Page 25 of Danger

She laughs softly, tilting her head. “Maybe there’s a reason it didn’t work out. She’s a good girl, good family. Stunning, actually.”

I shake my head. “She’s too young.”

“Hadn’t noticed. Are you tryna convince me, or yourself?” she yells out.

I don’t stick around long enough to argue. The door swings shut behind me, the porch creakin’ under my boots.

Mama thinks she knows everything, but she’s dead wrong about this one.

Winnie isn’t the woman in town any of us should be worried about. Hell, she’s the last thing I need on my plate right now.

What I haven’t told Mama—what I don’t want her stressin’ over yet—is that someone else is back. Someone who has every reason in the world to show up on this ranch and blow my life clean apart.

I need time to figure out what Rylee really wants… whether she’s really here for the reasons she said, here to stir shit, or here to take Fisher.

Rylee. A woman who can ruin everything.

CHAPTER EIGHT

winnie

“Oh,no. You’re not working tonight.”

I almost spill the drink in my hand.

“What?” I frown. “I need the money.”

“Oh you’re still gettin’ paid for the shift,” Honey says, smirking. “But you’ve been busting your butt all week. Tonight? You get to relax a little. Enjoy the bar. Charming’s helping out.”

I glance over my shoulder just as he pops up behind the bar, all easy charm and a grin that should probably be illegal. “What’ll it be?”

“Okay… then I’ll take a lemon seltzer,” I say, smiling.

He nods and grabs it while I slide onto the other side of the bar, next to Sawyer. She’s already halfway through her tequila sunrise. She scans the room like a predator, looking for tonight’s entertainment. Honey is behind the bar, backless dress, dark-plum lip gloss perfect for the lighting, laughing with Charming like nothing else exists.

I look around, just in case fate decides to send in a cute stranger that could make me laugh that way—someone with really good jokes and zero emotional baggage.

Or, you know… I could check my dating app and scroll through a lineup of men holding fish.

“I saw that,” Sawyer says, nudging me. “Staring at the door like you’re expecting someone to walk in.”

“It’s always interesting to see who walks in here.”

Sawyer leans in, eyes sparkling like she’s about to start something. “Okay, be honest. Who are you scoping out?” She gasps and smacks my arm. “Oh my god—are you looking for a hot cowboy?”

Honey snorts, scooping up ice and dumping it into a shaker. “Sweetheart, this bar is ninety percent hot cowboys and ten percent women looking for a hot cowboy. Odds are in your favor.”

Sawyer sits up straighter, smoothing her hair as she looks in the reflective mirror that’s on the back of her phone case. “Now, obviously, he’s got his problems, but my brother Knox happens to be single.”

Honey rolls her eyes. “Here we go.”

Sawyer continues. “He had a rough year. Was seeing a girl named Hazel for a while, but now he’s just focused on our daddy's land. He’s really turned his life around. The Stetson’s are starting to trust him again after he almost got us all killed, but hey, that’s a story for another day.”

I laugh, taking a sip of my drink.

Honey smiles and jerks her chin toward the pool tables. “I mean you do have a room full of bull riders over there. All pretty cute. Which one’s your poison?”

Sawyer grins. “Choose wisely. You know they come with attitude and emotional damage. But also really great asses.”