“Shit,” I mutter, sloshing coffee over the rim of my cup and awkwardly snatching up napkins to dab it up. “Maybe he won’t see us.”
“Or maybe he will.” Pushing back his chair, Dean stands. “Spencer. Hey, man.”
Oh. My. God.
“Come and sit,” he continues, pulling a chair from a nearby table and setting it across from us. “Let me buy you a cup of coffee.”
Is he really going to do this here? I haven’t even tasted my coffee yet.
“Hey,” Spencer says cautiously, and rightfully so. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”
“No? Huh. Pretty sure I told you that Tess and I are together, but then it does seem like you have a memory problem, doesn’t it?” Dean props his hands on his hips and smirks. “You know, considering she keeps asking you to back the fuck off, and you keeping getting up in her business anyway.”
Spencer’s face pales, and he stops short of the chair that’s been offered to him. “Look, man, I don’t know what she’s told you, but—”
“Listen, you little fuck face,” Dean says, getting so close to Spencer’s nose they’re undoubtedly sharing air. “This is the last goddamn time I’m going to say it. Leave her. The fuck. Alone. If I have to tell you again, they’ll be the last words you hear and the last I say before I go to fucking prison. Because I will. I don’t play games with assholes like you.”
Holy crap. And holy hot, too.
“Whoa.” Spencer holds up his hands and backs toward the door he just came through. “No need for any of that.”
“Uh-huh.” Nostrils flaring, Dean swipes a thumb across his nose. “That’s what I thought.”
The bell on the door jingles again as Spencer practically sprints out of the café. After a moment, the silence that’s fallen over the place is broken by the snort of an elderly man at the table next to us.
“You tell him, son.”
Across the room, Macy giggles, and all I can do is stare at my knight in the snug white tee as he drops back to his seat and reaches for the cream and sugar.
“So, these biscuits and gravy. They’re homemade, right?” Dean smiles, all white teeth and confidence, like he didn’t just threaten great bodily harm to my nemesis.
And I… well, I fall a little in love.
* * *
DEAN
Tessa wasn’t lying. The view of the Rockies from this foothill is damn near perfect. And I can’t imagine spending the afternoon up here with anyone but her.
“I could come up here and sit every day if I had the time,” she says, leaning back on her palms to take in the unobstructed view of the majestic, dark gray ridges extending toward the sky like old, weathered hands.
“You know there’s a spot like this north of the Magnolia Blue, right? It’s actually on ranch property.”
“No way! You should take me sometime.”
“Maybe.” Shrugging, I take a swig of water.
“Maybe?” she scoffs playfully. “You can’t tease me with something like that and not show me.”
“I’d be happy to, but what would your brothers think?” I’ve pushed my luck about as far as I can with her, and if I push any more, I’m just asking to get my lip split or my nose broken. Probably both.
“Maybe we should talk to them,” Tessa says.
I damn near choke at her suggestion.
“What? Is the idea of telling people we’re seeing each other that appalling? Or is this something else?” She frowns, gesturing between us with her hand.
My gut clenches at her uncertainty. “We’re seeing each other, babe. And there’s nothing appalling about it.” It’s the best damn thing I’ve done in a long time, but how the hell am I going to convince her brothers that I won’t hurt her when I haven’t even convinced myself of that?
