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The sunshine in Aiden's eyes dimmed and frosted over, and he looked at Seth with barely concealed hostility. "I owe her."
"For what? Breathing?"
Aiden shoved his chair back so abruptly that it made Tessa jump. He scooped his hat up one-handed, flipped it around, and jammed it on his head, but he wasn't so angry that he left without clearing his plate. He carried the dishes to the sink, set them down gently, and rinsed them. Well trained.
Seth leaned back and hooked one arm over the rung of his chair, waiting patiently. It was never over quickly once Aiden got riled. Sure enough, Aiden whirled on him, gripping the sink behind him, and said, "I've done stupider things than strap on a pair of skis."
"What the hell does that prove?" Seth asked, flabbergasted.
Tessa muffled a laugh behind her napkin, then used it to cover her uneaten burger and excuse herself—probably to video call Riley Jensen. Seth didn't like it; he was certain her newfound interest in that particular boy was the reason she hadn't finished her dinner or breakfast that morning.
Seth stood as she left and pushed her chair in for her once she was gone. He guessed he was also well trained, except when he did something wrong, his daddy had only ever given him a stern look or a smack to the head. He didn't verbally castrate him like Aiden's mother did to her son.
Once they were alone, Seth said, "Don't you think you've pulled enough crazy stunts for at least a month or two? That bruise ain't even healed yet."
"You ever going to let that go?"
"No."
"Look, I only mentioned it because I need a rider I trust to pull me, and you're one of the best horsemen I know. I figured we could split the prize money. Win-win."
"If you think I'm going to help you strap yourself to the back of a galloping horse for a few bucks, you've lost your damn mind," Seth said fiercely. Angrily. Seth's blood still ran cold every time he remembered how cold and limp Aiden had been when he pulled him out of that lake. He couldn't even pretend not to care. Just thinking about it drove him crazy. Everything he'd done to protect Aiden in the past was pointless if he was just going to keep trying to throw it all away.
Aiden's face took on a mulish, stubborn expression. "If you don't want to do it, just say so. I'll find someone else. Calvin Craig's no stranger to extreme sports."
"Calvin Craig can barely walk most days," Seth snarled. "Even I know that."
"Fine!" Aiden threw his hands in the air, exasperated. "I'll ask West. He rides broncs. It shouldn't be much of a hardship for him to sling me around the snow for a bit."
"Like hell you are." Seth threw his dishes into the sink with far more force than Aiden had. He planted both hands on the side of Aiden, boxing him in against the counter, and leaned in close. So close that he could see the moment Aiden's pupils dilated. "Babyface West-fucking-Owens? Are you kidding me? Christ, it's like you're asking for another dent in your skull."
"I like my skull the shape it is," Aiden said, licking his lips nervously. "Makes my hair look real nice. That's why I asked you."
"Why?" Seth's voice dropped to a growl. "Why me?"
"Because I trust you," Aiden said simply. "Always have."
Seth opened his mouth, but Aiden interrupted him. "—and because we always made a great team. Don't you miss that?"
God, yes, he did. Aiden would never know how much.
They stared at each other, unblinking. Seth's mind flashed to earlier that morning when he'd stood naked before Aiden and invited him to look his fill. The way Aiden had looked at him—if he'd given even a hint of that expression back when they were teenagers, so much between them might have been different.
"Hanging around with me won't do anything good for your reputation," Seth warned. "Folks around here have long memories."
"Luckily I've got a short attention span," Aiden cracked. "Besides, hiring a know-nothing kid like me didn't do you any good back then, and you still did it."
"Yeah, well…you fit in great with the rest of our strays," Seth said, smiling slightly.
Aiden shoved his hands into his pockets, but not before Seth caught the slight tremor in his fingers. "So, you gonna do it?" he asked.
"Fuck." Seth dragged his hands through his hair. "I'm not a joiner, Aiden."
"You never were." Aiden clapped him on the shoulder to lighten the mood and rested his hand there for a beat too long. "Look at it this way—the whole town is going crazy for this Winterfest thing. If we win, we'll be local heroes. It'll be your dramatic comeback, and I'll have enough cash to keep mom off my back for a while. What's the worst that could happen?"
"You could break your neck," Seth said darkly.
"Just another reason for you to be there."
