“It was that good, huh?” Dylan asked.
“Ohmigod, she thought we were lesbians, but she kept calling you a Lebanese.” I broke into giggles again.
“She’s insane. Didn’t I tell you she was insane?”
“You totally did, but she also told me about Dakota.”
“Crap,” Dylan whispered.
“I hear a story there, lady. Spill.”
“Later. Believe me, there’s not much to tell.”
“Dylan James?”
I was taken by the deep voice with a slight southern twang and turned toward the sound.
“Wyatt?” Dylan crooned. “Is that really you?”
The tall, gorgeous man chuckled and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off her feet. “Hey beautiful! You haven’t changed a bit, except gotten cuter.”
Ooh, lordy, this man was a looker, as they say. Probably six-foot-four, but muscular, and his Wranglers really were tight over his nether regions. But it was totally fine by me. He had short blond hair, nothing like Jake’s long dark silky...nope, I was not going to think about Jake. Jake was dead to me.
Dylan giggled. “You’ve always been a great liar.”
Wyatt set her back on her feet, and I cleared my throat.
“Wyatt Adams, I’d like you to meet Addison Allen.” Dylan stepped back and Wyatt reached out his hand.
“It’s nice to meet you.” I smiled as I shook his hand. “Are you the one stealing jewelry from old people?”
He raised an eyebrow, but didn’t seem offended. “No. I’m here fixin’ the air conditionin’ units. I don’t go into patients’ rooms.”
“I didn’t say things went missing from their rooms,” I challenged.
“What about Mrs. Rogers’s room?” Dylan asked, her eyebrows waggling up and down. “Sounds like you’ve been spending an awful lot of time in there.”
Wyatt chuckled, shaking his head. “I swear that woman keeps dumping shit into her vents. And of course I know someone’s stealin’ jewelry out of the rooms. This is Lakeview. Everyone knows.”
I studied him and he seemed sincere, but liars often seemed sincere, so I decided I’d wait to reserve judgment.
“And Wyatt’s grandma’s here,” Dylan said. “Besides, he’s not really the pilfering type. He’s the guy who’d walk a mile to return the extra change the cashier accidentally gave him.”
“That happened one time,” he said.
“Well, that does go to character,” I said.
Dylan grinned. “Her brother’s a lawyer.”
“Yeah?” he said.
I nodded.
“You riding this year?” Dylan asked, and I didn’t miss the minute it took Wyatt to focus on her instead of me. That gave me a little thrill.
“Yeah.” He smiled, elbowing her. “What about you? I can’t believe it’s a coincidence that you’re in town for Roundup.”
“Ha! Total coincidence, thanks to this jewel thief. My barrel racing days are done.” Dylan glanced at me. “Wyatt’s a bull rider.”
“Of course he is,” I said. “Isn’t that dangerous?”
“Yep,” he said. “Been doin’ it since I was little, though, so it’s second nature.”
“Wyatt, there you are.” The breathy voice of Brandy blew through my eardrums like a cat being strangled.
“Hey, Brandy,” he said. “I just finished.”
Brandy gave him a really weird-looking pouty face. “Oh, I thought you’d come find me.”
“Did you need me for somethin’?” he asked.
She sent a derisive look in Dylan’s direction and I stepped slightly in front of my friend in case she needed protection.
“Oh, no. I just wondered if you did, since you’re loitering here in the hallway.”
“We were just catching up,” Dylan said.
“Oh?” Brandy said, her bitch-meter on full. “Did I overhear that you’ll be racing at the roundup this year?”
“Um, no,” Dylan said, stiffening. “You bought my horse from Dad after I moved to Portland, remember? Besides, we’re not going to be here long enough for Roundup. We’re solving this case, and then getting the hell out.”
My ears perked up. Dylan never told me what had happened to her horse. I knew she used to ride competitively, but didn’t know the extent. It felt weird to hear so many details of her life back here that I didn’t know.
“Too bad,” Brandy said. “I’ve held the championship for barrels since you left.”
“Good for you,” Dylan said. “I’m glad Dusty’s still getting up there. I trained him well.”
“I bet Dylan could give you a run for your money, Brandy,” Wyatt said. “Remember how bad she smoked you the year before she left?”
Okay, I was starting to really like this guy.
“My horse went lame,” Brandy said.
“Right, I forgot about that,” Wyatt said, sounding as though he didn’t believe it for a second.
“I could have totally beaten her.”
“Why don’t you put your money where your mouth is?” I challenged.
“Addison,” Dylan said on a low groan.
“What do you mean?” Brandy asked.
“Dylan will enter and we’ll find out if it’s your horse or you that’s lame.”
“Holy shit on a stick,” Dylan hissed.
Wyatt laughed.
“Even if Dylan could find a horse this close to Roundup, she’d never beat me,” Brandy snapped. “Besides, she would have had to be registered for barrel racing by now. The only event you don’t have to pre-register for is the Buddy Barrel Pick-up, and she’d need a partner for that.”
“Cool, she’s got one,” I said.
“No, no, no, no,” Dylan chanted.
Brandy settled her hands on her hips. “Yeah, who?”
“You’re lookin’ at her,” I said, matching her glare.
Brandy snorted. “You’ve got to be kiddin’ me. You’re a city girl. What do you know about horses?”
Dylan dropped her head back and talked to the ceiling. “Stupid, stupid, stupid.”
I giggled. “Oh, honey, I’ve owned horses worth more than this building, and probably jumped courses with obstacles taller, so don’t you worry your pretty little pea-brain about my riding abilities.” I was on a roll, which probably should have been aborted several challenges back. “We’ll kick your ass from here to Friday at picking up these buddy barrels.”
Shaking her head, Dylan grabbed my arm and tugged me away.
Dylan
“THE GOAL WAS to get in, solve the mystery, and get out,” I said, tugging Addison toward the exit.
“Maybe that was your goal, but it wasn’t mine. I mean, sure, we’ll save the day by finding the jewelry, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make that Brandy skank eat our dust. I expected you to be more on board with this.”
“It was only supposed to take a couple of days, and now we have to stay all of this week and through the three-day weekend.”
She shrugged. “So?”
My biggest fear was getting stuck in this town, but Addison couldn’t understand that because she’d never seen the place grow on people like a parasite, feasting on their will to get away. “Do you even know what the Buddy Barrel Pick-up is?”
“I have no idea, but how hard can it be if Brandy can do it?”
I pulled out my phone and searched for videos of the event.
“Who the hell names their kid after booze, anyway?” she asked.
“Cowboys,” I replied. “Now, watch this.” I handed her my phone and ran smack dab into a wall of muscle. I’m pretty sure I would’ve bounced off said wall, if the beefy arms attached to it wouldn’t have wrapped me in a hug and tugged me off my feet.
“Dylan,” his deep voice boomed, filling me with dread. “You’ve come back to me. Finally.”
I struggled until he set me down and released his vice-like hold. What was with the guys in this town needing to pick me up? I knew who it was and didn’t want to l
ead him on by making eye contact, so I looked everywhere but at him, which is how I found my dad standing in the doorway watching us.
“I didn’t come back to you. I came back to solve a case. I’m not staying,” I said, loud enough to make sure they both heard me.
“Dylan, who is this?” Addison asked.
Had I not stepped so far away from the beefcake in front of me, I might have been tempted to beat my head against his chest. He was the last person in the world I wanted to introduce Addison to. Before I could reply, he beat me to it, holding out his hand.
“I’m Dakota, Dylan’s fiancé.”
“What?” Addison said.
“He is not,” I assured her. “Dak, you can’t go around telling people that. It’s not true.”
“Sure it is. Our parents wrote up the contract when we were still in diapers. Isn’t that right, Dad?” he said over his shoulder.
“Oh, God.” I shook my head, wishing I could melt into a puddle and pour myself out of the situation. “That contract was on a beer-stained napkin. Even if it counted, these aren’t the dark ages where women are property to be given away.”
“Hey, honey,” my dad said, pulling me in for a quick hug as he joined us.
“I asked you not to tell Dakota I was in town,” I reminded him.
He didn’t even have the decency to look ashamed. “You know how Lakeview is. There’s no way someone wasn’t gonna tell him, and I figured you two needed to talk this thing out.”
“There is no ‘thing’ between us,” I said. Then, because I could feel Addison glaring daggers into my back, I turned and repeated myself to her. “No ‘thing.’ Nothing. Our parents were friends and one night after far too many beers, they lost their minds and wrote up some stupid contract stating that Dakota and I would get hitched someday. It’s just a wild fantasy and it’s not going to happen.”
“You’re breakin’ my heart, Dyl,” Dakota said with a mock frown, but he didn’t look all that upset. “Damn, you look good. I missed the hell out of you. Knew you’d be back.”
“Thanks,” I replied, once again torn between not wanting to sound like a bitch yet needing to be firm with him. Dakota was one of the sweetest guys I’d ever met. He was handsome, a hard worker, and a fun guy. But there was nothing between us. Never had been. I loved him like a brother. Attempting to deflect his attention, I pointed to my friend. “This is Addison.”
Dakota eyed her. “She’s not the one you’re shacked up with, is she?”
“What?” I looked to Addison and legitimately considered lying and saying we were a Lebanese couple. Why the hell not? It might get everyone off my back about Dakota for a minute.
“I can assure you Dylan and I are not shacked up,” Addison said, stepping forward. “We’re roommates, but we have separate bedrooms. She’s my friend, but that’s all.”
“Whew, that’s a relief,” Dakota replied. “Your grandma must have been messing with me.”
Before I could respond, Dad kissed my cheek. “It’s good to see you, sweetie. I missed you.”
The familiar scent of whisky wrapped around me like an old blanket, and I was once again torn between guilt for staying away and a desire to leave and never come back. Dad looked rough. The bags under his eyes had looked permanent , his nose and cheeks were ruddy, and his hands trembled slightly. It broke my heart to see his drinking problem take on physical characteristics, but I knew there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.
“I missed you too, Dad. You remember Addie, don’t you?”
Addison gave him a little wave. “Hello, Mr. James.”
He grunted. “Yep, I remember her.”
“Be nice,” I chided, releasing him.
“You wanna grab some lunch with me and Dak?” he asked, obviously not including Addison.
“Can’t. Addie and I need to go over our case notes and put our heads together...see if we can’t get these ladies back their jewelry.”
He frowned. “Will I get to spend any time with you at all while you’re here?”
And the worst daughter ever award goes to yours truly.
“I don’t know. Time’s gonna be tight, but I’ll call you.” I kissed his cheek and gestured for Addison to follow me.
We made it all the way to her car before Addison turned on me. “That’s Dakota?” she asked.
“In the flesh.”
She looked from me to the door where Dad and Dakota were emerging. “Are you sure you’re not Lebanese, Dylan?”
I rolled my eyes. “Whose side are you on?”
“Yours, buddy. Always yours.” As we climbed into her car she added, “But I still don’t understand how you could walk away from that fine piece of—”
“Nice guy,” I interrupted, not even wanting to know where she was going with that one. “He’s great, but there was never anything between us. Dak knows it too, but he’s worried about letting our parents down.”
“Whereas you don’t care,” she said.
“I do care, but I’m not gonna get with some guy I don’t like just to make my dad happy. He couldn’t even put down a bottle long enough to raise me. Where does he get off expecting me to sacrifice my life to fulfill his wishes?”
“Whoa.” She pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the main road. “That escalated quickly.”
“Yeah.” And I was annoyed with the emotions it brought on. “I guess I still have some unresolved daddy issues, huh?”
Addison giggled. “Might be a slight understatement.”
“Look who’s talkin’,” I replied. There was no heat behind my words, though. Addison was already making me feel better.
“Tell me something. You rejected that sexy specimen and fell head over heels for my brother. Why?”
“Addie, Asher is mighty fine.”
“Duh, we’re related,” she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “But spill. Tell me what really made you fall for him.”
“Are you sure you want to hear this right now?”
She cocked her head and glared at me. “I asked, didn’t I?”
“Yes, but with everything going on between you and Jake, maybe now isn’t the best time to discuss—”
“Dylan Linn James, I am having a crisis of faith in love here. I need my best friend to reassure me that there is still some form of real love out there, or I swear to Buddha I will join a nude commune and stop waxing.”
All righty then. It appeared Addison was going to learn all my secrets today. Seeing no way out of telling her, I started with, “Do you remember Ms. Hiatt?”
“From seventh grade? The one who hated you?”
The beginning of seventh grade had been brutal because of my teacher. She was from a wealthy family, the favorite teacher of all the rich kids, and she treated me like the scholarship kid I was. I was sure she wanted me to fail and the harder I worked in her class, the meaner she was to me. “Yep. She almost failed me, you know?”
“She did?” Addison asked. “What happened?”
“She said I didn’t turn in a midterm paper, but I did. I was so upset I left to hit the bathroom, but ended up walking out of school. I was ready to give up that day. It was so difficult, and Ms. Hiatt was horrible.”
“I had no idea,” Addison said. “I mean, I know she hated you, but I didn’t realize she was bullying you.”
“That makes it sound so dramatic. She was just a grown-ass adult who was trying to fit in with the cool rich kids.” I snickered. “Looking back, I bet she was a total loser in high school. But anyway...Asher found me on his way to the library to study for his midterm. It was so embarrassing since I’d always had a crush on your hot big brother, and then he caught me crying in the bushes like a baby.”
Addison giggled. “He’s always had the craziest timing. It’s like he knows when someone needs him.”
I nodded. “Must be a lawyer thing. Anyway, after he coaxed me into telling him what was going on, he gave me some ideas for how to solve the problem and asked me what I wanted to do.
It was the first time a guy—especially a drool-worthy guy—had ever asked me my opinion on anything.”
“He gave you ideas?” Addison asked.
“Yeah. He said I could pack up and go home, or I could do something about it. He even offered to help. He said he could get me out of the class if I wanted, or he could remind Ms. Hiatt she was a teacher and needed to do her damn job.”
“What did you do?”
“Ash respected me, Addie. He didn’t force his solution on me like my dad or Dakota would have. I chose to stay in the class. He called the school and spoke to Ms. Hiatt, pretending to be your dad. He let her know I was important to your family and told her he was invested in my well-being.”
Addison laughed. “Ohmigod, that sounds just like Ashey. I can’t believe you two never told me about this.”
“He swore me to secrecy. And I knew right then and there I would do anything for him. I was done, Addie. After that, I knew he was it for me.”
Her eyes misted over, and I felt like the biggest ass on the planet.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told you all that,” I said.
“No. I needed to hear it.” She forced a smile. “Now, tell me where the heck we can go to eat? I’ve made three loops around this town and I’m starving.”
I laughed and directed her to the Happy Horse.
* * *
Addison
After we ate at the Happy Horse, a quaint deli and antiques shop in a house right on the highway and complete with plastic lawn furniture for the rustic outside dining experience, we headed back to the motel. By the time I walked into my room, I was wrecked. I couldn’t seem to pull myself out of my melancholy.
I told Dylan I was going to take a nap while she transcribed our notes and made a few phone calls, but the minute my head hit the pillow, tears stung my eyes. I couldn’t stop thinking about Dylan and Asher’s story. The way Dylan knew Asher was it for her...that’s how I’d felt about Jake. How could I have been so wrong about him? I checked my phone, but there were no missed calls or messages. Apparently he hadn’t felt the same.
“Asshole,” I grumbled, tossing my phone on the bed.
“Addie?” Dylan knocked on the adjoining door and pushed it open. “Hey, do you want—what’s wrong?”
Asher Page 8
