Page 5

Carla slides her arm around my shoulders. "This is my bestie from college, Lainey."

He tips his hat. "Nice to meet you, Lainey."

"You too," I offer.

"What are you ladies drinking tonight?"

"Ranch water?" Carla arches her eyebrows at me.

I nod. "Yes, please."

Troy motions to the bartender, calling out, "Casey, two ranch waters."

I lean into Carla. "I think you know the entire town."

She laughs. "Only the interesting people. Like…" Her smirk expands.

I follow her gaze across the room.

A man stands near the far end of the bar, surrounded by others.

He laughs so hard, he doubles over before clapping another cowboy on the shoulder.

Another man points at him with mock annoyance.

He answers with an exaggerated innocent expression, and three women nearby laugh.

Even from across the room, his personality takes up more space than anyone else's.

I glance at Carla. "Friends of yours?"

She snorts. "You can say that."

"Well that's a strange answer."

"It'll become clear in about..." She checks an imaginary watch. "...thirty seconds."

I blink. "Huh?"

She tips her chin toward the other side of the room. "He'll be over soon."

Sure enough, the cowboy looks our way. The second he recognizes Carla, his grin gets even bigger. He points straight at her. Then he starts weaving through the crowd like he owns the place.

I look back at Carla. "Boyfriend of yours?"

She wrinkles her nose. "Ew. No."

I look him over again. Broad shoulders strain the black T-shirt stretched across his chest, faded Wranglers ride low on his hips, and an oversized belt buckle catches the light every few steps. I lean closer to her. "What exactly is the 'ew' part?"

She laughs. "He's like my brother."

I lift a brow. "Your brother looks like that?"

She rolls her eyes. "You know what I mean."

"Not really. I'm going to need an explanation."

She tips her head toward him, her expression lighting up further. "Trust me. You spend five minutes with Jagger, and you'll understand."