Hmm. An early day? Gray usually had a one-track mind—the ranch. Since his older son’s fiancé came into town, he’d taken a few days off here and there to entertain him. There was even a rumor in town that Jessamine had seen them kiss. But it was just a rumor, right? Gray would never do something like that. Not with his son’s fiancé. Because that would make my sins pale in comparison.
“Sure. I can do that.” Hopefully, my face didn’t betray my curiosity over the nature of his relationship with Ozzie.
“Good. Let’s get to it, then.”
4
MATTY
The wind tore through my hair like it was trying to steal my thoughts.Good luck with it. There was nothing I would like more than to forget everything and live in the moment.
I kicked my heels lightly against Junebug’s flanks, and she surged forward across the pasture, hooves pounding against the dry earth in a steady, wild rhythm that thrummed through my spine. This—this—was the only time my mind ever shut the hell up.
It was just me and her. No wedding prep. No tense dinners. No hushed whispers in corners of the house that went silent when I walked in. No Hudson standing in the back of my head like some damn ghost I couldn’t outrun.
Junebug snorted as we crested the small hill behind the stables, her body shimmering with sweat and sunshine. I eased her to a trot, then a slow walk, letting her cool down while I drank in the sharp scent of sweat and early afternoon heat. The sky stretched out wide and cloudless overhead, and for a second, I could almost forget everything that had been chewing at me.
Almost.
Back at the barn, I slid off her back and gave her a good pat. “You’re a good girl, June.” I grabbed a handful of oats from the bucket and let her nibble while I rubbed her down. Her sides rose and fell in an easy rhythm, and I leaned my head briefly against her shoulder, grounding myself.
Once again, she was the only love of my life. The only one I could count on.
This place used to give me peace of mind. Now it felt like every corner had claws.
Once she was brushed and fed and tucked away with a fresh bale, I gave the stall gate a final check and headed toward the house. My boots kicked up dust as I walked, the sun pressing warm against my shoulders, sweat drying in patches along the back of my neck.
My steps faltered.
Hudson and Ozzie stood way too close by the porch. Hudson had that loose stance he always wore around people he trusted, like he didn’t expect to be punched in his fucking gorgeously lying mouth at any second. It’d been a long time since he appeared with so much ease when I was around, but he hadn’t seen me yet.
What was so special about Ozzie that he let his guard down around him?
Ozzie was smiling in that sweet, angelic way of his like butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth.
Something in my stomach twisted hard. I didn’t trust him one bit. His engagement to Carter couldn’t be real. I knew my brother, and he was too shallow to seriously marry someone like Ozzie.
I slowed my steps, quiet enough not to be noticed. It wasn’t eavesdropping exactly. I was… paying attention. Closely. Because something was off with my brother’s fiancé, and I’d been trying not to name it. But seeing them together—smiling, comfortable—lit a match under every suspicion I’d been holding back.
Was Hudson the one?
The guy Ozzie was screwing behind Carter’s back. I had no doubt he was sleeping with someone on the ranch. The very day he arrived in Bristlecone Springs, he’d spent the night in the barn with someone.
I swallowed down a snarl. No. Hudson wouldn’t, except… hadn’t he already proven he would?
If he touched Carter’s fiancé, I would kill him.
The breeze shifted, and their voices drifted to me.
“…before you know it, you’ll be canceling your wedding for me.”
I stopped short. Rage lit up behind my ribs, fast and scalding.
“Why would Ozzie cancel his wedding for you?” I snapped, striding up before either of them could pretend they weren’t having some flirty little moment on my family’s land.
Hudson turned, jaw already tight. “It’s none of your fucking business.”
The way he glared at me—like he hated me, like I was nothing—only made me see red. What did he have to hate me for? I was the only one allowed to hate. For his cheating on me. For having a child with someone else. For marrying her instead of talking to me. For flirting with my brother’s fiancé right under my nose.
