She shrugs. “Sorry. That’s what you get for avoiding the store because a hot guy works there.”
“He’s not that hot,” I say in a way that doesn’t even convince me.
June bursts out laughing, her green eyes flashing with amusement. “He’s not? What do you consider hot then? Besides a burning stove?”
Silence while June cocks her head and studies me. “Lei,” she finally says. “Don’t let the hot guy run you off.”
I nearly break and tell her the truth about my past with Brayden. Not because I think that would get her to back off, but because maybe then she’d understand why my connection with him scares me so damn much.
Before I can decide, June says, “He’s away all day Friday if you want to come in to work. He’s got a game in Billings, so they’re leaving in the morning and won’t be back until the middle of the night.”
“Wow.” I picture Brayden coaching football, and the image is so hot I nearly fan myself. “Sure, I’ll come in.”
“Great.” She walks over to the desk where my computer sits. “Is this your portfolio?”
I forgot I’d pulled it out of my closet the other day. “Yeah.”
“Do you mind if I look through it?” she asks me. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen it.”
“Um…” I finally give a half-shrug. “Sure. Go ahead.”
She flips through the pages in silence before looking up. “You’re an amazing artist, Lei. You know that, right?”
I shake my head. “Thanks, June. It was a long time ago.”
“And you can still paint circles around most of us. Your freaking storefront sign is attracting customers.”
I look away from her. “Thanks. It’s been fun to paint again. But you know, it’s not a career.”
“It could be.”
“No,” I say. “My future is in my PhD. Painting was always a hobby.”
She drops the subject and begins to look at the newsletter file sitting open on the screen. “Maybe one day you should try the sweet, Lei,” she says over her shoulder. “You might find you like it.”
* * *
Brayden
I haven’t seen Leleila since I drove her home after dance class. A part of me is relieved. I shouldn’t have pushed her on the “let’s be friends” idea. That wasn’t my smartest move. But I do need her help. It’s supposed to rain this Sunday, so there’s no time to delay. But I don’t want to bug her when she’s clearly busy.
“Hey, little brother.”
I lift my head just enough to see Luke approaching. His cowboy hat covers his dark head of hair that’s always a little too long, like mine. We may have matching eye color, similar builds, and be competitive as hell, but our temperaments are pretty different. He’s the life of the party and seems to know everyone in the county. He never played football; instead, he competed in rodeos across the state and beyond. Being brutally thrown off a bronc ended his competitive career although he still claims he’s going to make a comeback.
I raise my hand in a wave and then return to the issue at hand—fence mending.
“Need a hand?” He steps up to the fence before I can answer and holds it steady while I bang the last post into the ground.
“Thanks.” Wiping the sweat off my brow, I grab my tools and toss them into the back of my truck. “How are things at Wild Ranch?”
“Things are good.” Luke leans up against the side of my truck and gives me a hard look. “Got your message. What’d you want to talk about?”
“I’ve got a kid on the team—his dad’s got an addiction issue.”
“Wes Thompson.” Luke lifts an eyebrow. “The whole town of Wilcox knows about it, Bray. You don’t have to beat around the fucking bush.”
Ignoring his sarcasm, I plunge ahead. “Wes is worried for his dad this weekend. It’s the anniversary of his mother’s death, and his dad’s taking it hard.”
