“Grayson Montana Magnuson.” She shook her spoon at me. “You’ve done gone and stepped in it this time, haven’t you?”
I blinked. “Stepped in what?”
“Don’t play coy with me. I know everything.”
“You know what?” About me and Ozzie? How could she? We’d both been careful.
“Are you really going to make me say it out loud?”
Oh shit. Itwasabout Ozzie and me. “How did you find out? Did Ozzie mention it?”
“Not purposefully. How can you sleep with that boy, knowing he’s engaged to your son?”
“Well—” I scratched the back of my head, my cheeks burning. Gertie had a way of making me feel like a teenager. Maybe because she’d known me for so long. “It doesn’t just go one way, you know. We mutually consented.”
“And that makes it right to fornicate with your own blood’s boyfriend?”
“It’s not as simple as you think.”
“Maybe not, but think about what you’re doing to that boy’s poor reputation in this town. If word gets out—”
“It will eventually get out. We’re not having a fling here, Gertie. Ozzie’s special to me.”
“Special how? The sex?”
“Oh, Gertie, I won’t talk to you about that, but no, I mean special in every way. He’s a spectacular young man, and I want to be by his side and convince him how amazing he is.”
Gertie lowered the spoon. “Oh crap, I was prepared to give you a good tongue-lashing. You men always know how to be glib, so we forgive you. And that boy’s clearly smitten by you. I hope you know what you’re doing, Gray. He’s not like Carter. He can be hurt—for real.”
“I know, and I won’t do anything to hurt him.”
“Maybe not intentionally, but you know how brutal town gossip can be. You protect that boy from the brunt of it, you hear me?” She was back to waving her spoon at me.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. I like that one. I wouldn’t mind him staying, and you’ve sure seemed happy since he’s been around. Go on, then. Git.”
I chuckled at her dismissal. Just like old times, Gertie always seemed to keep me in line. At least Ozzie had someone looking out for his best interest. Someone who could vouch for us when the town learned about what we’d done.
Outside on the porch, Ozzie and Matty were talking. Good. Hopefully, they were getting along. I wanted my boys to like Ozzie and to see him the way I did. Except that would probably not be the case with Carter.
“You know why I don’t like you, Ozzie?” Oh shit. Matty’s tone was clipped and frosty. “Because you have this sweet butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-your-mouth crap going on, but you don’t fool me. You were only here one night, and you were already fooling around with someone else.”
Ozzie blinked, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard.
Do something. You promised Gertie to protect him.
But my legs wouldn’t move, and my whole body seemed to have shut down.
“You don’t understand.” Ozzie sounded on the verge of tears and stepped back as if he wanted to flee.
“What’s there to understand? You’re a whore who sleeps around on your fiancé, and my brother might be an ass, but he doesn’t deserve that.”
“Matty, enough!” His harsh words shocked me out of my stupor. Who the hell did he think he was talking to Ozzie like that? I marched toward them. “Are you okay?” I asked Ozzie and reached out for him, but he shrank back.
“You’re only defending him because you don’t know what I saw the morning after he came here. He’s not being faithful to Carter.”
“You’re way out of line, and I need you to apologize to Ozzie right now.”
