Marcus kickedat a bucket in the barn back home at Winding Creek Ranch and clenched his hands into fists. Today had been emotionally draining. Every time he’d heard Wynter laugh at something her grandmother said, it had done something to him. He’d wanted to join in on the conversation just so he could be close to her. His whole body practically itched to storm into the room where she’d been and demand she change her mind.
It wasn’t normal and he knew it, which was what kept him from doing something rash. He needed a plan. Something that wouldn’t make her run for the hills screaming.
Or at least something that wouldn’t have Wynter ghosting him and leaving the state like she did last time.
He stood before the toppled bucket, hands on his hips, not focused on anything besides his thoughts, when the sound of footsteps approaching had him lifting his head. Isabelle pauseda few feet away, her pointed gaze sliding to the bucket. Then she arched a brow. “Okay…”
Marcus scowled.
“Well, did the bucket deserve it?”
He scoffed. “What do you want, Izzie?”
She folded her arms. “Maybe I don’t want anything.Maybe,” she emphasized, “there’s something I can do foryou.”
At first, he didn’t know what she could possibly be talking about. But then it dawned on him, and he turned to face her fully. Of course his sister would want to meddle in his life. That was what sisters did. The problem was, when sisters got involved, it never turned out well.
“Actually, I don’t think there is.”
Isabelle laughed, and he startled at the sound. “Really? Come on, Marcus. You’re clearly losing your cool. And I’m pretty sure I know why. When are you going to admit that you need help getting Wynter back in your good graces?”
“Yeah, no thanks.”
This time she groaned. “I can help.”
“Why?” he demanded. “Why would you want to help?”
His sister clasped her hands together and held them over her heart. “Because I found my person. And…” She hesitated, a faraway look in her eyes for a moment. “I want to help you find yours.”
“What makes you so sure that Wynter is my person?”
When she smiled it was softer, knowing. “Marcus, I’m your sister. I know you well enough to see it. The way you changed when Wynter got back to town. You can’t hide it. So let me help you. Let me do this for you.”
He watched her for a long moment, then glanced over to where he’d kicked at the bucket. “Fine.” Marcus flinched when she squealed, then prayed he wouldn’t regret this.
“Great! Nora and I have a plan.”
Marcus stiffened and faced his sister, his jaw slackened. “Nora?”
Isabelle nodded. “Jason, too. But Jason’s input is more related to his culinary skills.” She clapped her hands together. “Okay, so here’s the plan. Jason is going to make a bunch of cookies that we’re going to donate to various places around town. He’s got the best recipe for frosting, too. Just wait, it’s like the fluffiest, sweetest frosting in the whole world. It’s like heaven in your mouth and?—”
“I get it. The frosting is to die for. But what is the plan?” Marcus rubbed at his temples. Why did he get the feeling that his sister was going to make this out to be a bigger deal than he wanted it to be? She couldn’t possibly understand Wynter’s reasoning for keeping her distance.
“Right. So, here’s the plan. You need to spend time with her, right? More time that’s not…” She looked him up and down. “While you’re working. Think about it. You both need to get to know each other again, and how are you going to do that if your head is under a sink?”
“I’ve been talking to her,” he defended himself. “We…” His brows pinched. “She says she doesn’t want to cross the lines. She doesn’t want to be anything more than friends. How am I supposed to work past that roadblock?”
“She said that?” Isabelle frowned and tapped at her chin. “Okay… so romance. We need to make her want to cross that line.”
Marcus snorted. “You can’t make Wynter do anything. She’s one of the most stubborn people I know. Her sense of self-preservation is… well, you know how she is.”
The look of empathy on his sister’s face was almost enough to have him abandon this whole idea. He wasn’t even sure he wanted her help.
“Oh, stop,” Izzie huffed.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“But you were thinking it. Seriously, Marcus. You can’t give up now.”
