Liss, standing in the center of the dining area with her hand on her rounded stomach.

“You’re eating for two,” Kate said. “Or so I’ve heard.”

Liss screwed up her face. “That would make sense. If I knew I was gestating a ravenous wolverine rather than a human child.”

Kate laughed and walked over to the table and set the cartons down. The only other thing on the scarred wooden surface was the big green Oregon Ducks ice bucket her brother put his beer in. Well, beer and soda now, since Liss was pregnant and Connor barely drank anymore.

“Although, if it isn’t a wolverine, it just means that I lack restraint.” Liss groaned. “I can’t pass Rona’s without going in for a milkshake. And I can’t pass The Grind without getting an onion cheese bagel. I’m a cliché without the pickles.”

Connor leaned in and kissed his wife on the cheek. “You’re having a baby. You can be a cliché if you damn well please.”

Kate’s heart squeezed tight as she watched the exchange between Connor and Liss. Connor’s first wife, Jessie, had been an influential figure in Kate’s life. The two had gotten married when Kate was only nine, and seeing as she didn’t have a mother, Jessie was as close as she’d gotten to a female influence.

Jessie’s loss had been devastating for everyone. Though she knew it had been the worst for Connor. Considering that, him falling for and marrying Liss was only good in Kate’s eyes. And Liss had always been a fixture around their house, seeing as she’d been best friends with Connor since they were in high school.

Having her as a sister was a bonus that Kate quite enjoyed.

“Ugh. Can I be a cliché eating French fries?” she asked, sitting down at the table and digging a Coke out of the ice bucket.

“I’ll get you a plate.” Connor turned and walked back into the kitchen just as they heard a pounding on the door.

“Who even knocks?” Liss mused.

She had a point. Jack, Eli and Sadie never knocked. “I’ll go see.” Kate walked back out to the entryway and jerked the front door open, freezing when she saw Jack standing there holding a stack of four pastry boxes. Her heart did that weird thing it did sometimes when she was caught off guard by Jack. That thing where it dramatically threw itself at her breastbone and knocked against it with the force of a punch. “Were you kicking the door?”

“I couldn’t open it. Not without setting all of these down.”

Kate looked up, studying his expression. He was so very tall. And he always made her feel...little. Sure, Connor and Eli were tall, too, but they didn’t fill up space the way Jack did. He was in every corner of every room he inhabited. From the spicy aftershave he wore to his laugh, low and rough like thunder, rumbling beneath every conversation.

Kate stepped to the side and held the door. “What do you have?”

“Pies. From Alison’s.”

“Four pies?”

He sighed heavily and walked past her into the dining room. She shut the door and followed after him. “Yes.” He placed the boxes on the table next to the fish and chips. “Four pies.”

Liss’s eyes widened. “What kind?”

“I’m not sure. I just bought pies.”

There was something about all of this that made her feel weird. A little bit weak, a little bit shaky. He’d done this for Alison, which was...touching. Definitely touching. And nice. Beyond nice of him. And a little bit curious. Because he was Jack, and he had a tendency to be kind of a self-centered asshole. So when he did things for other people, it was notable.

And strange.

And it made her throat a little bit dry. And her face a little bit hot.

“Is that going to be your solution for her?” Kate asked. “Going on a four-pie-a-day diet?”

“Obviously not,” he said, sitting down at the table and snagging a beer out of the bucket.

“What solution are we talking about?” Liss asked, crunching on a French fry.

Connor returned then, setting a plate in front of Liss before setting places in front of the rest of the chairs, then taking his seat next to his wife. “Hey, Jack,” he said.

“Hey,” Jack replied, putting a handful of French fries on his plate.

“I brought fish,” Kate said. “It’s healthy. And you people are eating French fries.”

“Don’t worry, Kate,” Jack said. “We’ll get around to eating your healthy battered fried fish in a minute.”