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“Everything okay?” Macy’s standing at the edge of my table, empty glass in her hand. One with a tropical umbrella hanging off its rim. I dare to lift my gaze, knowing full well what those damn whiskey-stained eyes will do to me. I won’t be able to move from the table until Macy’s gone home and the bar closes unless I want everyone in here to know just how attracted I am to my buddy’s little sister.
“My brothers,” I say dismissively.
Macy’s smile widens. “How are they? I haven’t seen any of them since I’ve been home.”
Home. Why does that word, slipping so easily from her pretty lips, make my heart jump into my throat? In a little over a week, Macy will be headed back to Fort Collins to carry on with her fulfilling life as a veterinarian. I’ll still be in Emerald Creek, fighting an uphill battle, trying to keep the ranch from foreclosure.
“They keep pretty busy.”
“Will Colt make it back for the surprise party?”
“Sounds like it.”
“He’s not in jail already, is he?” The twinkle in her eyes causes some of the tension I’m carrying in my shoulders to soothe.
“Not tonight.”
“Where’s your partner in crime?” I ask Macy.
“Taking a phone call outside.”
I look toward the door, noticing Wyatt and Chad are no longer inside. It’d be rude to let Macy return to her table all alone. Right? “You want another?”
“I thought about it.”
I pull out the chair to my left as I signal Annabelle to bring another umbrella drink. “Sit down. I don’t bite.”
“You sure about that?”
“No.”
Macy slips into the chair, her knee brushing mine as she props both elbows on the table. I pretend not to notice how the gesture causes the dip in her blue top to expose even more cleavage. I’m assaulted by fantasies I have no right holding in my head. My hands slipping beneath the hem of her shirt, fingers slowly sliding up her soft, silky skin, brushing the edges of the black lace bra I see peeking from that dip.
“We don’t have to be enemies, you know,” Macy says, her voice low. Am I imagining the sultry part?
I lean in without realizing it, my body drawn to hers like a magnet. Our legs are more than brushing. Is she…flirting with me? “We don’t, huh?”
“We could work together.” She wiggles her leg against mine, and I know it’s on purpose. She drags a tongue along her bottom lip, her gaze never leaving mine. Definitely flirting. I flicker my gaze to her empty glass. She’s only been in here long enough to have one drink, but that doesn’t mean she and her bestie weren’t pre-gaming before the bar.
“Work together, huh?” Of course. The animals. She’s always been about the animals.
“We could turn the animal rescue around.”
“Macy Knight, are you trying to seduce me into making poor decisions?”
“Is it working?”
I lean closer, allowing my hand to brush her arm as I reach toward her cheek. Her steady breathing turns ragged as my fingertips graze her temple. Two can play at this game, sweetheart. I tuck loose strands of hair behind her ear. I swear I hear a tiny whimper escape her throat, drawing my eyes to her mouth, and it nearly foils my plan. But I’m not going to be bought so easily.
My fingers catch the stray piece of hay caught in her hair. I pull it free and present it to her, pretending like I’m not all riled up inside, ready to throw her over my shoulder and carry her out of the bar caveman style. I refuse to let the curvy beauty discover just how much power she has over me and lie instead. “You’ll have to try harder than this, sweetheart.”
CHAPTER 5
Macy
Only the aroma of fresh maple syrup is powerful enough to penetrate my killer headache and tempt me out of my bed. That and Wyatt’s Great Dane, Thor. He’s staring at me from beside the bed and whimpering. Poor thing probably thinks I’m a corpse. I curse the fruity umbrella drinks. Shit. I knew better than to down them like shots. That and the bottle of whipped vodka Everleigh convinced me to finish before we even got to The Rusty Nail.
“Not dead,” I grumble.
