She laughed softly, doubt still lingering. “Okay. If you say so.”
Cole pushed back from the bar. “Hold that thought.” He stepped into Grant’s path just as he raised a hand to wave at someone. “Hey, Grant.”
Grant’s face broke into a grin. “Cole! Good to see you, man. How’ve you been?”
“Great.” Cole glanced toward the stage. “You singing tonight?”
“Maybe later. Right now, I just want a table and a cold beer. Come join us when you can.”
“I will.” Cole turned. “This is Aftyn Hutchins.” He nodded toward her. “Aftyn, Grant Hunter.”
Aftyn’s jaw dropped. She stared at Grant, then at Cole, then back at Grant, mouth wide open. Cole leaned over and gently tapped her chin closed.
Grant smiled warmly. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.This is my wife, Jessa, and our good friends Landry and—”
“Kay O’Malley,” Aftyn blurted, eyes wide. “Holy shit.” She caught herself. “I apologize for that.”
“No worries,” Kay said, stepping forward with an easy smile. “It’s Kay Yates now.” Her handshake was firm and welcoming.
Grant touched the brim of his hat. “Grab a table with us if you want.” He steered the group toward a corner bathed in lantern light.
Cole settled back onto his stool, arms folded, laughter bubbling up as he watched Aftyn collect herself.
“I told you,” he said.
Her cheeks glowed. “I had no idea he actually lived here. God, he’s gorgeous.”
Cole shrugged. “I guess.”
She chuckled, eyes sparkling. “You’re handsome too, but he’s even better-looking in person.” She shook her head in disbelief. “I just met Grant Hunter and Kay O’Malley.”
Cole nodded toward her empty glass. “Refill?”
“Are you having another?”
“Sure.” The first beer had gone down easy after a long hot day.
“Then yes.” She slid off the stool. “I need the restroom. Be right back.”
Cole raised his hand across the crowded bar and smiled when Laura Blackstone made her way toward him, blonde ponytail swaying.
“Hey, Cole.” Laura’s voice carried over the music. “What can I get you?”
He ordered two more drinks and swiveled to survey the crowd. Dewey’s was packed wall to wall, locals mostly, maybe a few tourists mixed in. On thescuffed dance floor, couples two-stepped beneath string lights while around the pool tables, men in T-shirts and cowboy hats lined up shots, dollar bills tucked under beer bottles.
Cole breathed in the familiar smell of beer and liquor. This place felt like home. Callie had wrinkled her nose at it. Too country, she’d said, after her one and only visit, her designer jeans and attitude marking her as an outsider despite being born and raised right here in Clifton. He should have read the signs earlier. The restless eyes, always scanning the horizon. But he’d been so captivated by her that he’d ignored every warning, doing anything to keep her except the one thing she demanded: leaving his family’s land for New York City.
He couldn’t imagine it even now. Lost among skyscrapers instead of fields and open pastures. The weight of his father’s hand on his shoulder the day he’d passed the farm to Cole still felt real. Callie had never understood that kind of commitment. Their relationship had been a cycle of departures and returns, each one cutting deeper. Two years in, she’d packed her sleek suitcases and vanished for months. He’d taken her back, relief drowning out his pride. Then barely a year later, another tearful goodbye, another unexpected return.
The last time had been different. Her voice was cold when she laid out the ultimatum over dinner. New York or nothing. She couldn’t grasp that the soil of his family’s land ran in his veins as surely as blood. When her taillights finally disappeared down the gravel drive, Cole had known it was final. The engagement ring still sat in his sock drawer.
If his brothers hadn’t dragged him out of the house after weeks of bourbon-soaked grief, he might neverhave surfaced. They’d pulled him back into the rhythms of farm life until the drinking stopped and breathing didn’t hurt quite as much.
He glanced toward the hallway where Aftyn had disappeared. She wasn’t here to stay either, just passing through, looking for her sister. But maybe that was exactly what he needed.
Chapter Five
Aftyn wove back through the cluster of stools and slipped onto the one beside Cole.
