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“All okay?” I ask.
“The Rivera brothers are downstairs, they want to have a quick chat with you,” she smiles.
“Okay, make them a pot of tea. I’ll be down in ten.”
“Okay sweetie,” she calls out and she is already on her way down the stairs.
Nerves drum deep inside of me.
I move back towards my closet and pull out a casual but pretty sage green dress and excitement courses through me that the colour matches Riggs’ eyes.
Dropping the towel, I pull a lacey nude thong over my curves and let it sit on my hip bone and pull out a matching bra that supports my full breasts. Placing the dress over my head, I smooth it down my thighs and smile at my reflection. It has a plunge neckline and hugs my body. The skirt cuts off just under my knees, the sleeves capped. Slipping my feet into black heeled pumps, I run my fingers through the ends of my wavy hair and half smile at my reflection. I wish I was going out with Riggs tonight, I wish he was taking me out for the fancy dinner then drinks and even maybe stargazing at our favorite spot. As much as I loved Crooked Valley, my favorite place to watch the stars was from the roof of his house, where we used to sit and watch it, putting the world to rights until one day it stopped. Then our spot was Crooked Valley, but I never knew why we had to move from his house to there.
At the time, all I cared about was being with him.
He consumed my every waking thought, he devoured me in my dreams but then when reality kicked in and I lost him, the dreams stopped and so did my never-ending thoughts.
Sighing, I walk over to my bed and grab my clutch bag then make my way downstairs. Nerves rattle through me when I walk into the living room and all three of the boys stand from the sofa. Each pair of eyes sweep over me but Riggs lingers a little longer and heat flames my cheeks.
“You look beautiful Aspen,” Pacey says all bashful and I watch as his cheeks flush red.
“Thank you, Pacey.”
He bows his head, as if looking at me for too long would cause a problem. Tripp says nothing and Riggs just stares at me with a smug grin on his face.
“What do I owe the pleasure of the Rivera men standing in my living room on the evening of my date?” I tease as I step towards them and take a seat on the large armchair in the corner of the room.
“We thought it best to just give you a little update on what’s been happening and what we want you to try and get out of Clay,” Tripp’s tone is serious, and I watch as Riggs rolls his eyes. Suddenly, I am anxious about going out with Clay.
“Okay…” my voice trails off as I pick the skin around the nail bed of my fingers, nerves burying themselves deep within.
“Don’t panic,” Riggs’ smooth voice coats my skin and I am drawn to him in an instant, my eyes locking with his and a sense of calm pulses through me.
I nod, swallowing the thickness that has formed in my throat. Pacey’s throat bobs as he exchanges looks with his brother.
Uneasiness settles at the pit of my stomach when Tripp begins talking and my eyes drift from Riggs and land on him.
“We believe Clay is working with the suits, he has sold his ranch to them and then they made their way to The Oaks. They want to buy all the land so they have it at their disposal. We could be completely off the mark here, but I am certain Clay is working with them. First it was the illegal selling of livestock, and now he has sold his ranch the first moment he gets. His family haven’t been here long, they’re newbies, but they also bring nothing to our town. All of our ranches work together, we’re a family… Bluebeak Ranch was never part of that. They made it clear from the get-go that they weren’t about the ranch life. They knew the rules when it came to selling, and if left, they would have gotten away with it for much longer, but we have loyal friends here in Lovelock Bay so it wasn’t going to be long until one of us found out,” Tripp sighs and drops his head for a moment.
“Try and see if you can get anything out of him about Tom’s ranch, The Oaks. I have a feeling they were sniffing around a little too closely to that one. They preyed on his vulnerability knowing full well he had nothing to lose by selling to them,” Riggs takes over the conversation and I slowly swing my head to look at him.
“Riggs,” I hear Tripp’s warning tone, but Riggs ignores him, keeping his eyes focused on me.
“Tom was one of us. I offered to buy… the next day he dies?” He shakes his head from side to side as if in disbelief and my heart aches.
“He was old,” Pacey steps in, looking across to his brother and tries to reason with him, pulling the idea of Tom’s death being anything more than natural causes.
“I don’t care, I wanna know what he knows,” Riggs answers abruptly, and I know he is hurting.
“I better be off, Clay thinks I’m staying down at Sylvia’s and I need to meet him outside Sunny’s.”
I puff out my cheeks, already feeling the pressure and anxiety of the web of lies I will be spinning off to him.
I give the boys a curt nod and turn to walk out the room when I feel a grip on my elbow, slowly pulling me back. Spinning, I see Riggs staring at me, his eyes volleying back and forth between mine.
“Be careful, okay?” he is concerned.
I half laugh but he doesn’t return it.
