Standing His Ground: Greer (Porter Brothers Trilogy 2)

Sharpshooter: What if I am? Would you care?

Kentuckygirl: It depends on which icon it is. Another plant might make me jealous, but anything else, no. Lol.

Sharpshooter: I knew you liked me. You don’t want me planting other seeds in my garden.

Kentuckygirl: So, it is true what they say about botanists.

Sharpshooter: What do they say?

Kentuckygirl: They have no sense of humor.

Sharpshooter: I have a great sense of humor.

Kentuckygirl: What do botanists read?

Sharpshooter: I don’t know.

Kentuckygirl: Bogs.

Sharpshooter: Now, that’s lame.

“You ready for lunch?”

Holly jumped guiltily when Diamond spoke from the doorway of her office, quickly moving the mouse to another screen.

“Yes.” She went to the small refrigerator, taking out the lunch bag she had brought from home. Carrying it to Diamond’s office, she sat down on the chair in front of her desk, where she took out two oranges and two chicken salad sandwiches. Splitting the meal in two portions, she grinned at Diamond, who was staring it at unenthusiastically.

“I hate being on a diet.”

“You want to get in that dress I told you not to buy until you lost those ten pounds you put on during the holidays?”

“I could sell it or give it to Sex Piston.”

Holly swallowed a bite of her sandwich. “You’re not giving it to Sex Piston. You’ve been hiding it from her ever since you bought it.”

“I’m saving Stud from spending the rest of his life in jail if he saw my sister in that dress.”

“You think Knox won’t be jealous of letting other men see you in that dress?”

“Knox doesn’t get jealous. He knows no one can steal me away from him.”

Holly envied her friend’s marriage. She was confident that Knox loved her, and it showed in her face.

“What has you looking so sad? The lunch isn’t that bad.” Diamond picked up her sandwich, taking a big bite.

“Greer told his family last night he’s thinking about getting married. One of the women he’s thinking about marrying is Kentuckygirl.”

Diamond’s eyes rounded as she chewed. Holly nodded in answer to the question she could see in Diamond’s eyes. Then Diamond started choking when she tried to swallow, and Holly hastily got up to hit her on her back. It took a couple of minutes for Diamond to get her breath back.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.” Holly handed her a bottle of water then went back to her chair.

“Holy crap. What did you say?”

“Nothing. What could I say? I wasn’t about to tell him we’re Kentuckygirl.”

“Not us … You.” Diamond shook her head in denial.

Holly’s mouth dropped open. “You’re the one who put me up to it when we saw his online profile. You’re the one who egged me on to keep answering him the first few times.”

“But …”

“There is no but. You’re in this as deep as I am.”

“You’re the one who kept talking to him. I thought the plan was to just stop talking to him when we realized how silly it was.” Diamond stared at her suspiciously. “You didn’t?”

“I was going to, but he kept messaging me, and I felt bad.” Holly picked up her orange, peeling it to avoid Diamond’s discerning gaze. “When he knows it’s not me, he can be nice,” she reluctantly admitted.

“Oh, my God! What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to tell him I’m moving to Russia.”

“Why Russia?”

“So, if he tries to find me, he’ll have to go to Russia.”

Diamond stared her as if she had lost her mind, and she had. She was still angry at Greer after last night. Him searching for an imaginary woman that he wanted to marry filled her with a sick satisfaction.

“He’ll kill you if he finds out.”

“He’s not going to find out,” Holly assured her with more confidence than she felt.

“Wait a minute. Did I hear you correctly? Did you say one of the women he’s thinking about marrying?”

“He’s narrowed his choices down to Diane, Jo, and us.”

“Quit saying ‘us.’ This is all on you. Knox would kill me if he knew that we … that you flirted with another man online.”

“I don’t think he would care if it was me.” Holly’s lips trembled with laughter.

Diamond threw her orange at her, and she caught it easily, giving Diamond the one she had peeled, then started peeling the other one in case Diamond was tempted to throw it at her again.

“He deserves Diane. And Jo is more likely to shoot him than marry that conceited dimwit.”

“He’s not stupid,” Holly argued.

“He acts like it.”

“Not all the time. When he talks on the computer, he doesn’t come across that way.”

“Are you kidding me? Are you actually starting to like him?” Diamond stared at her wide-eyed.

“You know I’ve always had bad taste in men.”

“Don’t talk like that. The problem is you’re too good-hearted.”

“Greer wouldn’t agree with you.”

“I told you he’s a dimwit.”

Holly stared at Diamond’s now worried face. “What’s wrong?”

Diamond tore her orange into pieces. “I’m only worried about one thing.”