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"And I'm ready to finish it," Buck snarled with a murderous glare.
The lackey from the mayor's office looked like he was about to have a stroke. He threw his hands in the air and huffed, "This is just what we needed! I'm trying to draw sponsors here, and you yokels can't stop squabbling like children."
Mitch seemed to take offense to that. "Takes one to know one, Gary!"
"Disqualified!" The official jabbed a finger at Mitch first, then swept them all in the gesture. "You're all disqualified from whatever the fuck you're registered for. I don't give a damn! Get these horses out of here!"
"Now, just wait a minute—" Buck and Mitch protested, trailing the official as he stomped off, kicking snow in his wake.
Tucker observed it all with distant amusement. He cut a glance toward Aiden, gave him a quick wink, and then took his Mustang by the reins and led him away. Probably off to find his boyfriend and glad to be let off the hook.
"Satisfied?" Seth asked quietly as the onlookers began to disperse.
Aiden couldn't ignore the disgust in his tone. "You didn't hear what that asshole?—"
"I heard," Seth interrupted icily. "I just don't give a damn, and you shouldn't either."
"Yeah, well, I guess I'm not as enlightened as you," Aiden shot back, giving Seth's chest a shove to get some space between them. "Or maybe I just don't have a giant mountain to hide on for the rest of my life."
Seth's face hardened. "Is that what you think I'm doing?"
Aiden purposely clenched out a blinding smile, the one that cratered the dimple in his cheek. Seth looked even more annoyed, and that only made Aiden grin harder. If he was going to get weird and act like a jerk over a couple innocent kisses…well, fuck him. He'd rejected Aiden's overtures of new friendship, so Aiden was under no obligation to pull his punches anymore. "I don't know what you're doing. You're practically a stranger these days. That was your choice. I shouldn't have tried to force you to face things you weren't ready for."
There was a dangerous darkness in Seth's eyes. He dropped his chin and lowered his tone, and a sense of prickling dread spread across Aiden's neck.
"Face what, Aiden?" Seth asked. "What do you think you know about me? Say it."
Aiden's obnoxious grin faltered, but he'd never been the kind of man who backed down from a challenge. He stepped directly into Seth's space, so close their chests bumped. "I don't know, Seth. I thought I understood you once, but I was wrong. I don't know why you turned your back on me—on everyone. You're scared, I guess, or maybe you're embarrassed. Maybe you're pissed because people don't worship the ground you walk on anymore."
"Seth…" Tessa called. "Come on. Don't listen to this garbage."
She sounded distressed, and Aiden cut his eyes toward her. The look she gave him was full of loathing, and she lifted a middle finger. Aiden grimaced. She wasn't a little girl anymore, but he regretted having it out in front of her. She worried for Seth almost as much as he worried about her.
Seth ignored his sister. His gaze was locked on Aiden with the single-minded focus of a predator. A muscle ticked in the side of his jaw. "Step back," he warned softly.
Aiden lifted his chin. "Make me."
He almost did. Aiden could see the temptation in him, the desire to reach out and force him through violence, and he welcomed it. Maybe that was the only way they could clear the air. Anger had been simmering underneath Seth's skin ever since that argument in the truck. It didn't make sense. Aiden had done crazier things than jump out of a moving vehicle. That didn't even grace the top ten list. Had Seth forgotten who he was dealing with? Did he expect Aiden to become a different person in the years he'd been gone?
"You think you've got everything figured out, huh?" Seth's eyes glittered with restrained violence.
"Naw," Aiden said, elongating his words into an obnoxious drawl that he knew had always put Seth's teeth on edge. "I'm done trying to understand you."
He couldn't punch the man who'd once been his best friend, the only man to ever kiss him like it was something…important. But he made sure to shoulder-check him as he walked away.
Chapter Seventeen
AIDEN
Losing the prize money wasn't the end of the world; Aiden could still earn the cash he needed by picking up some side work. Something always needed an extra pair of hands in cowboy country. The loss of face didn't upset him much either; he was used to that. A man who'd been in as many crazy situations as him over the years didn't sweat about little things like embarrassment. But he couldn't shake his anger.
Fury rode him hard the rest of the day. He compensated by playing even harder. He hooked up with some drinking buddies and spent the day eating too much, drinking even more, and sampling every event the festival had to offer. He'd never been much of a bow hunter, so he didn't waste his time with the archery contest, but he tried his hand at axe throwing and ice sculpting. He relieved the volunteer at the polar dunk tank, soaked his head for a while, and then warmed up around the bonfire, drinking beer and telling bawdy jokes.
The families and tourists didn't stay long past sundown, leaving the younger crowd to put the new pavilion and sound system to use. The night sky was cloudless and lit up by an explosion of stars and a fat gibbous moon. The temperature plummeted after dark, and frost coated the frames of the cold vehicles in the parking lot. Couples snuggled together under blankets beside bonfires, sharing drinks and kisses to keep themselves warm. Dancing had started up inside the pavilion, but half the dancers left mid-cross shuffle to watch as a group of young cowboys decided to bareback race their horses down Main Street.
Aiden considered joining them, but his heart wasn't in it, especially when it would only prove Seth's argument right. The last thing Aiden wanted was to end up cooling his heels in lockup for the rest of the night. So, he stuck with dancing.
The open-air pavilion was a chaotic mass of bodies moving in time to the pounding bass of a classic rock song. Dancers were crammed like baby chicks beneath the overhead heating coils, and the air was steaming despite the occasional gust of frigid wind. Twinkle lights had been strung along the rafters, but they'd blown a fuse, plunging the area in a dim, ambient red light.
