Page 25

“Mayor Hale,” I tell her, setting her on her bare feet. “That’s the epitome of a douchebag.”

It’s then Wyoma swoops in. “All right you Wild Westons, put a lid on it. I need a little girl to make nice with some water.” She narrows her eyes then lets out a playful growl.

Bugs giggles as she darts out the kitchen, down the hallway, and up the stairs to her bathroom. Wyoma chases after her.

I look back at the window. I shake my head and cross my arms as the girl collapses into a chair on the porch and stretches out like she’s a cat in the sun. A disbelieving scoff bubbles in my lungs. I told her to leave, and she’s settling in to stay? Her audacity has my cock flexing in my jeans. Has my eyes locked on her as she stretches a toned leg to the sky.

She’s making me stare long and hard at something I haven’t had in a damn long time.

Like I said. Trouble.

“You want to tell her to go, or should I?” I look at my brothers.

River leans back against the counter, staring me down. “She flinches when you move too fast.”

Anger creeps over me. My mind calls up the bruises on her wrists. Her cheekbone. The soft tremble in her voice when I told her to go.

But I force myself to shrug, to not care. “Sounds like her problem.”

“C’mon, dickhead. You’re not that heartless.” River frowns.

I’m not, but they don’t need to know that. The girl showed up in the middle of the night. She’s looking out for herself. Afraid of something. Or someone. She shouldn’t be here. Baggage, whatever she has, is her own. We’ve had enough drama in our lives to last us a lifetime.

Wells absently spins the wide leather cuff on his wrist. “It’s a sanctuary for a reason, isn’t it?”

Frustration ignites in my chest. Out of us all, Wells is the most optimistic. “Wells, you’re not helping my case.”

River grins at Wells. “I knew you were my favorite brother.”

“He’s just grumpy because it messes with his routine.” Amusement laces my uncle’s tone.

The observation only makes me scowl. Because he’s right. I like my life the way it is. Black coffee. Whiskey. Barrels and bulls. Nothing gets in the way of my work.

Especially not a woman.

I look at Ezra, wanting to change the subject. “You talk to Kimmy?”

“Begged. Pleaded. No dice.” From upstairs comes the sounds of splashing and Evvie’s playful squeals. “She ain’t comin’ back.”

“Fuck.” I run a hand over my jaw. Feel the muscle pulse. Just what we need. Short a bartender. Anyone from town who needed temporary summer work has already been hired by now.

“I could bartend.” Ezra’s gaze shifts to our uncle, expression pensive.

Vaughn shakes his head. Silent until matters concern the business. “You’re stretched thin in the distillery as it is. We need all your focus on the launch.”

“And you have Evvie,” Wells adds. He looks at me. “I could—”

“No,” River and I say in unison. He has the animals. The rodeo. We don’t want our little brother to have more on his plate.

“And we’re not even going to ask you.” Ezra’s lips bounce as he looks at River.

River extends his middle finger without looking at him.

I shift my eyes to the girl once more. Still there. Still in the sun. That halo of golden hair, that slim leg kicked up on her knee is like a punch to the chest. If she weren’t so damn pretty, maybe I’d have some fucking common sense.

Starting now.

I take a step toward the door, intending to tell this pretty new stranger to pack her bags, then send her stubborn ass back to wherever she came from, when Ezra’s voice sounds. “Wait.”