With a final wave, she put the truck into Drive and gently pressed the accelerator.
Seth stood at the edge of the driveway for a few long seconds after Shylo’s taillights disappeared into the dark. Dust kicked up by her tires still hung in the cool night air. He ran a hand over the back of his neck, then turned and sauntered back toward the fire pit, his boots crunching over dry grass.
The fire was going strong now, logs crackling and sending little bursts of sparks up into the sky. A circle of Adirondack chairs surrounded the pit, most of them occupied by a few of the ranch hands, beers in hand, voices low with post-barbecue contentment. Laughter flared now and then, along with the occasional pop-hiss of a bottle cap being twisted off.
Seth didn’t join in their conversations.
Instead, he dropped into an empty chair and stretched his legs out, hands resting on his stomach as he stared into the flames.
He could still hear Shylo’s voice—soft, uncertain—when she told him she was tired. She meant it. But there’d been something else in the way she said, “Rain check?” The uncertainty in her voice struck him. It was as if she’d grown used to believing that every good thing came with an expiration date.
Something about her tugged at him, and it wasn’t just the obvious. Yeah, she was gorgeous—but it was more than that. There was a weight she carried, something quiet and buried, that felt familiar. The kind of pain you didn't put into words unless you trusted the person listening not to flinch. Unless you knew they’d stay.
Seth didn’t realize how long he had been lost in thought until someone sat on the chair next to him, causing it to creak.
Saying nothing, Tucker leaned back with a cold beer in hand, eyes fixed on the fire as though he were reading something in the flames that no one else could see.
After a beat, Seth glanced over. “Didn’t expect you to join us.”
Tucker gave a shrug and a faint smirk but didn’t look his way.
They sat in silence, the firelight dancing across the familiar lines of the ranch. Someone made a joke on the other side of the pit, and a few of the hands roared with laughter. Seth didn’t catch the words.
Finally, Tucker nodded toward the drive. “That woman. Shylo.”
Seth blinked, then turned his head. “What about her?”
“Is she your next conquest?”
He huffed a breath, unsurprised. His love-’em-and-leave-’em reputation was well-earned, but for some reason, he didn’t like anyone referring to Shylo that way—his next conquest. “It’s not like that. Yeah, I want her—who wouldn’t? But it’s more than that. Just talking to her... it makes me want things I’ve never really thought about before. She’s different. Not my usual type.”
“I noticed.” Tucker paused for a few seconds, then asked, “What do you know about her?”
Seth’s brow furrowed. “Not much. She’s from West Virginia and recently lost her mom to cancer. At first, she said she was just passing through Hazard, but then she took the job at Bar None.” He glanced sideways. “Why?”
The other man didn’t answer right away. Instead, he took a sip of his beer, his jaw tight.
That hesitation made something twist in Seth’s gut. “You’ve got that look. The one that says your brain is thinking too much, and not about anything good.”
Tuck gave a dry snort but said nothing.
Turning in his chair to face him, Seth narrowed his eyes. “You don’t trust her.”
“You know me. I don’t like strangers—though you were an exception when we met at the rodeo. Even then, my trust had to be earned, and that’s not easy.”
That was true. Tuck hadn’t even liked Paige when she first came to work for them, but the woman who was now his and Shane’s wife had eventually won him over.
Tuck exhaled through his nose, still staring straight ahead. “Look. I don’t know. There’s just... something off about her. She seems skittish. I heard her talking to a few of the women earlier. She threw out a lot of questions, was really interested in the ranch and us—I mean, Shane, Paige, and me—and when they asked about her, she kept her answers vague.”
Seth leaned back again. “The questions were probably out of curiosity. It’s not every day you meet a throuple, and she said she’s never been on a ranch before. As for her being vague, maybe she’s just guarded. Maybe there’s something or someone in her past that she’s running from. That’s not unusual, but it doesn’t mean she’s trouble.”
His boss looked at him, his expression unreadable in the glow. “No—but sometimes trouble follows people. Look what happened with Grant, Drake, and Blair.”
Seth knew exactly what he meant. Grant Hadley's past had nearly cost him everything when someone he thought he’d never see again resurfaced and threatened the family he'd built with Drake and Blair. They'd survived it, but only barely.
As his gaze drifted back to the fire, Seth gave a slow nod. “Or maybe she’s not in trouble at all. Maybe she’s just... lost. From what she told me, after her mother died, there was no reason for her to stay in her hometown—no siblings, no other family, no boyfriend or close friends. Maybe it was too hard to stay with her mom gone.”
“Fair enough. But I don’t think she’s being completely honest about why she’s in Hazard. Just... be careful, Seth. I saw the way you were looking at her—and it wasn’t like how you usually look at women. You said she’s different, and that’s uncharted territory for you. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
