“Never apologize for being a connoisseur of the male form, Kate. And never blush about it.”

Kate blushed deeper and followed Sadie into the living room.

“Dear Lord,” she said, and Sadie had the feeling that only the barest hint of decorum was keeping her from pressing her face to the glass like a frustrated window-shopper.

She recalled what Eli had said about feeling protective of Kate, or rather, being content to deny she had a sexuality altogether, and she wondered if Kate ever got to do anything more than window-shop.

“Not bad at all,” Sadie said. “Makes me feel like a lady of leisure. Sipping cool beverages and ogling the slick sweaty men. And I’m not sorry about it.”

“My female intuition told me that this might be happening over here.”

“The force is strong with you. Would you also like a cool beverage? Lady of leisure status could be yours, too.”

Kate smiled. “Sure. That sounds great.”

Sadie went into the kitchen, humming as she did, and took a glass out of the cabinet before pouring some lemonade from the pitcher on the counter.

She returned a moment later and handed it to Kate. “Get your leisure on.”

Kate took a sip and let out a long sigh, her eyes glued to the activities outside. “It’s too bad this isn’t a transferable skill.”

“Not so much a big market for ogling while indulging in cold drinks, no.”

“My goal is to make money doing things with horseflesh. Not manflesh.”

“Doing what?”

“I barrel race. I’m looking to turn pro, but I haven’t quite earned enough points to get my card. I didn’t get to compete as much this year because I needed to work more hours at the Farm and Garden. Focus on saving. I won a decent-sized pot a while back, but not much since and I need money if I’m going to travel with the rodeo.”

“That’s incredible. You really barrel race? Like...you ride horses around barrels and wear sequined jackets and things?”

“I’m light on the sequins, but yeah.”

“And you’re good enough to go pro.”

Kate took another sip of lemonade and smiled broadly. “I think I am. And my winning streak concurs. But it’s just getting everything to line up. And feeling like Eli won’t implode when I leave.”

“Ah. Eli.”

“He’s a nervous hen.”

“I can definitely see that,” she said, thinking of him and his do-gooder complex.

I’m a good man but I’m not a nice man.

Oh, no, she didn’t need to replay that scene.

Because it made her shivery in...places. Which was silly because that should be off-putting. She liked nice men. She did not like scoundrels. Or men in uniform with hella-bad attitudes and control-freak tendencies.

She could not be controlled or contained. She was the mothereffing wind.

“And he needs me more than he thinks,” Kate said.

Sadie had a feeling that was a lot more insightful than Eli would think it was. “Sure,” Sadie said slowly. “But you can’t live your life for other people, Kate.” She knew she was playing therapist again. But she was licensed, so it wasn’t really playing. She was unsolicited, but she was a professional at least. “It only builds resentment, and in the end it destroys more bonds than honesty will. If you want to go, then you should be free to go.”

“You make it sound really simple.”

“It is,” Sadie said. “It’s what I do.” She realized dimly that insinuating anyone should do what she had done was edging into bad-advice territory, so she attempted a redirect. “But it isn’t as though you’ll stay gone. It’s just that you may need a bit more independence.”

“And more shirtless men in my life that I don’t share genetic material with,” Kate said. “We’re country, but not that country.”

Sadie laughed. “Uh, I don’t suppose you are.”

“But yeah. I need to get away. Small town. Same places. Same jobs. Same guys. Take those guys, for example. I either went to high school with them, and they showed no interest in me. Or they went to high school with my brothers and wouldn’t dare touch me.”

Sadie figured it was better not to mention she hadn’t had that problem with guys in high school. But then, she hadn’t given off the salt-of-the-earth vibe Kate did. And she also didn’t have two giant older brothers.

There was also the fact she doubted Kate had the knack for finding trouble that Sadie did. Which was probably for the best since Sadie had managed to find serious, life-threatening trouble thanks to the smaller trouble she’d found.

Not that anyone in Kate’s family would ever hurt her. She could say that for Eli and Connor. She knew they would never hurt women, or anyone who didn’t really deserve it.

And she was thinking about unpleasant things again. Ugh.

This place had a way about it. Good and bad. And both a little more intense than she’d been prepared for.

Though, if she was totally honest, she was never really prepared for intensity.

“That is a problem,” Sadie said, keeping an eye on the guys. “Which ones did you go to school with? I feel like they’re probably off-limits to me.”

“Are you really going to...talk to them?” Kate asked, sounding awed.

She should. She should offer them cold beverages while wearing a bikini top. And get numbers. But she wasn’t going to.

And she had a horrible feeling it was stupid Eli’s fault.

Why she was still thinking about him in those terms was a mystery to her because he’d made it very clear he didn’t want to find her hot. Even though he obviously did find her hot. And he’d turned down her very clumsy, ill-advised, sort-of offer of casual sex, too.

In that moment, if he’d agreed, she really would have hopped into the nearest bush with him and ridden him until she was saddle sore.

Had she ever wanted a man this much?

She didn’t think she had, and that made her feel relieved he’d put a stop to it. Well, maybe not relieved. She felt twitchy and annoyed, and super horny.

She scowled and looked more determinedly out the window, trying to decide which guy had the nicest butt, and from there trying to decide if she would enjoy smacking it.

She could not decide. And she did not want to smack any of the denim-clad asses, truth be told.

She was broken, and it was Eli Garrett’s fault.