Page 67 of Rain or Shine

“Morning, cowgirl.”

Harloe smiles, no longer scowling every time I call her by that nickname. “What are you doing here, not-so-city boy?”

I chuckle, rubbing the back of my neck. “My bike was ready when I finished up at the ranch, so I figured I’d make sure you weren’t getting into trouble.”

“That’s a waste of time. You know I’m always getting into trouble.” She winks.

“Don’t I know it.”

Harloe giggles, lifting off the railing and circling the porch. The threads of blue and purple in her eyes are richer in the morning light.

This girl’s beauty is lethal.

Every step she takes makes me wish I was here just to check in on her. The truth is, I’m heading out of town for a few days, and the longer she smiles at me, the less I want to ruin this moment by telling her I’m leaving.

When I was living in Vegas, I’d go on runs with the club a couple of times a year. Some lasted a day, others a few weeks. It didn’t really matter to me when I had nothing to come home to. But as Harloe fixes her ponytail and walks toward me, I understand why the guys were always grumbling when they had to leave their old ladies.

Not that Harloe is my old lady.

She’s not my anything in the technical sense.

But something changed last night, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her. How she felt in my hands. How her moans rang in my ears. She fit so perfectly against me. Her heat. Her scent. I can practically taste her now, and it makes my mouth fucking water.

Maybe it’s a good thing East interrupted us by breaking his bed frame. It’s bad enough that I can’t shake Harloe when I’ve only been knuckle deep inside her. What would this girl do to me if I felt her perfect pussy wrapped around my cock?

What is wrong with me?

I don’t get hung up on the women I fuck. Not once have I thought about how good it might feel waking up next to someone in the morning. But ever since rolling into town—since seeing Harloe standing in the middle of the road in her wedding dress—I can’t shake this girl.

“Nice place your family has here.” I look around the ranch because I can’t look her in the eyes or I might say some of that shit out loud.

“This isn’t the first time you’ve been to my brother’s ranch, Shane. Why are you making small talk with me?”

I shrug. “Just stating facts.”

She hums, walking past me toward an open grassy area. I follow because she’s the magnet that gives my life direction. A purpose when I stopped thinking I needed one.

Harloe keeps her eyes anywhere but on me. Her thumbs hook into her pockets. She’s quiet. Probably thinking about last night like I am. I should bring it up, but in the light of day, it’s not that simple.

As good as it felt, it doesn’t change that I’ll be leaving Texas eventually. Or that Harloe doesn’t need to add my problems to what she’s already dealing with.

Her cheeks glow in the sunlight. A warm morning is quickly turning into a sticky-hot day. Harloe guides me down a path that I’m sure leads somewhere with how compacted the dirt is, but Harrison Ranch is endless, so it could end anywhere.

The breeze kicks up, and Harloe closes her eyes, continuing to wander through the grass while her ponytail whips around behind her. When she finally stops, she tips her head back and takes a deep breath.

“Something wrong?” I stop beside her.

Harloe frowns, shaking her head and meeting my gaze. “No. I was just thinking about the position I put my brother in when I walked out on the wedding. We were talking when you arrived.”

“Your brother was in this shit long before your wedding, Harloe. He and Jackson worked together. Anything that’s happening now isn’t your fault.”

“Yeah,” she agrees, but her eyes tell me she’s questioning herself. “But I made it worse with all this Zander stuff. I should have known that’s why he approached me when I moved back to town.”

“He’s good at bullshitting.” I might not know Zander well, but it’s clear he has a way of manipulating people.

Harloe looks out into the distance, and I match her pace when she starts walking again. “It’s strange being back home. No matter how much has changed, the second I’m here, it’s like I’m right back where it all started—where I started.”

“The streaking cowgirl.” I grin, and she shoves my arm.