I was pissed about what happened to Dolly, and Duke blamed himself. Like typical emotionally stunted men, it was all we needed to do for our relationship to return to normal.
After that, we put it behind us and agreed that no one would ever be good enough for Dolly.
“I’ll fight whoever they want me to.”
“They said the bets are starting at five hundred, which means the winner will walk with at least ten grand.”
I don’t care about the money, and he knows that.
“Are you gonna fight?” I ask.
“I guess so. Can’t let you do it and get the girls for the night.”
I snort before I finally turn away from the office and start heading up the stairs to shower and go to bed.
“Keely said you didn’t touch her at the lake and you didn’t invite her to come over to the ranch afterward.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t invite her; you did. Why are you so damn concerned with my sex life?”
“I know you too well. You’ve never gone this long.”
“And?”
I don’t even know how long it’s been, but I guess since Keely and I split up, it’s been my longest stretch of celibacy since I was a teenager. She thought she’d be sleeping in my bed at the lake house, but that didn’t happen.
A set of pale gray eyes, a freckled nose, and rich ebony hair infiltrate my imagination. For the first time since I’ve known her, I can’t get her out of my head. The sound of her breathy exhales in my ear as she came undone on my lap is going to haunt me for the rest of my life.
I won’t let it happen again.
“I’m not into her anymore. Don’t do that shit again.”
“I won’t, trust me. She was crying to me about you rejecting her. But how was I supposed to know this breakup between y’all was different? I don’t care if it’s Keely or some girl at the fights, but getting laid is what you need to feel like yourself again.”
“Maybe.”
I’ll never let my best friend find out that the only person I can think about getting into bed with right now is his little sister. I’ll never act on my impulses for her. Even though I don’t view heras my sister, I care too much about her to let her be shackled to a man like me.
Which means I need to get a thousand times better at ignoring her existence, like I’ve been doing for the last ten years.
“Call.”Duke sets his cards face down on the table.
We’ve been playing Texas Hold’em at Holden and Rosie’s house in Holden’s man cave every Friday night for the past few months, while the girls have their night in the living room. I missed the last two Fridays after the funeral, and Duke’s been guilt-tripping me about it all week. I’ve been swamped with ranch work, putting in twelve-hour days to catch up.
Cash lays his hand down and lifts his bourbon glass to his lips. He’s the second-oldest brother, and he just got back into town after a trip to New York City with his fiancée, Monroe Blue. She’s a world-famous country singer, but they have a house on Redford Ranch, where they spend six months out of the year. Cash is her full-time bodyguard. He works on the ranch when they’re here, and she writes music and spends time with Rosie and Dolly. The three of them became fast friends when she stayed at the ranch to try and get away from a man who was stalking her obsessively.
“Hey, Cash. Been meaning to ask you about something.” Holden sets his cards down on the felt-top table and stands.
He exits the room and returns with an envelope in his hand.
He tosses it on the table. Cash picks it up, pulls out the paper inside, and reads it. His brows narrow after a few beats.
“What is it?” Duke asks.
Cash’s jaw tics as he sets the letter on the table in front of Duke. He picks it up and curses under his breath before handing it to me. The letter is typed up on a standard piece of printer paper.
Redfords,
What you did to Cain Dixon will not go unpunished. One of you ended a man’s life only to serve a few short years in prison. One of you deserves to die. Your sleeping every night, thinking your safe. But I’m watching you and your family. I’ll find a way to make you pay. You took everything from me and one day one of you will loose everything you love.
