“I am,” I say. “I just?—”
“She’s got you rattled.”
That’s an understatement.
The woman with Abilene leans in, says something that makes Abilene shake her head, smiling despite herself. There’s affection there, but also distance. They’re circling each other carefully.
“Who’s she with?” I ask before I can stop myself.
Sawyer shrugs. “Don’t know. Haven’t heard yet.”
That bothers me more than it should.
A minute later, Carrie Jo appears beside Sawyer with a fresh drink for him and a grin aimed squarely at me.
“Well,” she says brightly, “if it isn’t the broodiest man in Colter Creek.”
I grunt.
She follows my gaze instantly. Of course she does. “Ohhh. That’s Abilene’s aunt.”
I blink. “Her what?”
“Aunt. Just got into town today. Mara, I think? Sweet as pie. Flirts like it’s cardio.”
I glance back toward the bar. That explains some things.
Abilene shifts then, glancing my way. Our eyes meet once more.
And my heart does a stupid, hopeful thing.
Sawyer clears his throat. “So,” he says pointedly as Carrie Jo wanders off, “about that clarity.”
I drag my attention back to him with effort. “Yeah. Right. Sorry.”
He smiles, not unkind. “You don’t have to figure it out tonight.”
“I know.”
“But?”
“But I want to.”
Another laugh from the bar. Abilene’s aunt is flirting with the bartender now, animated and unapologetic. Abilene watches her with fond disbelief.
“She looks like she’s carrying a lot,” Sawyer says quietly.
“She always is,” I reply.
He taps his bottle against the table, thoughtful. “You want the part nobody advertises?”
“I asked you here,” I say. “I can take it.”
He nods once. “It’s work. The kind where you don’t get to assume you’re right just because you feel strongly.”
That sounds uncomfortably familiar.
“With Dakota,” he continues, “the rule is we don’t let things fester. Clint’s instinct is to protect. Reid’s is to joke it away. Mine is to analyze it to death.” His mouth quirks. “If we let those instincts run unchecked, we’d tear each other apart.”
