“I can see.” I jerk the steering wheel to the left and swing onto a dirt road that leads to Dell MacAtee’s place. “I like parties fine. We had a blast when Birdie held her fashion show at the ranch, and if Tucker ties the knot with Cam like he’s fixin’ to do then there’ll be parties every weekend there.”
“You’ll need to invite the whole town to pacify everyone then.”
“I don’t know why we’re even talking about this. Who cares if the town likes her? Cam’s bringing her in to see the ranch, take her into Dallas, and then the girl will get on her big yacht and boat to Nice or some shit like that.”
“Oh, I thought they were matching you up.” He laughs uncomfortably. “My bad.”
Rory stops in front of MacAtee’s A-frame. She leaves the Jeep running and rummages in the back, pulling out two sacks of supplies and then jogs up the steps.
“Pull back,” Tyson orders.
“That’s what she said,” I snark but put the truck in reverse. We’re not supposed to be seen stalking Rory. It’d piss her off. I motor about a third of a mile down the road and cut the engine to wait for Rory to come out of the MacAtee drive. “Why’d you think it’s a setup?” The thought hadn’t ever occurred to me.
“Your new aunt-to-be is bringing home a princess that is your age? This is like some kind of dynastic set up. They want you to marry this girl and bring in more money to the Justice name. Hey, she’s pulling out.”
“I can see.” I start the engine and ease back onto the road. “I’m going to A&M in the fall. Why would I want to get married?”
“That’s the whole deal. What if you go off to college and hook up with an undesirable?“
I hate that Tyson is making some sense. “No one in my family is married. Remember the curse?”
“Which you don’t believe and let’s say you did. This is perfect. The Justice Curse is that you only kill the women you love. You’re not going to fall for a girl who’s set up for you. It’s a marriage of contract.”
“Convenience?”
“Yeah, that. So they set you up with a girl that has a lot of money, gives good social standing, and they know that you’ll resent her and never fall in love. The Justice line continues and everyone is happy.”
“Except for me.”
“Yeah, well, you can have your side pieces.”
“I’m a main meal kind of guy.” Rory glides into town and parks in the back of the hardware shop. I pull off in front of the corner café. “Besides your whole argument falls apart because Calder is marrying Birdie, and Tuck brought Cam home to the ranch so he’s clearly going to wife her up.”
“I thought you said Birdie doesn’t have any money other than what your uncle left her which was already Justice money in the first place, and Cam spends a shit ton of money, so maybe she’s got nothing left in the coffers either.”
I shift uneasily in my seat. The Justice money has always been there, fat and easy. I’d never given it another thought. “Get out.”
“Huh?” Tyson’s in the midst of staring out the window at Rory’s now empty Jeep.
“Get out. I need to go home.” I give Tyson a nudge and leave him standing on the side of the road, staring at me in confusion. It’s a twenty-minute drive out to the ranch. I don’t bother parking the pickup in the back but leave it about twenty feet away from the front porch. Calder will yell at me to move it but not before I confront him. I burst into his study where he’s bent over some paperwork. “We broke?” I demand.
Calder leans back and folds his fingers together. “What brought this on?”
“Is Cam bringing that princess home for me to marry because we’re broke? I’m not interested. I’m going to A&M this fall, and I don’t want to be tied down. I’m too young to get married. You guys can’t be arranging shit behind my back.”
My eldest cousin starts laughing. “Son, I don’t know what’s got you all worked up, but Cam’s just bringing a friend home. No one is matchmaking here, not even Cam. Don’t worry about it.“
“Better not,” I growl. Marriage is something in the far distant future. I’m not hitching my wagon to one tractor. There’s a world out there for me to explore, and a girl, even a princess—or maybe especially a princess—would limit me.
CHAPTER 5
STERLING
Princess Maria Costatelli is prettier than any sunset Texas has ever seen. There’s a stirring of resentment in the pit of my stomach along with a hotter, stronger feeling farther south. Those two emotions are warring with each other. I don’t like it. Her presence here is making me feel unsettled in my own home. I was born on this ranch. My roots are deeper than the hundred-year oak that shades the east porch, yet today my feet are unsteady as I cart her bags to the Widow’s Chambers.