Chapter 41
EMMA
Iunderestimated how I’d feel, coming back to the Rusty Spur alone. I’m tense as I walk in. I feel like someone’s watching me even though that’s completely ridiculous. I go directly to the bar, like it’s base. Safe.
The bar's busy, like it always is in the evening—a few locals nursing beers at the bar, a couple playing pool in the back corner, and a group of ranch hands laughing too loudly near the jukebox.
There are two empty barstools in the middle of the bar. As I hop up on one, my phone buzzes.
J
You okay?
I smile despite myself. Of course he programmed his number into my phone. And of course it’s just “J.” He doesn’t need a full name. One letter and I already feel him.
Just walked in. Harper's not here yet.
J
Be safe.
That’s it? I frown at the screen, waiting for him to tell me to text him when I leave, to ask if I locked all the doors and windows at home—to ask me to come back to his place tonight.
Nothing.
“Hey.”
I turn my phone over as Harper pulls out the stool next to me. She’s wearing jeans and a puffy jacket, her curly brown hair bouncing over her shoulders, her smile bright and genuine.
Harper's six years younger than me, so we weren't friends growing up—she was still in middle school when I graduated from high school. But that changed one night two years ago.
I came home to Iron Ridge after a particularly brutal fight with Mark, and Harper found me sitting alone at the diner at six in the morning, crying into a cup of coffee, trying to pull myself together before seeing my dad.
Instead of offering platitudes or pity, she sat down across from me and said, "Men are trash.
Want to talk about it, or do you want me to arrest him? "
We'd chosen the former, and somewhere between the second and third cup of coffee, we'd realized we had the same dark sense of humor, the same refusal to accept bullshit, and the same need for someone who wouldn't judge.
We'd been inseparable ever since—the kind of friendship that felt like it had always existed, even though it was brand new.
"Sorry I'm late," Harper says, sitting down. "Dad had me doing paperwork until the last possible second."
"You're not late. I just got here."
Hank comes over, smiling. “If it isn’t my two favorite girls. You aren’t going to cause trouble tonight, are you?”
My smile falters, thinking of the other night.
Harper winks at Hank. “And chance you calling the sheriff? I think I can keep a lid on it. As long as you don’t let me order tequila.”
He laughs. “Whiskey, then?”
“Thanks, Hank,” I say.
After setting our glasses in front of us, Harper angles toward me, her eyes bright with curiosity.
"So.” Her grin turns wicked. "You and Jake Callahan."
My stomach flips. I take a sip of my drink before I answer. "What about us?"
"Oh, don't play dumb with me, Emma Hayes.” Harper shakes her head.
“I’ve never seen my dad look so pissed, not even when I told him I was going on a date with Jason Evans.
Lucy Meyers saw you leaving Blackthorn Ranch this morning, and now the whole town's speculating about you guys. So spill. Are you guys together?"
I clear my throat. "It's new. Very new."
“It’s got to be. He just moved back to town. Right?" Harper frowns. “You didn’t go out with him before he got here?”
"Of course not." Mark and I weren’t happy, but unlike him, I’d never cheat. "We’ve only been together a few days."
"Jake Callahan," Harper repeats. She raises her glass and taps it to mine before taking a sip. "I think I remember him. I remember all the girls being equally intrigued and scared by him. He was quiet, intense, kind of scary hot, right?"
"That's him." I shiver, remembering the way he used to climb through my bedroom window and into my bed, one hand slipping into my panties as the other covered my mouth so my dad wouldn’t catch us, his voice low in my ear, whispering all the scandalous ways he was going to make me come. Scary hot? Try scorching.
And that hasn’t changed.
"So now he's back, and you're dating him? Or…?" She raises her brows.
“Yeah. Definitely ‘or.’” I bite my lip. “I’m not sure you date a man like Jake Callahan.”
“I wouldn’t know,” she admits kind of wistfully. Then she lowers her head to mine, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Details, woman. You have to tell me everything. How did this happen?"
How much do I say? "We had a thing in senior year. It didn't end well. My dad didn't approve, and he made Jake leave town."
"Your dad made him leave?" Harper sits back, processing. "Emma, that's archaic."
"I know.” The thought of it still upsets me. I take a sip to settle myself. “I thought Jake just ghosted me, but I found out later that my dad forced him out, and your dad helped him."
Harper’s mouth drops open. "What?"
I nod. "Yeah."
“Dad didn’t tell me that.” Harper’s gaze goes distant, as if she’s trying to work something out in her head. Finally, she shakes her head and refocuses on me. "So now Jake’s back, and you guys are picking up where you left off."
"Something like that."
Harper grins. "Is he as hot as I remember?"
I can't help but smile. "Hotter."
"Damn." She takes a sip of her coffee, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "I haven’t seen him yet. What's he like? All broody and intense?"
"Very broody. Very intense."
"And the sex?"
"Harper!" I flush. There aren’t words invented that can convey what it’s like to have Jake Callahan love you.
"What? We're best friends. You're legally obligated to tell me these things."
I laugh despite myself. "It's good. Really good."
She grips my arm, looking me in the eye. "Really good, or really good?"
I raise my brow. “You want me to take a picture for you?”
“Would you?” She laughs as I nudge her with my shoulder.
After she calms down, she says, "Okay, I'm officially jealous.
You've got a hot, broody ex-boyfriend-maybe-new boyfriend, and the sex is amazing.
Meanwhile, I'm stuck going on terrible Tinder dates with guys who still live with their moms. And I have to travel at least a couple of hours to have an awful time, because my dad will arrest anyone who even looks my way. "
I grimace. It was bad enough having my protective dad. I couldn’t imagine my dad being the sheriff. "You'll find someone.”
"Yeah, yeah." She waves a hand. "But seriously, Emma. I'm happy for you. You deserve this. You've been through a lot the past couple of years—the divorce, your dad’s accident, and now dealing with Eli's bullshit the past few weeks.”
I still, waiting for Harper to say something about the coincidence of me hooking up with Jake and Eli disappearing.
All she said is, “It's about time something good happened."
Relieved, I relax against the counter. "Thanks, Harper."
She takes a sip of her drink, her gaze surveying the bar. She may talk shit about her dad, but she’s got law enforcement in her veins.
I wonder how she’ll get along with Jake and his friends. Will they mix or clash? I don’t want to be in another situation where my friends and my partner don’t get along.
"So what's the plan?” Harper returns her attention to me. “Is Jake sticking around, or is this just a temporary thing?"
"He's staying." My heart leaps. "He bought Blackthorn Ranch with a couple of friends from his unit."
"No kidding? That's a big commitment." Harper studies me for a moment, her expression softening. "You really like him, don't you?"
"I do," I admit softly. "I really do."
"Then I'm happy for you." She picks up her beer. "Just be careful, okay? I know you've been hurt before, and I don't want to see that happen again."
"I will."
A woman comes up to the bar on my left. She leans in, looking at Hank, obviously waiting to order a drink. She’s thin with thick blond hair, around our age. I don’t recognize her, so I know she didn’t grow up here.
Harper obviously knows her, though. “Lily, pull up a chair and join us.”
The woman looks over with startled hazel eyes. But when she sees Harper, she relaxes and offers a hint of a smile. “I wouldn’t want to interrupt,” she says, her voice soft.
“You aren’t.” Harper leans over me to speak to the guy on the next stool over. “Jesse, I know this is a stretch, but be a gentleman and get your ass off that chair so the lady can sit down.”
The man scowls. “Aw, come on, Harper. I’ve been on my feet all day.”
Harper smiles. “Know what? You can rest your feet in jail for as long as you want.”
“Aw Harper, you’re no fun,” he mumbles as he scoots off the stool and shuffles away.
“Sit down, Lily.” Harper gestures to Hank for another round for all three of us.
“Thank you.” Lily holds her hand out to me. “I’m Lily Carter.”
“Emma Hayes.” I shake her hand. It’s capable, not soft like I thought it’d be.
"Lily’s the new vet in town," Harper says, adjusting her seat so she can see both of us. “She moved here, I think, a year ago. Right, Lily?”
“Yes.” Lily offers a small, tentative smile, nodding to Hank when he holds up a pint glass.
She's pretty in a quiet way, with pale skin and delicate features.
But there's something guarded in her eyes, something that makes me think she's been hurt before and hasn't quite figured out how to trust people again.
"I feel like I’m new to town too," I say, keeping my voice warm and easy. “I only just moved back here a month ago.”
“I’m sorry about Bob.” She looks straight into my eyes, and I can see she means it genuinely. Of course she’d have known Dad, given she’s the vet. “Are you staying here to take over the ranch?”
“I’m staying,” I say firmly. We’ll see about the cattle, but I’m definitely keeping the ranch.
Lily glances at Harper and then back at me. “Did they finish the inquest on his accident?”
Frowning, I turn to Harper. “Inquest?”
Harper’s face goes carefully blank. “Emma, it was routine.”
“An inquest is routine on a car accident?” I ask incredulously. “In what world?”
“Dad wanted to play it safe, so he had your dad’s car checked out. But there wasn’t any evidence of anything, so it was all put to bed and ruled an accident.” Harper puts her arm around me. “I didn’t want to worry you over nothing.”
I’d thought my dad’s death was just bad luck.
Now I’m not so sure.
Eli was willing to do whatever he needed to get me to sell him the ranch—did he do the same to my dad? It doesn’t matter now—Eli’s gone, and the past can’t be changed—but something doesn’t sit right with me.
Lily puts her hand on my arm, looking like she wishes she could retract the last couple of minutes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
I roll my shoulders, shaking this off, setting aside with new information to examine later. “No, I’m glad you did.” Smiling, almost normally, I squeeze her hand. “Thank you.”
The regret fades from Lily’s face, and she smiles at Hank as he sets her beer in front of her. “It must have been a shock, having to uproot your life and come back.”
“I was ready.” I shrug. “I travel a lot for work, anyway.”
Harper leans in. “Emma takes pictures of pussies.”
I smack her shoulder. To Lily, I say, “I’m a wildlife photographer. I’m known for my photos of wild cats.”
Harper laughs. “My description was more interesting.”
We fall into easier conversation after that—Harper telling stories about growing up in Iron Ridge, me chiming in with my own memories, Lily listening more than talking but slowly, gradually relaxing.
By the time we're halfway through our second round of drinks, the tension that gripped me has loosened its grip—just enough that I almost forget about it.
Almost.
Because there’s still that feeling, low and restless under my skin. Like something’s not right. Like someone’s watching—like something’s waiting for me when I leave.