Hank shot me a look over his coffee mug. “You try wranglin’ a half-broke steer with a grudge and then tell me who’s soft.”
“Sounds like the steer had the upper hand.”
“El gave me the meanest one just to see me suffer,” Hank grumbled, shaking his head.
Elia just gave him a grin, letting Dylan, who’s perched on his hips, do the talking.
“Why do you look so grumpy?” I said to Dylan. “Hank not your type, huh?”
“He’s grumpy when Maya’s not around.”
Maya had lived with me for a few weeks now, settling in like she belonged, not just with me, but with the whole ranch.But Dylan? He couldn’t get enough of her. He tottered after her, still unsteady on his feet, those big, wide eyes tracking her every move like she was the most fascinating person in the world. Maybe because she smelled like cake, thanks to her job at Buffaloberry Hill’s favorite bakery, Butterberry Oven. Or maybe she just had a way of making everything fun and turning the simplest moments into little adventures.
Life was peaceful, and I’d like to keep it that way. Although I hadn’t forgotten our situation. The necklace, Napoleon, her uncle David, and Annamaria.
I played peek-a-boo with Dylan, but apparently, I’d been relegated from being his favorite uncle.
“You need your own,” Elia said when Dylan turned his face away from me.
“I’m working on it,” I said.
“Does Maya know about it?”
“Ah…um. No.”
Elia gave me his classic big-brother shoulder pat. “You’d better start with that.”
Shaking off the thought, I leaned in. “Hey, you wouldn’t mind me popping out for a bit?”
“Sure.”
I made my way to Logan’s ranch.
Logan had just finished lunch when I found him, standing by the fence line, watching his horses graze. The man had a way of moving slowly and steadily, like the land itself had shaped him that way. He wasn’t the kind to be rattled, and I needed that right now.
I fell into step beside him as we walked the length of the field.
“Noah boy! How’s life treating you? Where’s Maya? You two still owe me and Riley a dinner date.”
“I haven’t forgotten,” I said. I liked Riley—solid, no drama—but I didn’t know her well enough to drop all the truth bombs yet. Especially with Maya’s past still under wraps in Buffaloberry Hill. And that meant I hadn’t told Log either.
Log elbowed me. “What’s that look?”
I pressed my lips together, reminding myself why I always trusted him. “Just so you hear it from me. Before Buffaloberry, Maya did time. Burglary and assault. The burglary was real. The assault wasn’t.”
“Appreciate you telling me. Doesn’t change how I see her.”
“And there’s more. But I can’t get into it right now,” I added. The last thing I wanted was to drag Log into something he couldn’t unknow. “She’s carrying something big.”
Logan didn’t react right away. He just toed a small stone with his boot, his hands tucked into his pockets.
“You Lucases sure have a knack for finding trouble,” he said eventually.
I let out a short chuckle. Claire was the sweetest sister-in-law one could ask for, but even she hadn’t been immune to tangled pasts. Until she’d met Elia. My brother, the fighter. Always had been, always would be.
And me? I wasn’t backing down either. Not when it came to Maya.
Logan gave a nod, his eyes fixed on the horizon. “Everyone’s got something they don’t want the world to see,” he said. “What matters is whether that secret owns them, or if they own it.”
