Chad didn’t like it. He didn’t like it one bit. That skunk Joe Bradley was hanging all over Catie. Why was he at Dallas’s anyway?
Annie. That’s right. He and Annie were friends. He’d taken her out on a date when she and Dallas were broken up. Or before they got together. Or whatever. Chad never could keep it straight. His brother had been an idiot. He’d let Annie go.
Course who was Chad to talk? Was he just as much of an idiot when it came to Catie?
He sure didn’t want anything serious. Or so he thought.
Still, he responded to her in a way different from any woman he’d known. What was it about her? She was beautiful, but Chad had known lots of beautiful women.
She was so damn young, though. Why in hell couldn’t he keep his hands to himself around her?
She was flirting with Joe, damn her. As if he, Chad, weren’t even here. It was his brother’s house, for God’s sake. Of course he was here, and Catie should be with him.
But he’d leave her be. She was the rodeo queen. Everyone wanted to talk to her, congratulate her. That’s probably all it was. That’s why Joe was hanging around her. He and all those other young men.
Hell, Joe was four years older than Chad!
Enough was enough.
His long strides carried him straight toward Catie and her male harem.
“Hey, Chad,” Joe said. “Come to join the party?”
“Come to take away the queen,” Chad said. “C’mon, Catie.”
“What?” Catie looked at him suspiciously. “Terry was in the middle of a story, Chad. Why don’t you join us?”
“I don’t think so.” He grabbed her arm. “We need to chat.”
“We do?”
“Yeah. Excuse us, will you fellas?”
“Uh, sure,” Joe said, nodding to the others. “But don’t keep her away too long.”
“What is this all about?” Catie demanded, as Chad pulled her into the house and down a long hallway to Dallas’s office. He shut the door and turned the deadbolt.
“Joe’s not your type.”
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“I don’t have a type, Chad. And it doesn’t matter anyway. I’m not interested in Joe.”
“He’s sure interested in you.”
“He’s old enough to be my daddy, Chad!”
“He’s only four years older than I am, sugar."
“Okay, my young daddy. Jesus.”
“He wasn’t lookin’ at you like a daddy looks at his little girl.”
“This is stupid.” Catie shrugged loose from his grasp. “I want to get back to the party.”
“You like being queen for day, huh?”