“Maggie! You live near Yoho?”
“At the foot of it, actually. My parents do, at least. I don’t know where I’ll end up.”
“Really . . .”
She’s suspiciously silent for a moment, until, “What about ranch life?”
“Don’t think it fits with traveling the globe for work.”
“Oh. Well, if that ever changes . . .”
I chuckle and she waves a hand through the surface, flinging water at me. If I’d ever wanted a sister, it would have been someone like Layla.
Smart. Kind. Funny and fun.
I wasn’t lucky enough to have siblings. Somedays I wish I did, but I guess you can’t really miss what you’ve never had.
“Layles!” Logan calls almost an hour later.
Layla and I are pruned-up old ladies, but neither of us cared enough to leave the water as we talked about everything and anything, floating in the glistening blue.
“Dammit. I better go. I have to ready my girl for our run tonight. This was fun, we should absolutely do this again.”
“Float in a lake and prune up for an hour?”
Another wave rolls toward me. “Talk, hang out.”
“Sure,” I utter, a smile blooming over my face. Layla wanders from the lake, and Logan hands her a towel. Drying off, she climbs up into his truck. It’s then I realize most of the vehicles are gone. Brady’s still sits where he left it.
Water ripples, and I turn to find Hadley swimming toward me.
His hair wet, water cascades over his shoulders as he stands where I can barely touch the bottom of the lake. “Hi,” he says, the rumble a low, heady tone.
I can’t help but smile.
I hadn’t been ignoring him, I was just happy talking to Layla. But now we’re almost out of time and I spent none of it with Hadley, and he invited me here.
“I’m sorry, I got caught up talking with Layla. She’s so lovely.”
His hand leaves the water, his fingertips brushing a soaked strand of hair behind my ear. “She is.”
That makes my smile widen.
“We should be getting back, too, I guess.” I glance at the shore. Now the only vehicle that’s left is Brady’s, but the man himself is nowhere to be seen.
“Maggie...” My name is a raspy, low rumble on Hadley’s lips.
I look up, meeting his gaze. His darkened gaze.
My last breath catches in my useless throat, and I press a palm to his bare chest. The hard muscle moves a little with my touch and he dips his chin, messy hair falling over his face.
“Tell me it’s all in my damn head, please.”
“Wha—what exactly is all in your head?” I utter.
“This thing between you and me.”
I ca?—
