One Reckless Moment (Brooks Valley Ranch #1)

Prologue

HAVE YOU EVER JUST WANTED TO PUNCH SOMEONE IN THE FACE AS HARD AS YOU CAN?

PIAGE

I’m simply thriving.

The house band at the Iron Saddle Saloon was on fire tonight as I looped my arm through my sister’s and spun in a circle, throwing my head back with laughter. Tipsy Lottie stumbled out of my grip, but was quickly caught by a mystery man who had approached us on the dance floor.

She flashed him a sly smile as he looped his arms around her waist and started moving their hips in sync to the music.

I glanced over to where my siblings were sitting at a table off to the right of the dance floor, and noticed the seething look on Lottie’s fiancé’s face. I dipped my head to hide my laugh.

This was Lottie’s game.

Owen Kelly was an LA city boy who’d never been to a country bar a day in his life before he came to in Ashton Creek. Lottie was going to force him onto this dance floor one way or another—which currently meant she was going to make him jealous until he did something about it.

I didn’t approve of what she was doing, okay, but I respected the hustle.

It didn’t take long for Owen to look as if he was going to burn the place to the ground and storm up to her. The heated look in his eyes was mildly terrifying when he practically growled at the man she was dancing with in a show of dominance.

I shook my head and retreated to our table, leaving the two of them to work it out. I had no interest in watching them grope each other because Owen had finally manned up.

I sank down into a chair with a huff just as my younger brother Reid placed a beer in front of me. “Thanks.” I smiled and took a long pull from the cold amber bottle.

The Iron Saddle Saloon was the only bar in the small town of Ashton Creek, Montana.

You’d likely find at least one of my brothers here every weekend.

I came out on occasion, but usually when I did, I had to dodge roaming hands of cowboys who were looking to warm their bed for the night.

The alternative was dragging my brothers out by their shirts when they inevitably got into a bar fight.

That wasn’t the lifestyle I was interested in, and unlike most women in this town, rugged cowboy was not my type.

Most of the time.

Did I find them attractive? Sure. I mean, I do have eyes.

But I grew up on a ranch and fell witness to way too many nights in the bunkhouse when willing women would throw themselves at the ranch hands.

Lottie and I would stand on the main house balcony and watch the parade of women leave the next morning while we sipped our coffee.

We would laugh as they smoothed their disheveled hair and carried their heels in their hands.

We didn’t judge them. If anything, we were probably a little jealous of the attention that we were both lacking, considering we woke up alone.

But I still didn’t want to be one of those women.

I wanted something more meaningful than a walk of shame, which meant I had to be choosy in this small town.

Lottie and Owen appeared next to me, arms linked with dopey smiles. Lottie beamed as Owen’s hat now sat firmly on her head.

“I didn’t think it was going to take that long.” I smirked at Owen as I tipped my bottle toward him.

“You knew what she was doing?” he asked, glancing between me and my sister.

“Lottie has always been trouble.” I shrugged.

She didn’t tell me her plan, but I knew my sister and the little games she loved to play all too well.

While we were growing up, she used to drive her childhood sweetheart crazy with tricks like that, but he’d never actually cave.

It was one of their main problems—she needed someone who would play along with her.

“Trouble, she definitely is.” He leaned over and planted a kiss on her cheek.

Hearing a few weeks ago that Lottie was coming home with a fiancé was startling.

Since she moved away, she visited Montana for the month of June every year.

Up until about three weeks ago, I was under the impression that she was coming alone this year.

The two of them seemed surprisingly great together, despite their differences.

They had polar opposite personalities, but for once, she seemed to find a guy who might be able to tame her.

That thought made me happy; Lottie deserved someone who would appreciate everything she brought to the table.

“What did I miss?”

Cash’s smooth draw startled me out of my thoughts. Against my better judgment, I followed the sound of his voice, and, not to my surprise, watched as a blonde bombshell draped herself in his lap.

Jesse “Cash” Leonard was a ranch hand who worked for my dad. He showed up at the ranch unannounced when he was eighteen and simply never left. Now—eleven years later—he weaseled his way into becoming my oldest brother Walker’s best friend and an extension of the family.

I’ll admit it, when I first laid eyes on him, I thought he was the most attractive man I’d ever seen.

Granted, I was fourteen so the standard was pretty low.

We didn’t get a lot of fresh blood in Ashton Creek so new guys were always exciting.

He had this scruffy hair that always looked perfect no matter which way he flipped it, and his smile could melt the heart of any girl—which I learned it literally did by the amount of women who frequented his bed.

For a while, we were friends. Really great friends, but we were kids then. At first, I was sure he dismissed me as the annoying little sister of Walker, but as time went on we got closer.

I tagged along for chores and showed up at senior parties just to get a rise out of them. It was fun to be noticed and included, and even more fun to see the tick in Cash’s jaw when I pissed him off.

I waited years for him to notice me in a way that was different—more meaningful—and when I turned eighteen, I finally made my move.

We were in the stables, grooming the horses like we always did together before nighttime chores.

In a moment of misplaced confidence, I rose up on my toes and brushed my lips against his.

My delusional brain actually assumed he’d kiss me back.

In my head, it was the perfect scene—a classic friends-to-lovers romance.

I was horrified when he jerked away the second our lips met.

I didn’t even wait for him to say anything; I just took off.

I cried into my pillow that night, berating myself for thinking he’d liked me as anything other than an annoying little sister.

He never brought it up, but he did create distance between us. Now, he just mercilessly teased me alongside my brothers. Constant barbs and cold shoulders.

No warmth or jokes. No charming smiles. Continuous tension and fights. It was a fun little game we played to see who could get further under whose skin.

“Nice of you to grace us with your presence.” I rolled my eyes.

“Aw, Pip, did you miss me?” He winked at me.

“Don’t call me that,” I spat out through gritted teeth.

I detested that nickname, and he was well aware.

Cash began calling me Pipsqueak when he first moved here as a term of endearment.

He would say I was too small and weak to help them.

There was a time I loved when he would use the name, since it was something special we shared.

But, he burned that connection to the ground.

Now he used the name to piss me off.

And it worked every single time.

Cash smirked at me as he turned to his date and started assaulting her mouth, making a show of their tangled tongues.

It was grotesque, classless. He was such a manwhore, it was nauseating to witness.

I stood abruptly, my chair screeching against the wood floors, and stormed over to the bar.

I had no interest in indulging in voyeurism and I needed stronger alcohol if this was going to happen the rest of the night.

I leaned over the bartop and ordered a round of tequila shots for my siblings as Lottie sidled up next to me.

“Don’t even say it,” I barked out, not daring to look at her. There was sure to be pity in her eyes.

Lottie raised her hands in defense. “I wasn’t going to say anything.”

“Mm-hmm,” I mumbled.

Lottie placed her hands on the bar, drumming her fingers and tapping her leg as if keeping her thoughts to herself was painfully difficult.

“I just mean,” she burst out, “why do you let him get to you? He teases because you react.”

“He’s an asshole. How am I not supposed to react?”

“If you ignore him, then he’ll get bored and move on.” She shrugged.

I knew she was right, but something about Cash just got to me. Ignoring his comments seemed impossible.

I exhaled and decided I was going to make the mature decision to handle this like an adult. I turned to my sister with a devious smile and asked, “So, how do we start a fight between him and his date?”

Lottie snorted as the tray of shots were placed in front of us. “The best payback would be to show him you’re unaffected.”

“No,” I corrected. “The best payback would be a great cockblock.”

Lottie turned to head back to our waiting siblings. “Go find a hot cowboy to dance with. Have some fun and forget about the hotheaded asshole,” she called over her shoulder.

I nodded and grabbed the tray before we walked back toward the table. That was actually the perfect plan.

I turned to face the band and raised my hands over my head, dancing in my own little world.

The music wafted over my body in waves as I closed my eyes.

I perked up when a pair of strong hands found my waist. The liquor was flowing, and for once I was ready to take a hot man home to let him have his way with me.

A girl deserved a little fun every now and then, right?