Page 39 of Branded Betrayal

He’s not Blaze, though.

Shoot. No. I did not mean that.

“I hear he’s interested in more than just your cattle, sweetie.” Mindy holds up her glass of wine and clinks mine. “I think you oughta find out exactly what that is.”

“Well, we do have a date tomorrow night.”

Mindy gasps. “See? The stars are aligning for you guys!”

A giggle slips through my lips. But it’s not long before my sobering reality wraps itself around my alcohol-clouded brain.

Even though I am officially on sabbatical from my job, I only have three months of salary to invest in Red Rock. Plus, I have my own bills and rent and a car payment and insurance. Life in Denver didn’t end when I left.

I guzzle another glass of wine before the food hits the table. Mindy keeps up a steady stream of chatter. I nod and smile and pipe in when I need to. But the more I drink, the more my thoughts keep tripping dangerously back to Blaze and the way he looked at me last night, the way he barreled over at the first hint of trouble and protected me when Tyler just backed away and watched. I wanted to be angry at Blaze for suggesting I’m some weak little girl who can’t handle herself because, dammit, I’m not her.

But the truth is, it felt so damn good, knowing I made him that feral.

The rest of the meal passes in a bit of a tipsy blur. When I finally stand up, my legs buckle. I grab the back of my chair to steady myself. Wyatt puts a hand on my shoulder.

“You okay?” he asks.

I fan my face. “Wow, is it warm in here?”

Mindy chuckles. “Yep. With all the wine you just sucked down, your body temperature’s gotta be blazin’.”

Oh, that’s punny. And she doesn’t even know it.

I take a step away from the table, and my ankle twists. I grab the chair again . . . too late, and Wyatt catches me before my ass hits the floor.

I look up at him. “Um, maybe I shouldn’t drive right now.”

“Yeah, lemme give you a lift home. I just need to stop at my place real quick first.”

He snakes an arm around my shoulders, and we walk out of the restaurant together.

I take a deep breath, my brain fuzzy from all the wine. “I’m sorry. I didn’t eat anything this morning, so I guess the wine hit me harder than I thought it would.”

“You deserve to unwind a bit.” He turns the key in the ignition once we get into the car. “So you and Mindy seemed to be getting along,”

“She’s nice.” I smile at him. “You like her?”

He gives a half shrug. “Maybe? I don’t know.”

“Oh, you do like her,” I exclaim. “You need to take her out. She kept sneaking looks at you. She probably thought I didn’t notice, but I totally did.” My head falls back against the seat, eyes drooping closed.

I don’t know how much time passes before Wyatt shakes me. “Hey, you know you’re drooling, right?”

I shoot up from the seat and wipe the corners of my mouth. “Jesus, Wyatt. Don’t say everything you think, okay?”

He chuckles. “So sensitive. Are you coming in with me, or do you wanna stay here and drool some more?”

With a roll of my eyes, I open the door and step onto the running board. Unfortunately, one of my feet completely misses it, and I slide onto the ground, hanging onto the door so I don’t wind up face-first in the mud.

Wyatt just shakes his head and laughs. Then he offers me a hand and leads me up the stairs. Once we’re inside, he says, “I have to run downstairs for a few minutes. Just hang out here.”

I pace in front of the large stone wall fireplace in the living room after the basement door closes. Framed photos line the mantel. I trace my finger over them, stopping at one in particular where Blaze is probably around fifteen, his eyes bright, smiling wide. I rub my finger over the dusty glass.

What the heck happened to him? How did he become this dark, closed-off shell of the guy I fell in love with?