She rolls her eyes. “What do you need? Permission? You have it. Go and have fun this weekend. Cut loose. Live it up. Heck, find some hot young thing on vacation and bring her back to your room. Just don’t get her pregnant.” She points a stern finger at me.
“Don’t worry that pretty head of yours, Al.” I laugh. “I’ll be too busy doing family shit for that kind of fun.” Unless the bride has cute cousins or something, but I’m not holding my breath.
“Oh, there’s my suitcase.” Alana rushes forward to grab her luggage before the carousel carries it away.
Movement in my peripheral catches my attention—and the blood in my veins hums with recognition at the sight of the thick dark hair and lush hips that accompany it.
Tessa McMurray.
Or so my dick thinks, anyway. Her back is turned so I can’t see her face, but goddamn that ass. It’s hard to forget a backside like that when it’s all I’ve thought about for months.
“Earth to Dean.” Alana waves her hand in front of my face and nudges my arm with the handle of my suitcase, which she apparently retrieved for me.
“Oh shit. Thanks.” I search for the curvy brunette, greedy for another eyeful, but she’s gone. Lost in the crowd. “Hey, Tessa isn’t coming this weekend, is she?”
Alana frowns. “Not that I know of. Why?”
Well, damn. “Just wondering. Kaden said something about her wanting to catch a show.” That’s a damn lie, because her brother wouldn’t be caught dead talking to me about her, but thankfully Alana buys it.
“Ah. Well, if she is, she hasn’t told me. I’d text her and find out for sure, but I have a feeling her brothers wouldn’t want me to share that information with you.”
Nope, and for good reason. Every time she comes to mind, I tell myself I’d never touch her because I respect Holden and Kaden too much, but that’s bullshit. I spent a few platonic hours with her when she was at the ranch over the holidays, but the thoughts I’ve had about her since have been far from friendly.
“Anyway, let’s grab a cab so we can get to the hotel and I can clean up. I’m dying to surprise Holden.” She tips her head toward the exit, where the stream of cabs, Ubers, and hotel shuttles never seems to stop.
“All right, antsy pants, but I’m telling you right now—if we end up with rooms next to each other, and you two keep me up all damn night, I’m gonna return the favor.”
She snorts and leads the way toward the bank of glass doors. “For your sake, I hope you do.”
For my sake, I wish I could. But I don’t operate like that. At least not with random women.
The sliding glass doors part, but I stop short whenthe hair on the back of my neck rises. I turn quickly and scan the baggage claim, but the travelers are going about their business and gathering their bags, and not a one of them is the breathtaking brunette with pretty brown eyes I hoped were trained on me.
Friggin’ moron. You leave Montana for the first time in years, and you start imagining things.
“Come on, Dean,” Alana calls.
I shake off the odd feelingandthe disappointment.First order of business: get to the hotel. Second order: find myself a strong drink. Because running into my boss’s baby sister in Vegas is the last damn thing I need to be hoping for.
chapter 2
TESSA
“Tessa. Tes-sa!” Macy snaps her fingers in front of my face.
I blink out of my trance in the middle of Harry Reid International Airport.”I’m sorry. What did you say?”
“I found my bag.” She lifts her suitcase and gives me a reluctant smile. “You feeling okay? You look a little pale.”
“Uh, yeah. Just foggy from the flight.” And 99 percent sure I just saw my brother Holden’s fiancée headed toward the taxi stand with another man.
And not just any man, but the Magnolia Blue Ranch’s foreman, Dean Langston.
Holden is in Vegas this weekend for the ABR event, so I’m not worried about seeing Alana and Deantogether. I’m just shocked to see the tall, gorgeous drink of water off the ranch, let alone the state of Montana.
“Bella, Holly, and Britt are already checked in, and apparently Bella’s freaking out that T.J. is going to get drunk with the guys and miss the rehearsal,” Macy says, her attention on her phone on the way to the taxi stand.
“Good lord. I love that girl, but Bells is turning into a bridezilla.” Sure, T.J.’s groomsmen are a little rough around the edges—the type that will enjoy Vegas to the fullest—but this shouldn’t be news to Bella at this point in their relationship. “Maybe we should takeherout for drinks and loosen her up a bit.”
