“Hey. I’m Sadie,” I say, twisting slightly on my barstool. “You were on the trail with us this morning, right?”
I give him a smile, easy and open.
He turns his head just enough to glance at me, then takes a long sip of his sweet tea. One brow arches slightly higher than the other.
Oh. Cool.
It must be a job requirement to always be in a constant state of grumpy and brooding. There’s probably extra screening for emotional unavailability on the application.
I’m about to laugh it off when Lydia returns to our end of the bar.
“Hey, Lane,” she says pointedly, arms crossed. “Did you leave your manners in the bunkhouse this morning?”
Lane.
He lets out a humorless breath and shakes his head.
I raise a hand, trying to defuse the moment. “It’s okay, Lyd—”
“No, no,” she interrupts, leaning her elbows on the counter. “Laney here has a permanent stick up his ass. It’s incurable, I’m afraid.”
A laugh slips out before I can stop it.
Lane glances at me and IswearI catch his mouth twitching into the faintest smile. But it’s gone just as fast, smoothed back into that unreadable frown.
He takes another sip before finally giving in to Lydia’s prodding.
“I don’t have a stick up my ass, Lyddy,” he mutters. “I just like to eat in peace.”
She nods solemnly, but her grin peeks through.
My fingers curl around my napkin, trying to quell the tension burning beneath my skin. His jaw shifts like he wants to say something, but he swallows it instead.
He doesn’t speak.
And I don’t ask.
Instead, I drop the napkin onto the plate and slide it forward. “Thanks, Lyd. I’ll see you later?”
“Duh. This week has been hell—I need a drink.”
I glance at the wall of liquor behind her. “You’d think you’d be sick of the bar scene by now.”
“Nonsense.” She taps a hand over her heart. “Lucky’s has sentimental value—andthey don’t card.”
Apparently, Friday nights at Lucky’s are a big deal. Mechanical bull. Line dancing. The whole thing. Lyd said I’m not officially part of the crew until I’ve participated in the Lucky’s shenanigans, so…I guess I don’t have a choice.
“You guys goin’ to Lucky’s tonight?” Lane asks, still not looking up.
I glance at Lydia, then back at him. “Mhm…Are you?”
He makes a sound—part scoff, part laugh. “Be careful out there. The guys get rowdy.”
I lift a brow, already turning for the door. “I can handle it.”
Somegirlsattractlight.I seem to attract every shadow that crosses my path.
Even the simple task of grabbing supplies from the storage shed is impossible to accomplish without running into yet another grumpy and brooding cowboy.
