“What do we do next?” Parker asked.
“You know what we do next.” Casey turned to look at him. “We get her to fall in love with us, each one. We take our time, knowing what the end prize is. Poppy as our wife and in our bed.”
****
“Do you really need three large briskets?” Poppy asked.
Casey smirked as he placed another three. “We’re a lover of all things meat, Pop. We need our strength.”
“This is going to be expensive.”
“I told you not to worry about the money. Just get what you need and I’ll handle the cash.”
She had one trolley, which he was filling up.
“You know, for a woman, you’re not very good at shopping.”
He got her to roll her eyes, which he still found the most adorable thing. They moved through the store, and he ignored the other women who were giving him the “fuck me” look. He wasn’t interested in any other woman.
“How are you feeling today?” he asked.
“I’m doing okay. I’m going to be doing a lot of cooking and baking.” She reached down, trying to grab a large bag of flour. He moved her out of the way and did the heavy lifting. “Thank you.”
“You don’t need to worry about anything. Just tell me what you want and I’ll dump it into the trolley for you. I’ve got no problem using my manly muscles.”
They passed one of the women who’d come to the ranch and tried to get into his bed. Casey ignored her as he had no interest in anyone else.
“Melissa is totally giving you the stink eye,” Poppy said. She paused at the canned fruits and fillings. He watched as she loaded one can after another.
“Really, I didn’t notice.”
The shirt Poppy wore stretched over her chest, giving just a hint of breast. His cock thickened, and he wanted her. Rubbing the back of his head, he saw the variety of chocolate chips, and being the sweet-toothed guy that he was, emptied out the shelf.
“I take it you want me to bake a whole lot of cookies,” she said, chuckling.
“You know me very well, babe. I want to keep you busy.”
“Did I miss any of the dating gossip between you, Parker, and Shawn?” she asked. Her cheeks had gone a delicate shade of red, and she turned away from him, grabbing something else from the shelf. He moved up behind her so that he was close to touching her and got what she needed.
“What kind of gossip?” he asked, whispering the words against her ear.
She released a little shiver, and he smiled. When she turned he saw her nipples were hard and puckered.
“On the dating front. Going out dancing, wining, dining, all of that stuff?” she asked. “Shawn hasn’t said if he’s seeing anyone new.”
“Nope. I can guarantee that we’re all still carefree and single.”
She took the can he held out of his hands. “You’ve never been carefree.”
“But I am single.” Being the oldest brother, he’d always been responsible for his younger brothers. His parents expected a lot of him, especially his dads. They wanted him to learn the running of the ranch so that it would be a smooth transition between them all.
He imagined he’d be the same with their sons soon enough. It wasn’t like he never had time to play. He played a lot.
Work hard, play hard. It was his motto in life, only he made sure that when he played, it was damn well worth it.
He didn’t want to have to deal with a shitty reputation.
She picked up a bag of sweetened coconut, and he watched as her lip wobbled.
“What is it, Pop?” he asked.
“Mom made the most amazing coconut pie. She left me all these recipe cards with her notes, and how she kept perfecting each one. I miss her so much.”
He wrapped an arm around her waist, and pulled her close. “That’s what I want when we get home.”
“What?”
“Your mother’s coconut pie. We’ll stop off at your home and grab those recipes.”
“I’ve already got them in my bag. I wanted to start working on them again at the ranch. I hope that’s okay.”
“More than okay. If you ever need someone to talk to or anything, just reach out to me. I’ll always be here to listen to you.”
“You’ve all been amazing. Thank you.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close.
He breathed in her vanilla scent, his mouth watering for a taste of her.
Instead, he pulled away, giving her space.
“Let’s get this finished.”
She wiped away the tears and they finished their shopping. There was so much there that he knew she wouldn’t have time to dwell on her mother. He wanted to take that sadness and change it into something so much better.
Once they finished paying, which he wouldn’t allow her to do, they headed out to his truck.