Page 43 of Resisting His Charm
“Get your own damn beer, Jaggar. I’m not your whore!” Poppy yells back at him.
I smile. I love her feisty, take-no-shit attitude. She might say she wants to live in ignorant bliss of what the world is really like, but she doesn’t realize just how suited for it she is.
“Seriously? When did I say you were a whore?” Jaggar grumbles.
“You want a beer, Sammie?” Poppy asks, walking over to a glass-door fridge. She opens it, takes one out, and then turns to me. I’m not huge on beer. She knows this, but I’ll drink it if she brings it to me. “Wait… I know what you like better than beer…”
I then watch as she walks over to a bar, bends over, and picks up a bottle of Jack. She grabs a glass and scoops some ice inside before filling it with the amber liquid. Coming back over, she hands me the crystal tumbler and then passes the beer to Jaxson.
“Why does he get a beer?” Jaggar calls out.
“Because he’s not an ass,” Poppy retorts.
“Thanks.” I take a sip of the whiskey. It’s not my favorite brand, but it’s whiskey all the same.“Whatever you’re grilling smells fucking great,” I tell Jaxson.
“Our own Texas Wagyu, raised right here on this ranch. You ain’t gonna find a better cut of beef than that right there.” Jaxson points to the grill.
Now’s probably not the time to mention I’ve had Japanese Wagyuin Japan. Instead, I nod and take another sip of my whiskey.
Imogen walks outside with Joel right behind her. She’s holding a bottle of water. I look at her but she seems okay.
“Come sit down. Grub’s nearly done.” Jaxson leads everyone over to a dining table that has a spread of salads and vegetables laid out in the middle.
I wait for Poppy to sit down and choose the seat next to her. Jaggar comes over with a tray of meat and places it in front of us.
“Hi, I’m Jaggar.” He looks right at Imogen.
“Imogen, and whatever you’re thinking isn’t going to happen,” my sister tells him.
“Told you she can handle herself,” I whisper to Poppy.
“I’ve seen how she handles herself,” Poppy reminds me. “Jaggar, sit your ass down before she guts you.”
“Pfft, you think I’m scared of a little thing like that?” Jaggar drops into a chair and looks over at Imogen. “Also, you have no idea what I was thinking.”
“I’m pretty sure I do,” Imogen tells him.
“Okay, neither of you is touching his little sister. Now that that’s settled, let’s eat. I’m fucking starving,” Jaxson grunts, and the other two Kestral brothers seem to let the idea of Imogen warming their beds go.
The rest of dinner runs smoothly, filled with small talk, questions about Vegas, and what we do there. Then Imogen asks some stuff about ranching as if she’s suddenly interested in the farming life. Afterwards, Poppy takes Imogen to look at the horses. I stay back to have a drink with her cousin, but my mind is stuck on the fact my sister is more than likely about to get on a fucking horse.
“How tame are those animals?” I ask.
“The horses?” Jaxson lifts a brow.
I nod.
“They’re fine. Why?”
“Imogen has her mind set on riding one, and I don’t like it.”
“So you’re not worried about her being left alone with a bunch of horny cowboys, but you’re worried about her near a horse?”
“The cowboys aren’t a threat to her safety. The horse, I don’t know what it will do,” I explain.
“You’re right. My brothers are not a threat to her, but you wouldn’t know that because you don’t know them. The horses are safe. Poppy knows what she’s doing.”
I fucking hope so, because the last thing I want to have to do is call my parents and explain why my sister is laid up in some hospital bed because I let her get on a horse. I don’t like the unpredictable, and animals are unpredictable.
