Page 4 of Meant for You

My brother dipped his chin. “Good.”

We stayed quiet after that, drinking in companionable silence. I missed it, missed him. Bull as well.

We ate dinner, and I hung around for about an hour.

But all I could think about was Everly. So damn close.

I needed to leave before I did something I’d promised Cal I wouldn’t.

I said my goodbyes and was at my bike when Everly walked right out of the barn like I’d summoned her through the sheer force of my desperation to see her. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Fuck, how I’d missed her. I’d missed my best friend.

Her auburn hair was down and wild, like it often was. She was wearing cut-off denim shorts and a red tank top, both of which hugged her curves, curves she hadn’t had quite so many of before I moved away.

Everly was short—the top of her head fit under my chin perfectly. She was kind of petite, and now she was also built. A small curvy package.

I clenched my teeth. Don’t go after her. Don’t do it.

I cleared my throat, because my vocal cords were suddenly tight as hell, and because I was a glutton for punishment. Goddammit, I wanted her to fucking look at me.

She spun around, and as soon as her eyes found me, they widened.

I lifted my hand like I was preparing to approach a wild horse, my mouth opening to say something, anything—

Everly took off running in the opposite direction. Fucking running.

I’d tried. Jesus, I’d tried to leave her alone, to give her time, but I couldn’t deal with this, the way it made me feel, the way she had to be feeling to fucking flee from me like I was a goddamn ax murderer.

It was like a gazelle running from a lion; instincts kicked in and there was no holding back. My feet were already moving, pounding across the field after her. “Fucking stop, Everly.”

She veered left, shooting down the side of the barn, and I followed, chasing her around the barn like a damned fool until we ended up back where we started. She shoved open the door to the ranch hands’ quarters as I came flying around the corner.

“Eves, wait…”

She lifted her hand, saluted me with her middle finger, and slammed the door in my face—then locked it.

I stood braced against the doorframe, breathing heavily, heart racing not from the impromptu run—not entirely—but from my fucking desperation to talk to her, from being so close to her.

Being barred from her.

“Let me in, Eves. We need to talk…you know we do.”

There was nothing but silence from inside.

I’d been without her for a year and a half, and it had sucked a lot. More than I could even put into words. I wanted her back. I wanted what we had back.

How the fuck was I going to make this right?

Chapter Two

Everly

I woke to the sound of birds chirping and the sun shining through my curtains.

It was like something out of a fairy tale.

The kind of beauty you’d expect in a book. The princess would fling open her windows and sing to the wildlife outside, inviting them in—

The rooster started up again, shattering my idyllic surroundings with one earsplitting crow, like the surly bird’s life depended on it.