Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
isaac
Wild Canyon, Montana
The second I pull onto the dusty stretch of highway that leads to Canyon county, the knot in my chest eases. Not all the way, but enough that I don’t feel like I’m going to implode from the tension sitting behind my ribs.
I tell myself I’m here for the space. For the quiet. For a break between the chaos of cowboy training and the even bigger circus of filming.
But I know the truth.
I’m here because the only thing worse than being around Elena Ortega every damn day is not being around her.
There was no way in hell I could’ve remained on the ranch and avoided her.
So now I’m here, dragging my heart and my confusion and my unresolved sexual frustration into Wilder territory, hoping a drink with old friends will fix what’s broken in me.
I texted Noah on my way but he’s much like Wyatt and said he’s busy working and will catch up with me later. Elijah doesn’t respond to my messages, but Liam does, letting me know he’ll be at The Branding Iron if I want to stop in and grab a drink.
As soon as I walk into the saloon-style tavern, I spot Elijah Wilder behind the bar, flipping a rag over his shoulder while chatting up some female patrons like some kind of whiskey-slinging showman. Guess that’s why he didn’t answer.
“Holy shit,” he grins. “Triple Creek’s golden boy made the trek to the boonies. They kick you out of town or what?”
“Something like that.”
“What’ll it be? Whiskey? Beer? Or advice you won’t take?”
“I’ll take whatever he’s having,” I mutter, jerking my chin toward Liam as he approaches while dragging a stool back with my boot. “And I’d be open to any advice at the moment.”
“Then you came to the right bar,” he smirks. “Ask Liam. He’s the king of loving and losing.”
“Elijah,” a familiar voice groans as Liam Wilder slides onto the stool beside me, already holding a beer. “Maybe don’t welcome our guest with the greatest hits of my personal failure.”
Elijah grins. “Just keeping the energy light.”
“Appreciate that,” I say, nodding to them both before tipping back the shot Elijah hands me. “Didn’t come here to get roasted though.”
“Here, here,” Liam replies, eyes narrowing slightly. “So, what are you doing out here in our neck of the woods?”
I drag a hand down my face. “Just got…tangled up. With this woman.”
Both men groan in unison.
“Say no more,” Elijah says, pulling a clean glass from under the bar. “You’re doomed.”
“She’s an actress,” I admit. “In the show filming on the ranch. The one Wyatt’s wife wrote. She’s technically and legally off-limits.”
“So naturally,” Liam deadpans, “you hooked up.”
“It’s not just that,” I mutter. “She’s smart. Funny. She knows what she wants, and she doesn’t bullshit. And I can’t stop thinking about her.”
“And you hooked up,” Liam repeats.
I rest my elbows on the bar beside my hat. “More than once.”
Elijah gapes at me. “I’m sorry,” he mocks, dramatically feigning cleaning out his ears.
“I must’ve misheard you. Could’ve sworn I heard the words ‘more than once.’ But I know you and you don’t do that.
” He sets another beer down in front of his brother.
“Oh wait, you meant, more than once in one night. I get it. She’s a firecracker in bed then. Nice.”
I shake my head. “Dude, I punched a famous actor for less. Recently. So, maybe back it down a notch.”
Elijah pours another shot and slides it over to me.
“We’re just fucking with you,” Liam says with a grin. “But seriously, I thought you were committed to being the hit-it-and-quit-it guy. No settling down necessary.”
I nod. Swallow my second shot. “Yeah. I thought a lot of things. But that was before. Now I’m, well, fucked. But in a less fun way.” I rake my hands through my hair. “She’s all I think about. And I can’t be certain, but I think she feels something for me too.”
Something more than mild irritation.
Maybe.
Elijah leans on the bar. Black hair falling in his bright blue eyes. “She a local or is she leaving when they’re done filming the movie on your ranch or whatever?”
“Streaming series,” I clarify. “And no, she’s not local. Far as I know, she’s not staying. We both know that. But that doesn’t make me want her any less.”
“You’re fighting a losing battle, my guy,” Elijah says before tossing a handful of peanuts into his mouth. “Sounds like her time is limited anyway. Why not just enjoy the ride while she’s here? Hit the brakes before things get messy. And bid her farewell when time is up?”
“You still single, Elijah?”
He grins. “Yeah, thank fuck, which is why I’m qualified to speak on it.”
Liam snorts into his beer and regards me with sad eyes.
“For what it’s worth, probably best just to come out with it.
Tell this woman how you feel and let the chips fall where they may.
” He shrugs one shoulder, returning his attention to his beer.
“You already know my sad story. I waited too damn long to tell Jordyn how I felt. She left. Now she’s in Chicago.
Married to some fancy finance guy…has a son. ”
Jordyn and Liam were “couple goals” in high school. At least that’s what Sutton and Willow always said. They restored motorcycles together, were in a band. Seemed like soulmates. I always thought they’d get married.
Hell, everyone did.
Next thing we knew, she’d jetted off to chase her dreams and was married to some dude no one knew and never came home.
Broke her dad’s heart, I think. And from the looks of it, Liam’s too.
“You ever talk to her?” I ask. “Hear from her at all?”
He shakes his head, eyes down. “Nah. Doesn’t feel right. Her life’s out there now. I missed my shot. And I’ve got to live with that. Every damn day.”
There’s a heaviness that settles over the bar, and for a second, all three of us are quiet.
“Thing is,” Liam continues, softer now, “sometimes the moment you think you shouldn’t say something? That’s the exact moment you should. Because if you don’t, next thing you know, it’s too late.”
I jerk my chin toward Elijah. “So you staying single forever or what?”
Elijah holds up both hands. “I’m too emotionally under-qualified for a relationship. Ask our dad. Oh wait, don’t. He said he never wanted to hear my name again.”
I wince. “You and Kent still butting heads, huh?”
Elijah shrugs while drying a glass. “Just since the day I was born. It’s whatever. We don’t see eye to eye. He says I’m a waste of potential.”
Elijah’s mom passed while giving birth to him and from what I’ve gathered, Kent Wilder hasn’t ever bonded with his youngest son. It’s a damn shame. Having lost my father, I want to tell him to repair the relationship while he still can, but Kent is as hardheaded as any rancher.
“He’s hard on all of you,” I say. “But I hate that you and he still haven’t forged some kind of relationship.”
“We were all real sorry to hear about Jack,” Liam says low from beside me. I contemplate telling him about the new evidence in my dad’s case, but I’m enough of a downer already.
Elijah groans. “Oh, good. Now we’re trauma-bonding. Someone change the subject.”
I force a laugh, the knot in my chest loosening a little more. Just brothers, drinks, and the shared understanding that none of us know a damn thing about women. Or fathers.
Or much of anything.
“Noah going to be around this week?” I ask, shifting gears. “Or is he elbow-deep in equipment and spreadsheets?”
“He works late day in and day out,” Liam says. “He’ll be glad for the help though.”
“Put me to work,” I offer. “Need something to get my mind off my own mess.”
Elijah raises an eyebrow. “So you got it that bad, huh? You’re volunteering for ranch chores to keep your hands off her?”
“Yeah, off her and the guy I nearly knocked out because I thought he was touching her.”
We all fall silent again.
“You should tell her,” Liam says eventually. “Even if it scares the shit out of you. Take my word for it, whatever it costs you to come clean, it’s a hell of a lot cheaper than a lifetime of regret.”
“Probably won’t make much of a difference,” I say before taking a long pull of my beer. “She’ll still leave when the time comes.”
Liam lifts his bottle. “At least you’ll know you tried.”
Elijah leans back on the counter behind him. “Never thought I’d see the day. Isaac Logan, domesticated. Pining after a woman and crying in his whiskey. Guess I’m the only real cowboy left.”
Liam flicks his beer bottle cap at him. “Cowboy, my ass. You’re a pretty boy who likes the pussy that comes with playing pretend.”
I shake my head with a grin, suddenly a little more certain of what I have to do.
Though I’m glad I have another week before I have to do it.