CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Renn
The Ex
“Good morning, youmust be that fourth Hart brother I’ve been hearing so much about?”The barista in the local coffee shop that looked more like a secret garden said it loud enough for the entire shop to hear.
As the only son of a horse wrangler, Renn was used to blending into his surroundings, as the second-string quarterback for the Aces for six years he was expert at standing in when needed, but as the newly accepted fourth brother to the Hart family he was off kilter.
“Good morning?”he said, not exactly acknowledging her statement.
“Okay, so are you another grump like Wes or just broody?You’re definitely not the loud, flirty type like Levi, and too mysterious to be as charming as Dalton.No offense—he just comes off like a Disney prince on a SWAT team.”
He couldn’t help but laugh.“That is oddly a great description.”
“I’m c.This is my shop and I’m besties with Brooke…”
“Dalton’s wife,” Renn finished for her.
“Correct.So, as you can imagine I’ve been hearing all about the new member of the Hart family.”
Renn held his finger up to his lips.“Would it be okay if we didn’t share this conversation with the entire shop?”
“Aww first thing you need to know about this small town is everyone already heard about you, and it’s virtually impossible to keep a secret.”
Renn nodded.“In that case, can I get an iced coffee with coconut creamer?”
“Ahhh great choice, coming right up.Welcome to Sandy Point, Renn,” she said with a smile that disappeared when the door chimed and another guest entered.
A man with his polo collar popped up, wavy brown hair, aviator sunglasses, and boat shoes walked up to the counter.Renn moved down the line to wait for his beverage but was still in earshot.
“Good morning, May, I see you still haven’t bothered to update your seasonal menu.You do know a pumpkin latte is only a fall beverage,” the smug man said.
“And you know I make my own rules and if my customers enjoy a spiced pumpkin latte all year then I’ll offer it to them 365 days.”
“You may as well remove the beverage because she can’t afford to buy coffee out—pretty soon she’ll probably have to sell the ranch and move on out of this town.”
“Oh, didn’t you hear, Dubois, we had a vote at the town hall meeting, and all agreed it’s your family that should leave.And take your ridiculous popped collars with you.That style went out with the patriarchy in, like, the eighties.”
“Two venti iced coffees, with cream and one sugar,” the man said with a snarl.
May sighed heavily.“Two large, iced coffees—you can put in your own cream and sugar.”
The man paid for his beverages and looked around but then his eyes landed right on Renn, attempting to size him up.Renn recognized him from the first night he met Miranda, at the bar, and realized this must be one of the men that Miranda had been engaged to.Renn could tell the man was trying to place where he might know him, and could tell the moment the stranger recognized him.
“Here you go, the first one is on the house,” May said, interrupting the standoff with the stranger.“I hope you enjoy that and will come back again soon.”
“Thanks, May, it was nice to meet you.”
Renn exited the shop but could still feel Miranda’s ex’s eyes on him and knew it was only a matter of time until most people in town knew who he was.Especially if he signed with the Aces.Instead of heading back to the inn, he decided to head toward the water.According to the legal documents he was now part owner of the Sandy Point pier and boatyard but hadn’t seen either up close.
The inn was on Main Street at the opposite end of the pier, providing a picturesque backdrop for the town.But what he hadn’t realized before he walked to the end of the street and stood on the boardwalk was the big letters on either side of the A-frame roof that readHART.And he was struck with just how little he knew about his father, yet again.A businessman with three sons, or as it turned out, four sons.That was all he’d known.He didn’t even know how his mom had met him, and now he probably never would.
*
The loud soundof a siren got his attention as he stood in the middle of the boardwalk staring up like a tourist at the name plastered on the side of the pier.And he looked over to see Wes getting out of an SUV with red and blue lights on top.
“Morning, you looking for something?”
