"Ouch! No," I lie. "Figured you want to do something after this. Got anything planned?"
"Unfortunately not. Milo is driving me nuts."
"Another fight?"
"Yep." Her lips press into a thin line. "I asked him why he never kisses as passionately as he did during the blind kiss. And would you believe it? He got all touchy about it."
"Touchy?" My eyebrows rise suspiciously.
"So, I'm taking a night off. A break from his moods and my own overthinking."
"Sounds like you need it," I nod, my attention drifting momentarily to the arena where Trouble is no longer in my peripheral vision.
"Anyway, enough about me." Honey leans against the gate. "Real question is, why all of a sudden do you want to be around the Stetsons?"
"I don’t," I respond too quickly. "I'm hoping to spend some time with my brother."
Honey arches an eyebrow. "Right… So how are you going to do that when he's not going to be there?"
"He's not?"
"Nope," she says. "I hear everything working at the bar, and I know he has a date with Hazel tonight."
"Who is Hazel?"
"Oh, she's a sweet girl." She brushes it off with the flick of her hand. "Now, don't try to change the subject. Which brother areyou into?"
I look up, avoiding eye contact because I can’t believe I’m about to say this out loud. I’m about to throw this into the universe, and I will never be able to take it back. I let her continue for a moment.
"Charming's out," she declares, her gaze dissecting the circle of men in the arena. "He's too in love with himself. And Danger? Nah, he's still nursing that broken heart." Her hand flutters dismissively before locking onto the remaining two. "So, it's gotta be Rogue or?—"
Her eyes go wide, mouth falling open. "Do not tell me it's Trouble."
"Fine, I won't," I shrug, because then I won’t have to put it out in the universe.
She pauses, eyes glinting with mischief. "He's trouble alright, but lucky for you, the secrets about him are all good. Usually it’s the opposite. People say good things about someone to their face and whisper about all the bad. With him, he only lets a few see his good side. Trust me, bartenders know all.”
“I can’t argue with that,” I say, because it’s true. If there’s anyone in this town that knows all, it’s Honey.
“But the good friend in me has to warn you to be careful. Guys like him? They’re a great time, a memory you’ll smile about when you look back, but not the happily-ever-after kind.”
My stomach sinks a little, but then she grins. “That said, the bad friend in me is screaming inside, because if half of what the locals say about him is true? Girl, you are in for one hell of a rodeo.”
My brows shoot up. “What do they say?”
She leans closer like we’re swapping secrets. “Sweet girl, it’s the muscles, the stamina, the—” she lowers her voice to a scandalized whisper “—talent. Peggy Rae swore up anddown she didn’t believe in heaven till a bull rider took her there one night. Said the way he held on, the way hemoved—Lord have mercy, she saw all the clouds and even the pearly gates. Now she wears that little gold cross ‘round her neck, just prayin’ for another ride to glory.”
I laugh, heat creeping up my neck. “We don’t exactly have many bull riders in the city.”
“Which is why you’d better brace yourself,” she teases, looping her arm through mine as we start walking. Then she flashes me a wicked grin. “And you have to tell me everything…”
The road twists and rocks kick up behind Honey's car until we reach our destination. We roll by a section of trees and then it opens up—and suddenly, it feels like we’ve crossed into a hidden pocket of summer paradise. Just another stretch of Stetson land, but it’s more than that. The wide clearing is tucked away from the rest of the world, wrapped in a border of tall trees that keep it secret.
A fire pit glows near the center, and beyond it, the lake glimmers under the moonlight. The lake is still except for the splash of someone swinging from a rope tied to an old oak and launching into the water. Music hums from someone's speaker, and groups of people stand by their trucks and coolers.
Charming is crouched by the firepit now, trying to keep the flame high.
"Go get your man," Honey winks as she joins Charming. "Need more sticks?" she calls out.
