Darin had hated Boyd Harrington. The thought gave me a boost. When I’d been better friends with Teller, I’d enjoyed chatting with Darin. He’d been an easy guy to get along with and had been aware of his family’s contributions to the town. He’d gone out of his way to be affable instead of entitled.
I could understand why he’d disliked Boyd. Boyd’s and Summer’s names in fancy script on the invitation had irritated the shit out of me. The entire invite had. Cream-colored paper. Lace overlay. I had to break through three envelopes to get to it. Even the wrinkles were fancy, like it was antique papyrus or some shit. But her name in complicated calligraphy had just beenwrong.
Summer wasn’t a complicated name and it shouldn’t be made into something it wasn’t.
“I’m going to judge,” I said to goad her.
Her anger flowed over me when she turned toward me. “Is that what you do? Sit in that boring cabin and get all judgmental?”
I kept driving, but satisfaction settled deep in my gut. There was the fire that fueled the woman. She’d lost it when that asshole had slapped her. “No, Summer.We’regoing to sit in the boring cabin and get all judgmental.”
She paused. “How bad is it that I’m looking forward to it?”
For her? This was nothing but a blip on her radar. Sunny Summer Kerrigan would continue to bulldoze through life, doing things her way.
For me? Once she was gone, I’d be left thinking about everything I’d lost.
Summer
Ages ago, I’d been to Jonah’s cabin. He lived on the edge of Bailey land, on the farthest reaches of the Dunns’land, so close that if our families didn’t get along, there could be issues. But Jonah kept to himself, respected his property and ours, and was overall a dream neighbor.
According to Teller, and from what I’d seen, Jonah was as much of a recluse as he could be. The thought made the “dream neighbor” label sad.
When Jonah was a kid, he used to help Tate and Teller on the ranch. The three of them, along with Tenor, would race four-wheelers and snowmobiles, pull out the tractors they got stuck in the mud, and hunt and fish until we thought they weren’t coming home. They didn’t stop as they entered their adult years. During my brothers’ college breaks, either Jonah was back at the house or Teller was at his.
Then Jonah’s brother was killed. Eli Dunn. My high school boyfriend. Jonah had withdrawn into himself, become a hermit, and made it clear he didn’t want to see or speak to me again.
I must’ve looked extra pathetic in my puffy wedding dress if he was letting me hide at his place.
Memories surged as we got closer to the cabin. Eli and I stopping in when Eli’s mom couldn’t get ahold of Jonah and sent Eli to check on him. Eli grabbing camping equipment for the weekends out with friends I refused to go on. I’d never told Eli the real reason why. He’d been my friend before he’d been my boyfriend, but there was so much I hadn’t told him.
Until he’d figured out part of it. And things had ended horribly.
Jonah drove up the base of the mountain, the wipers on the pickup swiping at the flurries coming down.
“We were supposed to fly out tomorrow morning.” I didn’t know why I was telling him. The honeymoonshould’ve been another red flag, and I was tired of feeling like a fool, but I also didn’t wish to spend time in the past. “Before the worst of the snow hit.”
“Where were you going?”
“Bali.”
He let out a low whistle. “Nice.” His profile was harsh in the dash lights. All ridges and angles. His face was narrower than his brother’s had been. A sharp line of a nose. Dark slashes for brows and thick lashes. His hair had been shaggy the few times I’d caught a glimpse of him in town, but today he’d neatly brushed it with a smart part on the side. I preferred the shaggy look. “Do you want me to take you to the airport?”
God, no. I was almost more relieved to skip the honeymoon than the wedding. “He’s probably going or has canceled everything.” I continued scrutinizing my passenger window. The familiar landscape eased my nerves. I’d quit shivering a few miles out of Bourbon Canyon. “I didn’t want to go anyway.”
“You didn’t?” He did the quick-glance thing. The lick of heat from his attention was hard to ignore. The man was focused on driving, but he didn’t miss much.
How long had it been since one of the guys I dated had focused on me and what I felt? When they weren’t thinking about what I could do to them or for them? Was that why I’d stayed with Boyd?
His nitpicky and controlling behavior came off as personal concern and I was attention starved? “Bali, right? Should be a dream vacation.” I shuddered. “I hate planes.”
“Did the jackass know that?”
“Yes.” What a stupid little girl I’d been. “He said he’dhelp me relax. Told me it’d be fine, and I... let him steamroll right over me.”
“Don’t do that,” he growled, so deep, almost menacing, but the shivers that traced over my body weren’t from fear.
I was all mixed up inside. “Don’t do what?”
