Guilt hit me square between the eyes. He was right. I’d been a selfish asshole. “I’m sorry. I just wanted to get away. For at least a little while. The show is making me crazy.”
“I get it. I do. We’ll figure somethin’ out. Maybe Ever can talk to the network execs, get them to drop the storyline they want for you.”
“You’d do that?”
“Course I would.”
I sat on the edge of the bed and heaved a sigh. “Thanks, man. I know I asked for it, but the shit they want me to do is beyond what I’m prepared for. I don’t do relationships. I thought they’d just want a little flirting.”
“Always read the fine print, little brother. Always.”
Rolling my eyes, I laughed. “I’ll hit the shower and then get on the road. Sam won, by the way.”
“What else is new? Sam always wins.”
“True.”
After we hung up. I took a quick shower, though I was hesitant to wash the scent of Hazel off me. A small pang in my chest had me wishing once again for her to still be in my bed. But I pushed that thought away. She was just a one night stand. A girl who used me to get off, and I’d been fine with it—just like all the other times.
Sam was already gone by the time I was dressed and heading toward my truck. Just like him to leave without sayin’ goodbye. I started the engine and gave one final look at the hotel, somehow still hoping Hazel would walk through the doors so I could see her one more time. Then I pulled out of the parking lot so I could make my way back to the ranch.
Tristan
Present day
* * *
“Get your ass up and get movin’ right now,” my brother Clint’s voice pulled me from the sleep I sorely needed.
“Shit,” I grumbled, rolling off the couch and stumbling over a pair of pink boots strewn across the floor of the living room in the house I used to share with my brother Buck. Not anymore. He was settled down with a woman he loved more than anything, and even though the house got lonely, I told myself I was glad to have it all to myself.
“What the hell are you doing in here? Whose boots are those?”
I shook my head, taking in the state of my place. There wasn’t just one pair of boots. There were three. Half-drunk beer bottles lined the mantle, an open pizza box sat on the table, and my bedroom door was wide open, exposing the three women I ended up bringing home with me after a night at The Silver Spur.
“I didn’t get their names.”
Clint snorted. “Yeah? Well, it looks like you didn’t get much of anything.”
“We were just…”
“Blowin’ off some steam? Yeah, I get it. I did the same thing when I was your age. But then I figured out that there was more to life than partying.”
Annoyance rushed through my veins, causing me to clench my teeth. “You’re not my dad, Clint. Stop tryin’ to be.”
My brother swallowed hard and took off his hat, placing it on the small table before locking eyes with me. “No, but I am your brother. It’s been hard around here since Dad died, I get that, but you’ve been dangling off the edge for a while, and none of us are gonna sit back and let you fall.”
“I’m fine. What’s the big deal?”
“Wait, are these women guests here?”
I shrugged, trying to play it off as nothing to worry about, but I knew I’d crossed the line. I never let the guests come home with me. It was rule one. Don’t shit where you eat. “One of them might’ve stumbled into a ditch or worse, into a ranch hand’s bed, and then we’d have a real problem on our hands. I’d rather they sleep it off somewhere safe.” I dragged a hand through my hair and sighed.
Clint stood up straighter, eyes narrowing. “You think the hands aren’t safe?”
“I think they’re only human. I know how hard it can be to say no to a pretty pair of…”
He stopped me with a cocked brow. “Get them out of here before someone sees them. ”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll take care of it.”
“If Mama catches you...”
“She’ll never let me hear the end of it, I know.”
Both palms pressed to the counter, he sighed. “She just wants you to grow up to be a good man. To be happy.”
I scoffed. “I’m a grown-ass man.”
A light chuckle was his first response, and it killed me to know he thought I was ridiculous. I worked my ass off all damn day; there was nothing wrong with playing a little. “You sure are, Tristan. But are you proud of the man you’ve grown up to be?”
He grabbed his hat and settled it back on his head, giving me a slight nod. “Just…think about it, okay? This,” he said, gesturing to the open bedroom door. “This ain’t somethin’ to be proud of. One of these days, it’s gonna come back to bite you in the ass.”
I couldn’t meet his gaze. I was too angry. Too annoyed. Too… God, I was too fuckin’ hurt by his opinion of the man I’d become. He left without even looking back, and I leaned against the kitchen counter, staring at the coffee maker with a bitter taste in my mouth.
Who the hell was he to judge my choices? Just because I wasn’t the marrying kind, that didn’t mean I wasn’t pulling my weight around the ranch. After taking a leak and brushing my teeth, I stood in the doorway to my bedroom and flipped on the light. The three women blinked at the intrusion, and one held her hands over her eyes.
“Hey, stop that. M’sleeping.” The curly-haired brunette’s words were a sleep-slurred whine.
“Go on, you three should be sober enough to get back to your cabin. Sun’ll be up soon, work has to be done, and I’m not leaving you here.” Stalking into the living room, I collected their boots and tossed them on the floor inside the bedroom. “Let’s go, ladies.”
They sat up slowly, frowning, but carefully putting their boots on before filing out of my room and toward the front door.
The one with the honey-colored hair smiled at me. “Thanks for the rescue last night. You didn’t have to be such a gentleman about it, though. I would’ve liked taking you for a ride.”
She trailed one finger over my chest and bit her lower lip, but I caught her hand in mine and stopped her. “I don’t let the guests ride me. I also don’t let the guests drunkenly roam the ranch.”
Opening the door, I glance around in hopes my mama isn’t up yet. The main house is still dark, not a bit of movement in the windows. It was early enough; she should still be sleeping. The three women whispered loudly to each other as they snuck away like the worst spies in history. But, they were gone, and I was ready to work. I had plenty to do. Especially if I was gonna spend tonight with my cousin Travis and Buck. I sensed a bar fight in our future. Or…at least in mine.
I heard Wildfire before I even got to his pen, stamping his hooves, huffing in pure annoyance. He was telling me exactly how he felt about me being the least bit late to turn him out. “I know, I know, stop your griping. The nights are getting cold.” I held out a hand, and he let me pet his velvet-soft muzzle. “We’ve come a long way, haven’t we, boy?”
As if in answer, he sighed and stared at me with dark, chocolate brown eyes. “We gonna try spending some time with the others today? Be nice. No kicking or biting, you hear me? I don’t want to have to separate you. These are your friends, and I’ve had to fight for you every damn day.”