Make Her Mine (Sapphire Falls Next Generation #1)

1. Jefferson

CHAPTER 1

JEFFERSON

“Jackass alert.”

My brother looks to the side, and sighs. “You still have beef with Zach Nelson? It’s been years.”

I nod and lift my beer. “I will always have beef with Zach Nelson.”

My arch nemesis stops inside the door, grinning like the cocky asshole that he is. A few people call out to him, and he raises a hand like he’s Miss Fucking America. Then his gaze lands on my brother.

Now it’s my turn to sigh. “Incoming.”

Carver grins. “Of course. I’m the man of the hour.”

“Yeah, yeah, you finally decided to marry the woman who has put up with you since you were what? Four years old? I don’t see why you should get drinks on the house and all these pats on the back. You’re only doing what you should have done years ago and what any even halfway intelligent man would do.”

He smirks. “Your jealousy is showing.”

I chuckle. Honestly, everyone should be jealous of my brother and his fiancée, Kaelyn. They are a perfect couple. The only reason it’s taken Carver this long to officially marry the woman who has been his since before they even went to kindergarten is because she’s been working on her PhD and didn’t want to also plan a wedding.

Somehow, my dorky older brother managed to lock down an amazing, gorgeous, funny, intelligent woman. I think all the men in town like him in spite of that because it gives them hope.

Kaelyn Spencer decided long ago that my brother Carver needed her. I don’t think at the ripe old age of three she really understood all the ways that he needed her, but something told her that the sweet nerd was going to need some help getting through life and she appointed herself his guardian angel.

Fortunately, my brother is an actual genius, and even though he is socially awkward and takes after our father in many ways, he did understand that he wanted to keep Kaelyn close.

They’ve been inseparable their entire lives, started dating as soon as either of them really understood what that was, and have essentially been an old married couple since they were about thirteen.

But finally, my brother put a ring on it. They’re getting married next weekend. And not only are they practically royalty in this town, they decided to say their vows in the town’s gazebo on the Saturday of our annual town festival.

So now it’s a week-long party complete with snow cones and a Ferris wheel and every person either of them has ever met will be in attendance.

“Riley!”

Even jackasses we all went to high school with like Zach Nelson.

Zach claps Carver on the shoulder. “Congratulations!” He raises his voice. “A round for the bar on me in celebration!”

I fucking hate this guy.

This is just like him.

Go off to college and become a huge football star for the beloved state university team, go on to medical school to become a rich orthopedic surgeon, and then stroll back into town to throw his money around and grace us all with his presence.

This has very little to do with celebrating my brother's upcoming nuptials. Carver is only a year older than us and Kaelyn was in our grade, so Zach knows a ton of people who are coming back this week for the festival and wedding. It’s basically a high school class reunion with a fancier party at the end. This is the perfect way for a guy like Zach to show off.

He’s probably been in town for about ten minutes. That’s how long it would take him to want to get everybody looking at him and ooh-ing and ahh-ing over him.

“Glad to see you, Riley,” he says. Then he looks at me. “And Riley. How the fuck are you, Jefferson?”

About a thousand times more annoyed than I was two minutes ago. “Zach,” I say flatly. “What are you doing here?” He hasn’t been back for a festival in about five years.

Not since he started medical school.

“I couldn’t miss this wedding. I hear everybody’s coming back for it.”

Exactly. I give my brother a side-eye. I blame him for this. They didn’t even really send invitations out. They just told everyone to be in the town square Saturday at six.

Ninety percent of the town would have been anyway. The town square is the heart of the festival.

Carver just winks at me.

It takes a lot to get Carver worked up. And ‘worked up’ really means excited. Never angry. And the things that get Carver excited are Kaelyn, bugs, and soil samples. Probably in that order, though I’m sure he’s smart enough not to tell Kaelyn if that’s not the actual order.

Carver doesn’t have much of a temper. He definitely takes after my father. My dad isn’t exactly laid-back. It’s more that he’s always wrapped up in some project and so in his own head that he doesn’t realize what’s going on around him. Carver is like that. Our youngest brother Graham gets that way too.

But our sister Ginny and I take after our mom a little more. We’re protective. And we’re a hell of a lot more social than the others. Which means that we definitely understand that people can be assholes. And that pisses us off sometimes.

“So that means you’ll be around for a while,” I say. Dammit. It’s Friday night a week and one day before the wedding. That’s a long time before the big event will be over and everyone can leave town.

“Yep. Took all this time off to come back.” Zach takes a deep breath. “It’s good to be home.”

I scoff and take a drink of my beer. Home. Right. Zach left as soon as he could and has rarely been back. Thank God. While he was in college, he was busy with football and medical school, and his residency has a “grueling” schedule—according to what his mother told his aunt who told my…hell, I don’t even remember who I heard it from at this point. He just hasn’t been back to visit since his parents moved to Omaha.

“Glad you could make it back,” Carver says when I don’t say anything.

“Yeah,” Zach says happily as beers are delivered to our table as well as all the rest in the room. “It’s gonna be great. All the old crowd will be here together. It’ll be just like old times.”

I lift an eyebrow. It will be nothing like old times.

Back in the day Zach and I used to pretend that we got along. I suppose at the moment we did. I was the star quarterback, and he was the best running back our school had ever seen. We were the Dynamic Duo, as the local papers and sportscasters dubbed us. We were unbeatable for three years. There wasn’t a ball I could throw that he couldn’t catch, and if Zach Nelson had a football in his hands, we were getting six points.

We had three amazing years of football together. Everything was great. On the surface.

Then we both went to play in college.

But for two different Big Ten teams.

And once a year for four years, and twice a year for two years including the conference championship, we faced off.

The news and fans went nuts. Sapphire Falls went nuts. The watch parties, the betting pools, and the way the town divided up was nuts.

He was the good guy who played for the home school. He was starting for the Nebraska Cornhuskers by their fourth game his freshman year.

I was the ‘traitor’ who went to play for Minnesota. I was starting by our fifth game after our starting QB broke his wrist.

Of course, the sports coverage talked about how Zach earned the spot and I lucked into mine.

They talked about how we’d been ‘inseparable’ in high school.

And they talked about our State Championship series our senior year.

The year Sapphire Falls won without me.

Everyone here knows that Zach and I don’t get along. But they all think it’s about football.

I wish football was the reason I hate this guy so much.

“I need to get going,” I tell my brother as I stand from my stool and withdraw my wallet.

Zach puts out a hand to stop me. “I’ve got this.”

I toss a few bills on the table. “You’re not covering me.”

“I’m at least buying the last round.”

I meet his gaze directly. “You’re not doing anything for me.”

He pulls his hand back. “I see.”

It’s not like this is the first time I’ve seen Zach since high school. His parents lived here until about four years ago. He came home for holidays and different occasions. But I didn’t have to put up with him for any length of time. I avoided him as much as possible. He did come to some games, putting in an appearance as an alumnus. But even when he congratulated me for coaching two Sapphire Falls teams to State Championships, I gave him tight smiles, let the local newspaper snap a photo of the Dynamic Duo on the Sapphire Falls football field together again, and moved off as quickly as possible.

“Hey, I don’t suppose you’ve seen Harlow around?”

I turn back instantly.

Zach is asking my brother. But I immediately ask, “Why?”

“I tried to call her, but I think she’s changed her number. She’s always been close with your family. Figured Graham was back in town, and they’d be hanging out.”

He figured correctly. Harlow Hansen is our little brother Graham’s best friend. And Graham is indeed back in town for the wedding. In fact, he’s at Harlow’s house right now.

But I want to know why the fuck Zach wants to know about Harlow.

I step back toward the table. “Why do you need to talk to Harlow?”

“Really?” he asks with a grin. “I know you’re not the smartest one in your family,” he tells me. “But guessing even you can figure this out.”

Yeah, yeah, I’m the dumbest of my siblings. I’m still smart enough to know something Zach doesn’t—there’s no fucking way he’s getting close to Harlow again.

And he should know that.

“You and Harlow were over a long time ago,” I remind him.

“Yeah, well, I want to talk to her about that.”

“Spit it out,” I tell him. “What do you want with Harlow?”

Zach shrugs as if it should be obvious. “I want her back. This is the perfect chance. I’m settled. When my residency is finished, they’ve promised me a job with the practice. We’ve both grown up. It’s time I tell her I’m sorry for what happened and work to get her back.”

I look at Carver, who wisely keeps his mouth shut. Then I look back at Zach. “Not gonna happen.”

Not. Fucking. Ever. Even over my dead body. Because Carver and Graham and Ginny will pick up where I leave off. But as long as I’m breathing, this asshole doesn’t stand a chance with the woman we all consider a sister.

“Excuse me?” Zach draws himself up taller.

“You seem to have forgotten my opinion about you and Harlow back in high school. I can easily remind you,” I tell him, taking a step closer to him and balling my fist.

I’ve hit exactly one person in the face in my life. Zach Nelson.

I’ve definitely punched my brothers’ arms, legs, and even stomachs a couple of times. I even made the mistake of punching my sister in the shoulder once. That was how I first learned about the excruciating pain of getting kicked in the balls. But I’ve only hit another human in the face on purpose once.

I’ll do it again though.Without hesitation. Happily.

Zach narrows his eyes. “This isn’t about you, Riley. Back off. Harlow and I are going to see each other while I’m back.”

“Guys,” Carver says, warningly.

I glance toward the bar. Dammit. Derek Wright, co-owner of the bar and head bartender tonight, is watching us.

He’s friends with my parents. It’s not that I’m worried about Derek telling my mom on me. It’s that even though Derek is a good twenty-some years older than me, he can definitely physically throw me out of this bar—though that would not be a great look for the town’s football coach and guidance counselor. He could also ban me from returning for a couple of weeks, which would just be no fun, and tell my mom.

That’s how it is growing up here. It’s hard to get away with much when your friends’ parents are the town’s teachers, business owners, cops, bartenders, and even the mayor.

I make myself relax. I force a grin, which I hope drives Zach crazy, and say, “Yeah that’s not going to happen. She’s taken.”

I’m not sure why I say those last two words.

But then Zach’s eyes narrow and his face gets a little red.

And yeah, that’s why.

Because that will really piss him off.

“Taken?” he repeats.

“You didn’t really think that she was gonna sit around and wait for you, did you? She’s taken. You have no chance.”

“By who?” Zach asks.

I scoff. “Really? I mean, you’re no smarter than me,” I tell him. I could’ve been a fucking orthopedic surgeon if I wanted to. “But I don’t think you’re gonna have to think real hard to figure that out.”

I look at my brother. “See you later.” Then I turn on my heel and leave the building.

I saunter out to my truck, casually slide behind the wheel, and pull out onto the street easily.

Just in case he’s watching.

But the minute I’m to the end of the block and out of sight of the bar, I smash the gas pedal, and swear loudly.

Then groan.

Fuck. Harlow is going to kill me .