Page 5 of Slow Burn

By the look on Austin’s face now, the way his dark eyebrows have pinched together, I get the impression he didn’t know she was here.

“Lyla’s in town,” he says, his expression unreadable. “Weird. She never told me she was coming back. Did you talk to her?”

I shake my head. “She was too busy yapping with Sutton.”

Except for the excruciating seconds she spent staring at me.

Austin glances back in the direction of the stables, as if contemplating whether he should go in there and talk to her. Relief washes over me when he decides to continue loading my tack into the trailer instead.

The fact is, I blame Lyla for the way my run went. I was distracted, when I should have been locked in. I should not have been thinking about Austin’s little sister the way I was, fixating on her long legs in those jeans, the swish of her hair on her back, the way her eyes met mine and lit up like that, a hint of a mischievous sparkle in her night-black irises.

I was probably imagining it. There was never anything between Lyla and me, there couldn’t have been.

Austin and I have been thick and thieves since we could talk. Even after Lyla left Sage Valley, Austin stayed. Picked up a job at the ranch working for my dad.

But that never stopped me from wondering what would have happened if I’d met Lyla first.

Chapter 3

Lyla

“That was some hell of a ride you had today,” Sutton says, lifting her glass toward Skye.

They’ve become close over the last few years, and I’m glad Sutton has had another girlfriend in town. Long distance friendships are hard, because even though the city is only an hour and half away from Sage Valley, it makes it difficult to come out here on a regular basis. In recent years, my work schedule has occupied all of my time.

I’ve been desperately trying to find an upside to losing my job, something positive I can focus my thoughts and energy on, and maybe this is it. More time with my best friend.

Skye’s freckled face flushes and her face softens into a shy smile. “Thanks,” she says. “I had a lot of fun today.”

It strikes me how different she is from her older brother. She’s all soft corners where Beck’s edges are jagged and rough. And for some reason, my eyes keep darting around the packed bar looking for him.

Lucky’s is the only decent joint in town, and compared to the places I like to frequent in the city, it’s a bit of a dive. Still, I can appreciate the atmosphere, and the wacky eclectic decor that makes Lucky’s so much fun.

Old vintage street signs, road signs, license plates, and knick-knacks cover every inch of the walls. They’ve been collected from all over the world it seems; that’s the only way to explain the Kangaroo Crossing sign on the wall behind Skye that I’ve been staring at for the last half hour.

“I can’t get over how busy it is here,” I say, taking a sip of my peach bellini. “It’s like every Albertan and their goddamn uncle is crammed in here tonight.”

“Rodeo season,” Sutton says as an explanation. “It’ll be like this all summer now.”

Skye’s gaze travels over my shoulder and to the front door as it swings open. I twist in my seat to see what she’s looking at, why her face looks like a combination of surprise and pity all at once. My own face falls when I see Beck, scowl ever present on his annoyingly hot face, followed by Austin.

I quickly turn back in my seat and pray my brother hasn’t seen me. But it’s too late. Austin has spotted me. While Beck heads for the last seat at the bar in the far corner, Austin beelines toward me.

He slides onto the bench seat across from me with a cool nonchalance. Skye shuffles over to make room.

“Hey lil’ sis,” Austin says, and I suck down my bellini until the straw makes a slurping sound at the bottom of my glass. “Why am I finding out about you being back in town from Beck?”

It takes everything in me not to turn around and glare at Beck, whose presence in the bar is almost palpable. He’s a black hole in the corner, sucking the life out of anyone who comes too close, and his gravitational pull is tugging on me.

I wave at our waitress and she walks over with a friendly smile.

“What can I do for ya?” she asks, and I tilt my head down at the bare table in front of Austin.

“Let’s get him a beer,” I say. I’m deflecting. I know I am.

Austin and I haven’t spoken in a while, partly because I never knew how I’d react to all the feelings bubbling to the surface once I did. But seeing him now makes me realize how much I’ve missed him, too. He is, after all, the only family I have left. And it’s obvious he’s been trying. His jawline is shaved, his hair is clean, and he’s looking quite a bit more put together than the night I showed up to post his bail.

Austin glances up at the waitress and gives her a rolled-lip smile. “Zero proof, please,” he says.