Now I’m dusty and dirty and need to hit the shower. “House meeting?”

“Nah, just doing some numbers,” Jude says.

Beast has his notebook open and Reese is sitting next to him, close enough to read whatever he’s got in there.

Weird.

Escaping to the room to grab clean clothes, I give only a fleeting glance to the bed where we slept together last night.

We slept last night.

Reese. And me. In the same bed. We slept together.

I mean, not really, but yeah. Like we were a couple or something. I’ve never done that with anyone but Abby, ever. And even with Abby it didn’t happen more than a handful of times.

And then I had to bail out for the meet and now I feel like a bit of a schmuck for it, even though we didn’t actually do anything and even though she tried to pretend she was sleeping. No one can be that tense while they sleep.

I hope it doesn’t make things tense between us again. I don’t think it will. It’s a physical attraction. That’s all.

I shower quickly and head back to the kitchen for a snack. It’s Jude’s night to cook and I’m liable to eat an entire horse.

“What’s for dinner?” I open the fridge for a snack.

“I don’t know yet, but you have to see this,” Jude says.

I walk over to the table and Jude points out a column of numbers on the notebook in front of Reese. “Do this one. Show him.”

We lock gazes, her dark blue irises lighter in the bright daylight streaming in through the kitchen windows, but then she jerks her eyes away.

She nods at Jude and then focuses down the page.

Jude holds up the calculator from his lap as Reese recites the number.

“Four thousand seven hundred and eighty-five point one two.”

Jude lowers the calculator. His voice is awestruck. “You’re a genius.”

“I’m not. Not really.” Her cheeks are pink. “More like a circus freak.”

“Never that,” Jude says before I can say something similar. “Babies, you are amazing.”

Her flush deepens.

A knock at the front has everyone turning. Annabel’s voice calls out, “Reese?”

“Come on in,” Jude says.

“Why are you always here?” I ask when she walks into the kitchen.

“Aw, I love it when you talk sweet to me, brother mine.” She stops next to me and gives me a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’m here to pick up Reese.”

“Where you guys going?” Jude asks.

“Supper at the Jackson ranch,” Annabel answers.

“Granny’s making barbeque,” Reese adds.

Jude rubs his stomach. “I’ve a hankering for some homemade biscuits.”

“Sorry, Van Wilder, but you haven’t been invited to sample Granny’s smoked brisket.”

“But wouldn’t you know it, barbeque is my favorite food. And I reckon it’s not up to you whether I’m invited or not.”

“Buy your own food.”

“What can I say, darlin’, poor boys got poor ways.”

“Except you’re not poor.” Annabel’s eyes narrow and Jude’s unflappable smile falters for a brief second.