“Well, that seemed intense,” Violet says, starting the engine.
“He is. Very persistent.”
“Because you’re the most gorgeous woman in town,” she says as we pull out, passing Reese leaning against his car, cigarette between his fingers.
“He’s not very… cowboy,” I mutter.
After seeing that guy in town with the tattoos, I kinda think that is what I want. The way my body reacted to him, even from the other side of the glass, I can only imagine what I’d do in close proximity.
“No. He’d fit right in back in New York. Isn’t that what you want? A little piece of home? I can’t picture you shoveling shit on a ranch, Lola.”
I laugh. “No. But I wouldn’t mind watching a hot, sweaty cowboy covered in tattoos doing it.”
The image flashes through my head, and damn.
Suits have never really done it for me.
Violet grins. “And what? He throws you over his shoulder, carries you off, and fucks you seven ways to Sunday?”
Heat floods my cheeks as I nod. “Yeah. While I’m wearing his hat. Or better yet, ties me up with rope.”
Violet nearly chokes. “Jesus, Lola. You’ve really thought about this.”
I shrug. “I’ve had a lot of time to myself recently.”
“It shows. Come on, then. Let’s go find you a cowboy.”
CHAPTER FOUR
HUNTER
Song- Save You A Seat,Alex Warren
The beer bottle is cold in my hands as I knock it back, leaning into my chair, letting the noise of the bar roll over me instead of through me.
The band’s playing too loud in the corner, boots stomping across the dance floor. Laughter cuts through the air, glasses clink. It’s the perfect place to unwind.
Exactly how Dad liked it.
Across the table, my brothers sit in silence, each lost in their own head, but it’s on me to make sure they’re okay.
Dad made damn sure of that.
His last words, right before his heart gave out in the stables two years ago today. I heard the thud, the changes in his breathing as he clutched his chest.
I watched the color drain from my dad’s face. Even as I screamed for the vet at the barn to help me. My CPR couldn’tsave him. Even as tears rolled down my face, his horse was bucking in the stables beside us. I felt hopeless.
Before he lost consciousness, he told me he loved me and to look after his boys. He croaked out those words as a damn plea that I’ll take to my own grave.
Our dad gave us everything. Even after mom died, he kept us upright.
And when he died, it left me with a hole in my chest I can’t fill. A void that just drains me. But I don’t have time to wallow. I can cherish our memories. I can thank him for the strength he gave me.
And I work hard, every single day, to do him proud and keep my family safe.
Ace slouches across from me, already halfway through another bottle. He might be a professional bull rider, but much like the animal, he’s unpredictable. A loose cannon with a grin that gets him out of trouble more often than it should.
Colten sits beside him. My right-hand man in everything. Ranch work, protection jobs, mafia business. When things go south, he’s the one at my side without hesitation.