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“Does it?” I nudge her when she leans on me. “You downed a lot of whiskey that night. I’m surprised you remember anything.”

“Very funny.” She glares, making me laugh. “I’ll take it slower tonight. Maybe then you can keep up, city boy.”

“If there’s one thing I’m certain of, it’s that there’s no keeping up with you, cowgirl. Not even if it was the end of the world.”

She laughs, but I mean it. This girl is way the fuck out of my league, and that would be the case even if we were the last two people on earth.

16

HARLOE

The farmers market is utter chaos with music playing and children running around. A kid slams into Nora’s chair as he plays tag with his friends, but she’s too busy staring me down to care.

“You’re sleeping in Shane’s bed?” Nora hitches a skeptical brow, while Elsie grins over the rim of her glass, looking proud.

“It’s not like that.” I take a sip of my drink, but when Nora doesn’t break gazes, my nose scrunches. “Okay, it’s not entirely like that. Yes, I’m sleeping in Shane’s bed, but only because East has people coming and going at all times of night, so he didn’t want me to get woken up from the traffic in the main part of the bunkhouse.”

“I’m sure that’s the reason he doesn’t want you out there.” Elsie snorts, she and Nora both rolling their eyes.

I’m supposed to be faking my relationship around town, but I lasted all of two minutes before confessing to Elsie and Nora what Shane and I are really doing because I can’t lie to my friends. It didn’t help that they saw through me the second I smiled at their first question.

“He’s being a gentleman.” I lift my chin.

“A gentleman?” Elsie’s gaze drifts across the street. “I’m sure he is.”

I follow her stare to where Shane, Lawson, and Aiden are at the front of the line for drinks. Max bounces at Lawson’s side, playing with a slinky his dad got him from one of the vendor tents. East has already disappeared with some girl, which seems to be on par for him.

Shane stands with his thumbs hooked in his pockets, looking sinfully good wearing all black as usual. From his boots to his sunglasses, everything about him screams trouble. And when he laughs at something Aiden says, I nearly lose all composure at his smile.

As if he senses it, he turns his head ever so slightly in my direction, catching me staring. His teeth graze his bottom lip, and my entire body shivers. It’s like he wants to eat me alive.

There’s absolutely nothing gentlemanly about that look.

“We’re friends.” I clear my throat, my voice a touch higher than usual.

Elsie hums in disbelief while Nora giggles.

Thankfully, Shane and Lawson are already heading back to the table, leaving Aiden to wait for the beer, which cuts off the endless interrogation from my friends. They’re worse than being held in Lanceleaf’s police station. And I would know, since I was there a few times as a teenager. It’s why I have sympathy for the high school pranksters who cause trouble around town. I was sixteen and bored once. They’re just looking for something to do.

Music plays from a temporary stage at the center of the street. Downtown has been transformed by the event, overtaken with tents selling food and trinkets. The air smells like fried dough and popcorn. I tip my head back and breathe it in.

This is the Lanceleaf I missed when I left.

These past couple of months, everything has felt like a battle. From keeping the bar afloat to walking the line between the bikers and ranchers, I worried our town had lost this. As I glance around at the wine club playing cards at one table, and my brothers laughing with Nora’s parents at another, it feels like home again.

Will glances over, his gaze moving from me to Shane. They tip their beers up at each other, saying hello from afar as Shane drops into the chair beside me and drapes his arm over the back of mine.

Nora and Elsie both smile when he picks up a strand of my hair and absentmindedly wraps it around his finger.

He’s too good at pretending to be my boyfriend. When we walked past the vegetable stands earlier, he casually flirted and held my hand. The moment we chose seats, he planted his chair right next to mine, not taking his hand off my knee for a second. Shane isn’t the least bit uncomfortable with the show we’re putting on.

Although I doubt Shane is ever uncomfortable around women.

He lowers his mouth to my ear, his breath skittering down my neck. “Your friends won’t stop smiling at me. Do I want to know what you three were talking about?”

“All you need to know is that you’re doing your job well, city boy.” I smile, my toes curling as his deep chuckle hums against my neck.

“I aim to please.”