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She jumped behind the wheel of her truck and sang along with the radio as she drove into Eden. The small town was filled with pedestrians walking the streets to visit the pubs and restaurants. Parking on both side of the street was packed with the kind of cars that stuck out here as belonging to city folk. Any self-respecting Montana native owned something with four-wheel drive for the mountainous terrain.
Aiming the air conditioner vent at her breasts, she attempted to cool down before she walked into the bar and met her girlfriends, like she did every Friday night.
In the back of her mind she heard the echo of Forest’s words.
Be careful while I’m gone, Meadow. You know things can happen quick.
Well, her brother wasn’t coming back. She was on her own, and she did plan to exercise caution tonight, like every night she left the house.
She also wasn’t kidding when she told Webb she was going to find a man tonight.
For all of her twenty-six years, living in a small town populated mostly by men, Meadow…was a virgin.
A big fat untouched nun. While her friends were hooking up, Meadow went home alone.
And she was tired of it.
Oh, she had good reason for waiting. But she was sick of being the last virgin in Montana over the age of twenty.
As she bumped into the parking lot of Badlands, she was more than ready for what the joint was known for—tossing back a few drinks and finding a little trouble. She spotted her friend Desiree’s SUV parked near the door and squeezed into the small space beside her.
The thump of the music’s bass shook the walls and thrummed through the evening air. When she climbed out of her truck, she double-checked that it was locked before stowing her key fob in her bra for safekeeping.
Now she only had to avoid leaving her drink unattended. Just in case, Forest had always told her. And she had to make certain to leave the bar with a group of people so no one got a chance to harass a lone woman in the parking lot.
Suddenly, she realized that while her big brother was no longer with her, he still watched over her. The precautions he drilled into her carried on the legacy of his protection.
The door opened, letting out a blast of music right in her face. Two guys stumbled out, supporting a third between them.
Meadow turned her head to watch them. Her hair waved over her cheek and into one eye, but it didn’t obstruct her view of a tall, muscular man standing at the bar.
Meadow blinked several times to adjust to the dim lighting of the interior. She must be seeing things. Why would Colton Nox be at Badlands when the other ranch hands were still wrapping up evening chores before heading into town for some fun of their own?
She jerked forward, intending to ask him exactly that, but a familiar whistle sounded from her right. She glanced around to see Desiree at one of their usual tables, waving for her to come over and join her.
Giving Nox another narrow look he never saw, Meadow headed over to the table. She pulled out a seat and plopped into it without tearing her stare away from Forest’s friend.
The bartender slid two bottles toward him, and Nox wrapped a hand around each before turning away.
Two beers. Who was the other one for? Unless he was double-fisting tonight, he was buying someone a drink.
He disappeared, swallowed by the crowd lingering around the edge of the dance floor.
Desiree snapped her fingers in front of Meadow’s face. “Who are you so focused on?”
“Nobody.” She popped out of her chair. “I’ll get us the first round.”
“The waitress will get—” Her friend’s words were lost as she left.
Meadow rushed to the bar and quickly leaned over to order two drinks.
“Wooee! Look at you!” A guy on a barstool wagged his brows.
She cast him a narrow glance. “Go fuck yourself.”
He laughed, but she wasn’t going to waste her time talking to someone like that. She was too busy staring at Colton.
He had one of the local girls tucked up against his side, his arm draped over her shoulders much the same way that Meadow had seen in Forest’s photo of the buddies in his squadron.
