Lauren lifted her head and stared at her reflection in the mirror. Shadows hung beneath her eyes, her hair had decided to be utterly rebellious, and the sweater dress she’d bought specifically for her date tonight was half a size too small and scratching her skin. These were all signs that she should call it off with the cowboy.
“My heart isn’t in it. I look like death warmed over, and I’m tired.”
“Ha! I’ve never seen you look anything less than gorgeous, and that includes the time I brought you chicken soup when you had the stomach flu.”
Hadley was another friend who could havecut ties with Lauren recently. Zach’s brother, Rome, tried to kill Hadley and her boyfriend, and he’d almost done it.
Instead of flying into a rage, Hadley listened when Lauren admitted that she’d offered to let Zach stay at her rental house. Instead of ending their friendship, Hadley understood.
The argument between Gage and Rome that led to his death had nothing to do with Zach. At least, that’s what both Gage and Hadley claimed. After spending the last two years studying mannerisms and responses, Lauren was convinced they were telling the truth.
Gage’s past wasn’t picture-perfect either, but Hadley’s instinct had told her he was worth trusting. She could have given up on him like so many others, but she didn’t.
Now, Lauren’s stomach was tangled in knots, and she wasn’t sure if it was the impending date, her semi-dangerous neighbor, or her fruitless search for Anthony.
Zach wasn’t the only reason she lost sleep at night. Every once in a while, she dreamed about Anthony, and the guilt came rushing back like a tsunami destroying a helpless shore.
“I don’t think now’s a good time for me to be dating,” Lauren whispered.
“Then when is a good time? Wes is a great guy. He’s young, sweet, and he doesn’t go out drinking every night like some of the other wranglers. Trust me, you’ll like him.”
That was the problem. What if shedidlike him, then he realized she was obsessed with finding a relative who’d been missing for years? What if he didn’t like that she worked multiple jobs and had her hands in six committees at church? What if he wanted more than she could give?
She wanted a family, but what did that even look like? She hadn’t grown up in a loving home, and her friends felt more like family.
Except Anthony. He was the only person in the world related to her by flesh and blood. If it wasn’t for him, she’d have been dead a long time ago.
Those were the memories that haunted her—the ones where the devil came for her as a child, and Anthony literally put himself between her and the grown man who threw fists like fast balls.
There was a knock at the door, and Lauren brushed at her frizzing hair. “He’s here. I have to go.”
“Have fun! Call me when it’s over. Or text me the safe word if you need to. It’s pineapple.”
“Thanks. Love you.”
Would it be so bad if she utilized the safe word before they got to the restaurant? Then she could be back home in her pajamas before seven. The book she’d just started reading about ADHD and trauma had sucked her in, and she’d much rather be cuddled in a blanket on the couch studying childhood psychological responses.
She put on a smile as she opened the door, but her date wasn’t the one waiting on her porch.
“What are you doing here?”
Zach stepped past her into the house carrying a five-gallon bucket of paint. He hadn’t used the key she’d given him since their scandalous meeting in the hallway, and she was getting tired of answering the door every evening when he got off work at the ranch.
“Painting. Don’t worry. I’ll leave the window open. The fumes shouldn’t be too bad on this side of the house.”
“Oh, I didn’t know you were working tonight.”
Zach turned and pinned her with a cynical glare. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Great. Now Zach was going to be here when Wes arrived. She would have rather skipped that introduction, but it wasn’t as if he’d be walking her to Wes’s vehicle or anything.
“You said you were working late at the ranch,” she reminded him.
Zach faced her straight on, still carrying the bucket of paint, and looked her up and down. “Why are you dressed like that?”
“Like what?” She tucked her chin to check out the sweater dress. “This is new. Is there something wrong with it?”
“Why are you dressed like that when you’re usually in sweatpants by now?”
