Chapter 37
Chapter Thirty-Seven
This might be the cutest outfit I’ve ever worn. The black micro miniskirt barely covers my butt and the silver concho chain belt I paired with it is nearly as big. My hair is also so perfectly curled that the white streaks almost look like expensive highlights.
I’ll be damned if I don’t feel like a y’allternative goddess.
I’m digging my vibe so much I’m tempted to wear a camisole with no cover up… Then again, maybe not. This is a Deadwood party, after all, and I don’t need the extra attention.
After a minute or two of searching my closet, I go with a tight semi-sheer top with a Queen Anne neckline that covers all my scars except the ones at my collarbone, and I cover those with a cute little black handkerchief that ties at the side. The shirt is black, obviously , and goes perfectly with the black knee-high cowboy boots I’m wearing.
My brother and the others left earlier to set up for the party, which means I’ve been blasting music since Dad left for work. I’d thought some tunes might help with my nerves, but now that it’s almost time to leave, my stomach is queasy as I shrug on my green fringe jacket for an extra layer of armor .
After tonight, I’ve given myself permission to officially check off number seven on my bucket list. While Benny’s Ice Cream might’ve been a bust, going to a birthday party on top of the eclipse party and the night I went to Rib Cage definitely qualifies as going out more.
My phone chimes, and I disconnect from Bluetooth before bringing up the new text.
Noah
Is Ryker there?
My brow wrinkles. I glance out my window to see if Ryker’s truck is parked outside, but the driveway is empty.
Willa
No? Should he be?
Noah
K good
Pls grab the bottle of whiskey on the counter before you head over
That doesn’t exactly clear up my question… And also, what a dick. He’s seen me struggling with the news about Old Man Dan, but the only thing he wants to know is if I’m alone with his best friend?
Screw that.
I close out of the text and give myself a once-over in the mirror before heading for the kitchen. The sun won’t be setting for at least another hour, but it’s already much cooler outside, the warm summer breeze carrying the fresh scent of wildflowers and greenery through my open screens. It’s the perfect weather for a drive with the windows down and the music up, which—thanks to Dad—is still possible.
Not wanting to draw attention to the fact that Ryker threatened Cooper, I’d lied and told my dad my tire was flat because I’d run over a screwdriver. Thankfully, not only did he buy the excuse, he even changed my tire and brought my truck home for me .
Hopefully the party will be in Marco’s backyard so I can enjoy this strangely tolerable weather. We never get nights like this so close to the end of summer, and I’d love to not be cooped up indoors with a bunch of people who don’t want me there in the first place.
Pushing aside that last unhelpful thought, I close up the house, grab the bottle of whiskey Noah asked for, and head outside. The glass bottle clinks against the doorframe as I double check the lock, and then I turn, grinning when I spot a familiar brown truck idling at the end of the driveway, my nervousness suddenly replaced by a giddy sense of excitement.
Not only is Ryker alone, but his smile is visible from here, the sight of it lifting some of the heaviness of the past few days off my chest and replacing it with a warm, fluttery feeling.
Using the bottle, I gesture toward the garage to see if he wants me to drive, but he shakes his head and points to his passenger seat in what looks like a silent command for me to get in. I try not to smile like an idiot as I skip down the gravel, failing the moment he slides across the seat to open the door for me.
“Fuck,” he murmurs, gaze dragging over my body as I climb in.
My insides go liquid at the borderline obscene desire etched into his expression. It’s like he’s undressing me with his eyes. My toes curl in my boots while I fight the urge to climb onto his lap and ask him to strip me bare.
“Hi,” he says with a wicked smirk.
Ears on fire, I drop my eyes to the wool blanket covering the seat, waiting for my flush to clear before trying to respond.
“Are you really going to ignore me, Princess ? You know how I hate that…” he warns, waiting for me to lift my chin and look at him before throwing the truck into drive.
The emphasis he places on the dumb nickname is playful, like he’s challenging me to push his buttons. “I’d never dream of ignoring you on your birthday .”
His eyes roll and he groans, shifting the truck into another gear as we speed down the dusty road. “It’s not my fucking birthday. ”
Biting my lip to keep from grinning, I scoot an inch closer, reveling in how much easier and comfortable life feels when it’s just the two of us.
“In that case, do you want to bail and go do something else?”
Ryker quirks a brow. “Don’t tempt me. Your brother’s already pissed enough that I didn’t want people over.”
“Thanks for that.” My heart thumps at the memory of how he stood up for me earlier. “I thought you were going to Marco’s with Noah? Where are you coming from?”
No matter how much I’d like to flatter myself by pretending he came back just to get me, the way his truck was facing when I walked outside means he drove in from the opposite direction.
“I met up with Kane to work out a deal for me to rent the big house once he takes ownership of the ranch,” Ryker says, turning onto the main road leading into town.
A jolt of pain rips through my heart at the thought of anyone living next door except for Elanor and Old Man Dan, but if it has to happen, I’m glad it’s Ryker.
“That’s awesome, especially since you’ll be so close to Charlie if she does end up back in Deadwood. But won’t renting the ranch be way more expensive than an apartment?”
Ryker’s lips curve downward. “It’s a when at this point. I spoke with her foster parents this morning. As of yesterday, all the paperwork’s been filed. The only thing Beau needs to officially have his rights reinstated is a court hearing.”
Anger sizzles so fiercely in my veins that my fists coil. I should have hogtied that caseworker and forced her to listen to me.
“As far as the cost,” Ryker continues, “Kane’s actually going to pay me to stay there as long as I help maintain the property.”
There’s a long pause while Ryker gnashes his teeth, and I can almost see his mind asking the same question I am. Not wanting to put an additional damper on his mood, I offer up a neutral response instead of voicing the question aloud.
“That’s interesting. ”
Ryker snorts and glances at me out of the corner of his eye. “Just say what you’re really thinking.”
“Your brother bought the Cartwright Estate and he’s buying the ranch. Now he’s going to pay you to live there? How can he afford all that? Where’s he getting all this money from?”
Ryker lets go of a long sigh as he breaks at a four-way stop. “I have no fucking clue.”
I scoot closer. “Do we believe him about the flowers being the reason you got sick?”
The corner of Ryker’s mouth kicks up and then flattens, like he’s holding back a smile.
“What?” I ask.
“It’s not important,” he says, still fighting back a grin when he eases off the brake and accelerates through the intersection. “But no, we don’t believe him. General rule of thumb with Kane is not to trust a single word that comes out of his mouth.”
My head tilts to the side and I purse my lips. Maybe I shouldn’t have believed Kane so easily, but he seemed genuinely upset about the whole ordeal… I lean back in my seat, moving just a tiny bit closer to Ryker’s thigh.
“I think that’s the first bad thing I’ve heard you say about your brother.”
“Yeah, well, it won’t be the last,” he scoffs. “The fucker is family, but sometimes I wonder if he really has gone off the deep end.” We turn onto Marco’s tree-lined street and he sighs. “Do you mind if we don’t talk about Kane? He already took up my entire afternoon.”
I bob my head. “Sure thing. Actually, how about we pretend like neither of our brothers exist for the rest of the night?”
Ryker smiles and gives my thigh a playful squeeze. “Sounds like a good plan to me.”
After deciding to park a few blocks away so Noah won’t notice that we drove in together, Ryker makes no move to get out of the truck. Instead, he shuts off the engine and leans back in his seat, like he’s in no rush to get to his own party .
“You doing okay with the news about Old Man Dan?”
“I’ve been better,” I admit, because I’m not afraid that he’ll try to overcorrect the situation or make it worse like Dad or Noah would.
“Dan’s a tough son of a bitch. So is Elanor.” Ryker’s eyes drop briefly to the last three inches of space between our legs before he threads an arm around my waist and tugs me against his side.
Body humming, I melt into him. “What about you? How’s all that fishing with Noah been going? Have you had any time to relax before the academy starts?”
Mindlessly, he rubs his thumb back and forth across my hip, soothing some of my restlessness. “Considering how I hate fishing almost as much as I hate this fucking town, it was pretty damn awful.”
I lift a quizzical brow. Growing up, Ryker used to weasel his way onto every single one of our family fishing trips. It didn’t matter if it was an afternoon or an entire weekend, without fail he was there, secondhand rod in hand. Even when Noah was grounded, Ryker would insist on coming out with me and Dad.
“Since when do you hate fishing?”
Climbing out of the truck, he chuckles humorlessly, like I asked him a loaded question. “Princess, there hasn’t been a day of my life I haven’t absolutely fucking despised fishing.”
I scramble out after him. “Don’t let Noah or Dad hear you say that. It would literally send them into cardiac arrest.”
This time, Ryker’s laugh is genuine, and my heart flutters at the beautiful sound.
We round the bed of the truck, a smile on my face and barely any space between us as we take our first few steps down the car-lined street toward Marco’s.
Crickets chirp along with the steady beat of my heart, and the light evening breeze rustles through my hair and the surrounding trees. Who knows, maybe I’ll actually enjoy myself tonight. A soft smile spreads across my lips, and I take a deep breath, only to be assaulted by the potent scent of liquor and body odor .
My spine stiffens.
“You evil bitch,” a rough voice slurs from our left. “Did you really think I wouldn’t find out what you were up to?”