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Sending Bradly a text that said I’d meet him there, I quickly changed and headed out the door. When I walked into The Blue Moose minutes later, I saw Bradly sitting with two other guys at a table. I had no idea who they were, so I figured they were either bull riders or friends of his from Hamilton.
“Hey,” I said as I clapped him on the back. Bradly stood and shook my hand.
“Good to see you, Mav. I’m glad you came. This is Duke and Will, they both work on my father’s ranch.”
Duke was a built motherfucker. Dark brown hair that almost looked black, and probably around the same age as me, maybe a bit younger. Will wasn’t as big, but he had those Prince Charming good looks. Blond hair and clean-shaven face. He looked like he should work in a bank, not on a ranch.
Of course, sitting next to Bradly, with his black hair and eyes nearly the same color, they both paled in comparison.
Bradly looked a lot like his father, Dirk Littlewood, who owned a cattle ranch about twenty minutes or so from the Shaw Ranch. They also had a farm that was a pick-your-own during the seasons. He used to be one of the best bull riders around, next to Brock Shaw and Ty Shaw Jr., both of whom Dirk counted as best friends. Lily and Nathan had always called Dirk andhis wife, Merit, aunt and uncle, and Bradly and his younger sister Avery were considered cousins, even though they weren’t related by blood. That was just how the families were around here. Blood wasn’t something that tied you to someone. What was in your heart did that.
Reaching my hand out, I shook Duke’s, then Will’s. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”
A waitress walked up and smiled down at me as I sat. “What can I get for you?”
“Whatever IPA you have in a bottle.”
“Coming up. Everyone else good?”
The three men all nodded.
“I’m glad you decided to come out,” Bradly said before a blonde walked up and smiled at him.
“Care to dance, cowboy?”
He smiled politely and stood, gesturing at the table. “Thank you, but I’m with my friends right now.”
It was hard not to feel bad for her when her smile slipped. She glanced around the table, and I thought for a hot second she was going to ask one of us to dance. Instead, she turned and walked away.
“Damn, dude, that’s…what? The sixth or seventh woman who’s asked you to dance tonight that you’ve said no to?” Will asked. “Why are you turning them down?”
Bradly sighed. “I’m only in town a few days, and trust me, I get my fair share of buckle bunnies chasing after me on the road. I simply want to enjoy a night out with friends.”
Will smirked as he said, “So the next one who walks up, can you just point her to one of us? Because I’m more than happy to dance.”
We all laughed as the waitress approached and handed me the beer. I pulled out some money, but she waved it off. “The young lady at the bar bought it for you.”
Turning, I saw Lily sitting at the bar with Renee, one of her good friends from high school. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she wore painted-on jeans, cowboy boots, and a long-sleeve green shirt. It was too dim in the bar to tell, but I was sure the shirt would make her deep honey eyes pop against the darker color.
I picked up the beer and toasted it toward her, causing her smile to brighten.
Bradly turned to see who I was looking at, and he didn’t seem surprised to see Lily.
“She bought our last round,” he said as he turned back and pointed to Duke. “And the answer is still no.”
“No to what?” I asked.
“Duke wanted to ask Lily out, and I told him hands off.”
I set my beer down and raised a brow. “Why’s that? Because he’s just a ranch hand?”
The question seemed to take Bradly by surprise. It did Duke and Will, as well.
“No, not at all. Because he’s a player, and he admits it. I don’t want himplayingwith my cousin.” Bradly studied me for a minute. “You didn’t seriously think it was because he works on my father’s ranch, did you?”
Lifting the beer to my lips, I shrugged. “I was curious, is all. What about Will?”
Will shook his head. “Don’t drag me into this.”
