Page 77 of Don't Burn Bridges
He nodded. “Will do, Marla.”
“See you then. Have a good night.”
He gave the older couple a small smile. “You too.”
After they left, Troy watched them disappear through the front door before taking another drink of his beer. “Everybody seems to know you.”
Seth let out a low chuckle. “That’s life in a small town.”
“True.”
The lull returned, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Seth welcomed it. He nursed his beer while the game continued overhead, paying just enough attention to notice the scattered cheers and groans from the handful of customers following the Royals. Usually, he'd have been right there with them, but tonight baseball couldn't compete with the thoughts he couldn't shut off. Every time he pushed Shylo from his mind, another memory took its place. Her smile. Her laugh. The way she looked in his bed, sated from mind-blowing sex. And how she'd climbed into his truck that afternoon, pretending everything was normal.
It had been anything but normal.
He was a fool.
Had any of it been real?
Alyssa eventually worked her way down the bar, checking on customers as she went. Troy slid his bottle toward her, then glanced Seth's way. “You want another?”
He glanced at his own empty bottle before nudging it toward Alyssa. “Yeah.”
If a few more beers took the edge off for a little while, he'd take it.
Going home wasn't an option. Not yet. He wasn't ready to be alone with his thoughts, and he sure as hell wasn't ready to drive back to the ranch where Shylo might still be waiting. He couldn't imagine Shane telling her to take a hike, despite the shock of learning she was his half-sister.
If that was even the truth.
He hadn't stuck around long enough to find out. One thing, however, was certain. She'd lied to him.
While Alyssa exchanged their empties for fresh cold ones, Troy nodded toward a flyer taped to the mirror behind the bar advertising the upcoming Rodeo Bonanza.
“Looks like a pretty big deal around here.”
“It is,” Seth said. “Brings in people from all over the state.”
“You go every year?”
“Every year. Pretty much the whole town gets involved, so it's hard not to.”
Troy nodded. “Bet this place gets packed.”
“It'll be standing room only.”
Seth took a swallow of his beer before curiosity got the better of him. “So what brings you to Hazard Falls?”
“Work.” Troy shrugged. “Short-term construction job over in Wexler. A couple of weeks, then I'm outta here. The motel up the road had the cheapest rates I could find, even if it looks like a throwback to the seventies.”
“Yeah, it hasn't changed much over the years.” Seth took another drink. “The owners keep it clean, though.”
“I got that impression.”
The conversation wandered from one impersonal topic to the next. None of it mattered. It was a meaningless conversation between two strangers, but maybe that was exactly why Seth didn't mind it. Troy wasn't asking about the ranch. He wasn't asking why Seth looked like hell. He wasn't someone who knew Seth well enough to see through the act.
The second beer disappeared faster than the first. The alcohol softened the edges of his anger without dulling the hurt beneath it. But Shylo still slipped back into his thoughts anyway, and each time, he chased her away with another swallow. It wasn't working nearly as well as he'd hoped.
By the time Alyssa wandered back their way, both bottles sat empty.
