“Hey,” I call.“That will not happen.Your dad will be there.”
My voice sounds confident, but I make a mental note to call Russell on my way to work.So help me God if he fucks this up, I’ll kill him.
“Hey,” Shadow says, sliding onto one of the stools at the end of the bar.His gaze scans the room, and he quirks a brow before bringing his gaze back to me.“It’s busier than usual in here for a Monday.”
I drop the lemons I just cut into a container and hum.“It’s those new happy hour specials.”
“The rodeo starting back up in a couple of weeks probably has something to do with it too,” he says, tipping his chin toward the taps.“Mind pouring me one?”
“Sure,” I reply, reaching for a glass.I fill it to the brim, careful not to spill any foam.“I wasn’t expecting to see you today.”My eyes slice to the booth reserved for him and the rest of the members of his motorcycle club.A perk of the Fallen Demons owning this joint.“The rest of the club meeting you here?”
“Nah,” he says, taking the beer from me.“I’m meeting Maddox here.Told him I’d help him collect the trucks from the parking lot.”
I noticed they were still here when I opened the bar earlier, but I assumed he’d send some of his men to collect them.
“That’s surprising.”
“Yeah, I thought so too.I think he’s just looking to get away from the ranch right now.The guy must be up to his ears in shit.”He takes a sip of his beer.Wiping the foam from his lip with the back of his hand, he meets my gaze.“Fucking awful what happened to William.”
“You can say that again.”I cross my arms against my chest and prop my hip against the bar.“Any word on the funeral arrangements?”
He shakes his head.“I didn’t ask, but I doubt it.William died, but the ranch didn’t.When Mad called, he mentioned he had to finish work before meeting me here.He probably didn’t even have a chance to call the funeral home yet.”
Either that or he’s putting it off.
“He’ll be buried on the land, I’m sure.Maybe that’s what’s got him tied up.I remember when his mom died, he and William, along with some of the ranch hands, dug the hole themselves.”He drags the pad of his thumb around the rim of the glass.“For two guys who went off in different directions, we sure do a lot of things the same.”He pauses for a moment, then peers back at me.“You planning on paying your respects?”
I don’t know how much my cousin knows about my history with Maddox.I never told him anything.However, I can’t say that Maddox has kept his mouth shut.Shadow is a perceptive guy, though.There is no way he hasn’t noticed the tension between us over the years.He just hasn’t called me out on it.
“Of course,” I say.“I may not have seen him in a long time, but William was always very kind to me when Della and I were younger.I spent the entire summer before I got pregnant on that ranch, and he always made me feel welcome.”
“Yeah, he was good like that.”His fingers wrap around his glass and he lifts it thoughtfully.“To William.”
I don’t have a glass of my own to raise, but that doesn’t stop me from repeating the words.“To William.”
The front door opens, and I brace myself for another rush of customers, but when I turn around, I only see Maddox sauntering in.The brim of his Stetson is pulled low, yet his stare is palpable even without seeing his eyes.
He makes his way toward my cousin and flicks the brim of the hat, finally giving me his eyes as he rounds the end of the bar and pulls up a stool next to Shadow.I hold the stare longer than necessary, taking in the dark circles that mar his handsome face, and the days’ worth of scruff that lines jaw.He looks like he got about as much sleep as I did last night.
“Hey, man,” he says, turning to Shadow.“Thanks for meeting me.”
“Of course,” Shadow replies.“You look like you could use a drink.”
Blowing out a ragged sigh, he scratches the scruff on the side of the face.“I don’t know how much more my liver can take after the bottle of whiskey I downed last night, but I’m willing to find out.”His eyes cut to mine.“If you’d be so kind as to make it a double, I’ll be forever grateful, and just so you know, I’m a much better tipper than Wyatt.”
He winks, a gesture I’m sure he meant to be playful, but it doesn’t quite reach its mark.
“Sure thing, cowboy.I’ll add it to your tab.”
ChapterFive
Maddox
“You might want to slow down, man.I can’t drive two trucks back to the ranch on my own,” Shadow says as I knock back a shot.It’s my third or maybe it’s my fourth.I’m not really counting.
I set the empty glass on top of the bar.“I don’t need a babysitter, Shadow.”I turn to stare him straight in the eyes.“I’m a grown ass man who knows how to handle his liquor.”
It’s everything else in life that I struggle with.
