Frankie’s eyes swept over my brother, assessing him with a slight arch to her brow. “You need anything, handsome? Maybe some Advil and a heating pad after all those shots you took last night?”
Dominic choked on his coffee. He wasn’t shy, but he also wasn’t as forward as Frankie.I don’t thinkanyoneis as forward as Frankie.“Ah, just a refill. Thanks.”
Frankie left to get our drinks, her laugh tinkling in her wake. Dominic looked after her with a weird expression on his face, almost like…hunger.
“Thanks for sticking around,” I said. “I know you need to get back to the ranch.”
“They can manage a few days, and I had business in the area,” Dominic answered, his eyes still on Frankie as she bustled behind the bar. I didn’t ask him what the fuck would bring him to Montana, nor did I pester him about what his deal was with Frankie. “What do you want?”
“Relax. I’m not here to drag you back to the family business. I need a favor.”
Dominic’s only response was a twitch of his eyebrow.
“It’s for my—Val,” I said, then cleared my throat. “She wants to start her own community farming operation, and I thought you might giveher some advice. Or at the very least, connect her with the family that owns the ranch so she can consult with them.”
Dominic stared at me for a long moment. The silence between us grew heavy and uncomfortable. “Who’s Val? What happened to Cressida?”
Fuck.I hadn’t thought this through, which was unlike me. Mercifully, Frankie dropped off our drinks, then left, and I gulped down the scalding liquid. “Nothing happened to Cressida.” Then I had a thought. “Val is Frankie’s best friend and my…personal assistant this season. She does great work and I want to help her out.”
At the mention of a certain ball-busting tattooed Chinese woman with a penchant for all-black attire, Dominic perked up in his seat.Yeah, I know exactly what kind of “business” he had in the area.
But at the stubborn slant to his brow, I knew he wasn’t going to make this easy for me. “Years of silence, and now you want a favor?Nowyou want to talk?” He sat back, crossing his arms. And waited.
Guess we’re going to have it out in the middle of the bar.“The phone works both ways, Dom. And with as much as you traveled, I never knew how or when to reach you.”
“So it’s my fault. Sounds about right.”
I gritted my teeth. “I didn’t say that.” I wanted to be angry, but the truth was, I was jealous of his freedom and ability to be anonymous even if it was working a string of random gigs as he bopped around the world making pottery or whatever. “But I could have tried harder to stay in touch. Honestly, I thought you wouldn’t want anything to do with me after I started the leadership track at Keller Resorts. Raife called me a sellout.”
Dominic snorted, his stony exterior thawing a bit. “I’m not Raife.”
“Yeah, nobody can possibly compete with that level of assholery.”
We shared a grunt-laugh and the tension ratcheted down a few notches. I almost confided in him about the letters and our mother’s possible murder, but stirring up shit without having any concrete evidence wasn’t what I wanted, especially now that we’d reached a tenuous truce.
Instead, I gave him the words I should have said years ago. And after seeing Val with her own brothers, well, it had me missing mine and regretting my actions. Even with Raife. “I’m sorry, Dom. I shouldn’t have assumed you’d feel the same. I got so caught up in the daily slog, and before I knew it, years had gone by. It’s no excuse, and I should have done better. Iwilldo better.”
Dominic stared at me for a beat, then cracked a small smile. “I’m sorry too. All right. Enough raking yourself over the coals. Plenty of time to make up for years of being a stuck-up bastard—starting with comping my room service bill and bar tab for this week.”
I let out a laugh. “Done. Although by the looks of it, I might regret agreeing to that undoubtedly hefty bar tab.”
When he chuckled, I knew we’d be okay. Repairing our relationship would take more than a shared laugh, but I was pleased to be on speaking terms again. “Val will be here in a second,” I said. “I have a meeting, so I can’t stay. But help her if you can?”
“Okay, big bro. Only because I’ve never seen you havethatlook on your face before, especially over a woman.”
“What look?”
“Like you won the fucking lottery and don’t have a care in the world.”
I snorted a laugh. I most certainlydidhave a care in the world, but I was grateful to have Val by my side—at least for a couple more months. A hand on my shoulder had my head turning up to see Val smiling at me, looking radiant in a teal sweater and a denim jacket. She slid into the seat beside me and stuck out a hand to Dominic.
“I’m Val,” she said.
“I’ve heard. I’m Dominic.”
“Right,” she said, “the absolutelegendof a younger brother who’s traveled the world and done so many things I’ve only ever dreamed of doing.”
Dominic chuckled. “I see my reputation precedes me.”
