Titus: Book Two of the Cantrell Brothers Series

Chapter Twenty-Four

“Did you know that Ashley...”

Of their own accord, Titus's ears drowned out the rest of what Cassidy was saying, not really paying any attention to one of his most laid back exes. It was the main reason why he had liked her so much those few years back. After they had gotten tired of each other – which, when he looked back at it was less than three weeks – Cass had been cool about it. There hadn't been any crying, pouting, or anger; only an acceptance that had come in those dark, dark brown eyes.

But he let her tell him another story anyway, just because he knew what Anna would think. Even though she would never admit it, she got jealous whenever he talked with an old 'friend'. Sometimes, it was as if she didn't even know what it was she was feeling and just settled on doing the stupidest and most immature thing that she could possibly come up with.

Like doing what she was now – chatting with Kurt Winstrom. It wasn't that he had never really liked the guy, that Kurt was just plain weird, or that Anna was practically throwing herself at the skinny, weak man in front of her. But it was that he knew what she was trying to do. She was trying to do the same thing he'd set out to do ever since their little encounter with Isaiah Mat.

A ranch hand from Munston's, Isaiah Mat was a good man. He even helped out at the Circle T when Titus couldn't be there on very rare occasions. Shorter than him but taller than most, Isaiah Mat was a hard worker who he appreciated on most days, but today wasn't one of those days – especially when the man threw a look towards his wife. His pregnant wife.

It didn't matter that the man had been in the class below him or that he had a reputation of just being all-around nice and honest; Titus would not stand for any other man getting closer to Anna than he was – not without acting out just the tiniest bit. Not without telling Anna in a not so discreet manner that he would not stand for shit like this.

Still in the stage of acting out, he started up the conversation once again, asking Cass the things that got her mouth going until every word was coming at a rapid fired pace. He added in the appropriate words and filled in just the right blanks to let anybody who was listening know that he and Cass were just friendly acquaintances and nothing more.

He looked towards Anna, trying not to notice how she and Kurt looked like they should be the two who should be married and he should still be the isolated, lonely rancher that he usually was. He almost laughed at her terrible attempt at flirting. Always stumbling over herself and stopping mid-sentence when she was nervous, Anna had never been a flirt. But by the way Kurt was actually falling halfway for a married woman, Anna must be doing an okay job.

Okay was not okay.

“It was nice seein' ya again, Cass.” He stood up and smiled a fake smile that made his teeth feel like they were rotting. “I'll see ya 'round.”

“See ya,” she said before going back to cleaning already polished tables.

Gritting his teeth against the sick feeling that invaded his stomach, Titus tried to keep his cool, trying to be the gentleman he had been with Cass. But Anna, she brought out the worst in him at times.Those extremely, extremely rare when times when she did stupid shit like talking with Kurt Winstrom just to piss him off.

“Anna, honey,” he cooed in a voice that belied what he was feeling. “Let's go home.”

She didn't even look at him,only leaning into Kurt's skinny body. “Nah, Kurt and I still gotta catch up. Right, Kurt?”

The blonde-haired man gulped, blanching when Titus scowled at him. “Uh...I actually g-gotta go. B-bye, Anna,” he stuttered before grabbing his bomber jacket and literally sprinting out of The Frontier.