“You’ll tell me? If it’s too much?” I asked.
He nodded, thumb brushing my jawline. “I’ll tell you.”
One thing I could never see breaking between the two of us was our trust. If he said he’d be okay, I’d believe him.
Me: We’ll pop in after work
Lettie: See you two then!
24
PARKER
Walking into Outlaw’s Watering Hole was like another homecoming. Nostalgia hit with the moody orange lights casting shadows along the chipped wooden walls and even-worse-for-wear bar. The room looked the same as when I had left, and I was thankful it hadn’t turned into some faux western tourist attraction like so many others I’d visited in the west.
Country music drowned out the chatter of the other groups at the bar, but nothing held a candle to the volume at which Lettie shouted, calling us over to them.
Beckham and I crossed the shoe-scuffed floor, boards creaking as we went.
“So, how does it feel? Just like old times?” Lettie asked, looping her arm with mine and pulling me away from Beckham.
I sent him a grin over my shoulder, and he looked like a sad puppy seeing me tugged out of his grasp. I shot hima mopey face back and he chuckled, all woes wiped away as he joined the guys.
It seemed like it was only Oakley and Lettie with their partners tonight.
“Looking at it now, I don’t think they should’ve allowed us in as teens,” I said, the scent of spilled whiskey and old beer wafting around me.
Lettie smiled, winking. “Ah, but then we wouldn’t remember it like we do.”
“Like sneaking sips of your brothers’ drinks and them frowning at us the whole time?” Memories of Beckham carrying me out of here had my eyes searching for him. He was at the pool table now, lost in conversation with Bailey and Lennon.
“Exactly,” Lettie agreed.
Oakley rested her elbows on the table, leaning in with a grin. Her red hair was half up, half down, the style showing off her sharp jawline and pert nose. Lettie, on the other hand, had her caramel hair loose and wild—much like her personality.
“I would’ve been thrown in jail if I ever tried to set foot inside a bar in Denver,” Oakley said.
“You grew up in Denver?” I asked.
Oakley nodded. “Born and raised. Have you been?”
“I visited a lot of ranches around Colorado. Denver’s traffic was always a pain in the ass when I had to pass through, but the scenery made up for it.”
Upon seeing the slight look of confusion from her, I clarified, “I traveled a lot for social media.”
“Like aninfluencer?”
“Yeah. I went from ranch to ranch, wanting to learn more about cattle and that lifestyle. I posted about the whole thing and eventually made an income from it.”
“Didn’t you grow up in that lifestyle, though?” Oakley asked.
A look of something like sympathy passed over Lettie’s features.
“No. I got a horse once I saved up enough money, but he stayed at the Bronsons’. He supposedly bucked all his riders off, but I thought if he didn’t work out for me, Beckham could train on him. But one very expensive chiropractor visit later, and he was perfect. Never bucked for me once.”
“Where’s Tex now?” Lettie questioned, a crease in her forehead.
“I sold him after I found out I was pregnant.” I looked down at my fingers, picking at a nail. “It wouldn’t have been fair to have him sitting. Plus, I was living in my trailer with him. Only exercise he got was when we rode.”
