Page 15 of The Last Promise You Made

And I would again.

And he knew it.

Chapter Five

Ryder

SOME THINGS I’LL NEVER KNOW

Performed by Teddy Swims with Maren Morris

A storm was due later this week, and we were trying to protect the two new cabins as best we could by laying the plywood for the roof, so when my phone played my brother’s text tone, I ignored it. Shawn and I ran our nail guns along the boards, and the sound echoed through the meadows and out toward the mountains covered in mist. Something about the scent of lumber and winter in the air felt like comfort and home almost as much as the smell of horses and hay.

Once upon a time, I’d thought I’d spend the majority of my days on job sites like this, but the dream of being an architectural engineer had been short-lived. It wasn’t one I regretted giving up. In some ways, all that studying had shown me where I actually belonged.

Maddox’s text tone jingled again, followed immediately by the harsh ring of an actual call.

Once we had the board secure, I stood. The rooftop view of the sun cresting over the hills added to my feelings of comfort and belonging.

I ripped my phone from the pocket of my work jacket, growling out, “What the fuck is so urgent?”

“Ry…” Maddox’s tone was serious, and the way he petered off made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

“What’s wrong? Is it Sadie? Gemma?”

“No. Everyone in the family is fine. This… It’s about…” Maddox was stumbling over his words when normally he was quick-witted and snarky enough to keep us both on our toes. A sudden heaviness settled over me.

“Tell me what’s wrong.”

“I need you to come to the station.”

Whatever it was, my brother was having trouble holding it together. In two large strides, I was at the ladder, one-handing it down. “I’m on my way.” I jumped past the final rungs to the ground, ended the call, and hollered to Shawn. “I gotta head into town. Call Ramon and see if he can give you a hand finishing up.”

I barely heard his response as I cut across the field at a jog. My gaze flicked to the farmhouse and the smoke spiraling into the crisp air, and I debated whether I should take the time to see if my parents knew what was going on. But Maddox had asked me to come, not them, which meant if they didn’t know what was going on, there was a reason for it. I slid into the seat of my Chevy and turned the key I’d left in the ignition. The engine rumbled to life, vibrating through me. The loose gravel on the freshly sealed asphalt kicked up as I tore toward the gates.

Maddox had said everyone in the family was okay, so what did that leave?

My mind drew a blank. What could possibly have rattled my calm-and-collected brother so much that he hadn’t been able to get his words out?

The minutes it took to drive into town crawled by, making me punch the accelerator that much harder.

As I whirled into an open spot in front of the station, I noted the black Escalade that screamed government parked next to the sheriff’s truck Maddox drove. We’d seen plenty of similar vehicles a few months back when The Painted Daisies and their bodyguards had flown through town. Nothing good had happened with the band here, and it only made my hackles rise. I jumped out of the truck, barely remembering to pocket the key this time, and raced into the building.

Amy wasn’t at the front desk, but I could hear her soft voice chattering away from the break room. I pushed past the swinging half gate into the bullpen with its small gathering of metal desks and stalked toward Maddox’s open office door. My lips tilted up at the sign reading, Sheriff Maddox Hatley. He was the youngest sheriff the county had seen, but he did the job with more heart and dedication than any officer of the law I’d ever encountered. His job had changed all of us when it brought Mila into our lives after he’d found her screaming in squalor, left by her addict mother. He’d adopted her and made her his without blinking, and now I couldn’t imagine our family without my niece in it.

“What’s wrong?” I demanded as I strode into the room. My feet came to an immediate halt as I laid eyes on the woman leaning up against a file cabinet on the opposite wall. Her dark hair, just short of black, was drawn away from her face in a tight ponytail. Thick brows gracefully arched over large, color-changing eyes that were flashing the amber hue of whiskey and sin as they landed on me.

She was wearing all black from her head all the way down to a pair of bright-blue cowboy boots I’d once teased her about. Her tight sweater accentuated a lean body with small curves that my hands ached to touch and had my alarm bells screaming a warning louder than my home security system.

Waves of emotions flew through me. Anger. Frustration. Lust. Concern. I wanted to yank her to me and get another taste of those naturally red lips, while at the same time, I wanted to take her by the shoulders and show her the door and the road out of town.

Gia was dangerous. She had secrets. She’d lied. She’d snooped.

And she’d tasted like sugar and spice and everything naughty rather than nice.

Which made her treacherous.

The thoughts I’d had the night before at the bar made her even more so. I’d been relieved when I’d found out Gia had taken off months ago. Even more relieved when her return reservation had been taken over by her brother and the rock star he was protecting.

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