“Yeah, Caleb,” Spencer said. “It’s a dog show, not a beauty contest. We care about a lot more than…”

The than, in this instance, was a vague wave of Spencer’s hand in her direction. Ruby interpreted it as she was sure it was intended—which was to say, the total summation of her exterior parts, everything she was and, in the eyes of the world, all she’d ever be.

The last of her self-restraint, never her greatest asset in the first place, gave way. Okay, so she might not have done much with her life yet, but this old dog had a few tricks left in her.

“For your information, beauty pageants are about a lot more than this.” She made a similar gesture over herself. “They’re hard work, incredibly competitive, and neither of you would last five minutes on one of those stages. It takes more stamina and drive than you can imagine—years of training, rigorous travel schedules, tens of thousands of dollars, and that’s just at the amateur level. The women who compete professionally would crush you—literally. If they didn’t tear you to pieces verbally within five minutes, they could put you between their rock-hard thighs and squeeze until you begged for release.”

Spencer’s mouth fell slightly open, but she wasn’t done yet. It was one thing for Caleb to look at her and assume she was a piece of meat to be picked up; it was quite another for Spencer to look at her and assume she was a piece of meat to be picked apart. Both brothers were deeply, categorically wrong, but only one of them was insulting the very essence of her being.

“Now. In case either of you has forgotten, I’m here as a paying client.” She nodded at Caleb. “I have a dog in need of training and a check in my purse for your full fee. Are you prepared to start acting like a professional pageant coach, or am I going to have to find someone else to take your place? Because I can tell you right now that I know what a pageant coach should be able to do. And you, my friend, are not living up to expectation.”

Caleb’s response was a deep, rumbling laugh. “Oh, this is going to be good,” he said with a shake of his head and a grin at his brother. “We’re only ten minutes in, and it’s already the most fun I’ve had in months.”

* * *