Page 26 of The Spice Is Nice

“Okay. So you’re aware of working with your zipper down this morning?”

I glanced sharply at my fly. It wasn’t undone.

“Made you look,” he guffawed.

I blew out a frustrated breath.

“So the town gossip is true? You and Ivy? Good for you. At least that’s one Wylde sister who can admit when she’s smitten.”

I couldn’t miss his sarcastic tone. Here was a man who knew exactly whatnothinglooked like when it was shaped like a Wylde woman. He’d all but admitted to me how much he yearned for Daisy Friday night—given how disappointed he was when she was noticeably absent again from the Sapphire. He left early and had been in a mood all weekend.

I had my own problems, so I couldn’t dwell on his. My body had memorized every detail of Ivy in that dark closet, and was playing them on a loop that I could not shut off. Fuck… when she came apart, soaking my hand, my arms held her through it. I’d stood there in the dark with my cock screaming at me and my teeth clenched so hard my jaw ached for an hour after.

If there were a next time, there’d be no holding back. The restraint had cost me. And I’m talking more than aching balls—a piece of the wall came down between temporary and something more.

Silver snorted, trotting up five feet awayfrom Tank and the fence between them. I monitored them and tried to remember the plan. Holly Creek. Christmas. Leave Montana. Go home. Be the son my mother needed and the man my father’s memory deserved. Be a part of my sisters’ lives and get to know my nieces and nephews.

There was only one problem with that plan; it didn’t include the way Ivy tasted in the dark. And that I couldn’t stop thinking about it meant the plan could fall apart.

“Fuck, watch out!” Knox warned me, pulling me out of my thoughts, and then pushing me away. It all happened so fast. Tank reached over the fence to bite Silver, who reared up on his hind legs to warn the black horse off. Knox couldn’t quite get out of the way of his front hoof fast enough.

“Shit! Knox!” I hit my knees at his side when he fell to the ground. Tank ran off, leaving Silver skittish beside us. I texted quickly to Dusty and Ash.

By the time Knox came to on the ground a few minutes later, we were all staring at him.

He forced himself to sit up. “Christ, you guys have never seen a man out cold before?”

“You two need to keep your shit together around the horses,” Ash barked.

“Me? Tell that to Colt. He has a case of the Wyldes,” Knox chortled.

“Okay, give me space, guys.” Dusty ran him through concussion protocol, ultimately deeming it a mild one and to take it easy the rest of the day.

Fortunately, it was Sunday, which meant the chores were basic and we had “church” tonight.

The hilltop wasgolden in the late light. Despite the concussion, Knox demanded to do his usual turn at the grill, flipping burgers with one hand and a beer in the other, which probably didn’t mix well with the pain meds Dusty gave him.

His words turned into a lazy drawl... his dark eyes followed Daisy from the second she arrived with the season’s last apple pies, their edges golden and crimped. She’d somehow avoided Knox in his state. Probably a good thing. He reached for another beer.

“Should you be drinking that much tonight?” I asked.

“Probably not.” He shot me a look to butt out, and under his breath I heard him mumble about being injured and how nice it’d be if a woman tended to him for once.

Yeah, I’d be sure to get him back to the bunkhouse early tonight so he could sleep it off.

About the time I loaded a plate and sat down to eat, Ivy’s old truck finally crested the hill, parking beside Daisy’s rig. She climbed out in tight jeans and a rust-colored flannel shirt tied at her waist. Her blonde hair swung in a ponytail; the sight of her hit me in the chest the way a punch does when you don’t see it coming. She scanned the hilltop and found me, and for one beat our eyes locked, the air between us dense and complicated.

Then she looked away. Greeted Ro and Willow. Hugged Sage, who’d come up from The Copper Cup witha bag of leftover pastries, compliments of Harper and Sheriff Patrick. Laughed at something Poppy said. She moved through the group the way she always did, warm and magnetic, while keeping a measured distance between us that was worse than avoidance because it was deliberate.

I understood it. We’d drawn a new line in that closet, and neither of us knew how to uncross it, so we were doing what two people do when they were friends and things turned awkward. Carry on despite it.

“Colt.” Ash dropped onto the bench beside me with a plate piled high. His dark eyes read my face the way he read horses, quick and accurate. He didn’t comment on whatever he saw. “Need you to take the horse trailer out to Hollis Ranch tomorrow morning. Ron called this afternoon. They’re selling off the ranch and asked if we’d take on their workhorses. Three of them. Good stock, just need a home.”

TheHollisplace. The name hit me like a fist to the sternum. I set my fork down because I wasn’t sure I could hold it steady.

“Selling the whole ranch?” I kept my voice level.

“Sounds like it. Ron’s been struggling for a while. Didn’t go into details, but the man sounded tired. Take Knox if you need a hand with the loading.”