Page 73 of Cruel Expectations

Once her friend Livia took over the bar and distillery, she put time and money into improvements. When Ivy left for Europe, the exterior of the building had been a drab tan color. Now it was painted a modern black with accents of aged wood. The sign was made of wood and punched metal, bearing the same look as the labels she slapped on the rum she distilled.

The thing that really drew the people to Badlands wasn’t the rum so much as the atmosphere. A honkytonk bar with all country music and line dancing on a Saturday night brought people from all over Montana. They also had decent food.

Ivy parked near the front door and climbed out of the big truck. Only a few other cars were in the lot, it being a bit early for the lunch rush.

As soon as she walked through the door, the scent of rum and beer flooded her senses, along with the tang of barbecue.

At that moment, Livia pushed through the kitchen door. Her red hair was piled on top of her head, and she wore jeans and a cropped top with the Badlands name across the front.

She spotted Ivy and smiled ear to ear. “Hey! I’m glad you came to pick this up. We really have to get together and catch up. I want to hear all about Europe.”

Ivy moved to lean against the bar. “You should go someday. It’s an experience you’ll never forget.”

“And leave all this?” She held out her hands to indicate the bar.

Ivy laughed. “You’ve fixed the place up so nice.”

“Thanks. I’ve put in a lot of hard work trying to make the budget stretch. Most of it went to the rum business.”

“Is the rum catching on with the customers?”

“It’s slow going. Everyone prefers the five-dollar pitchers of beer around here.”

“Of course. Speaking of customers, did you happen to notice Hunter last night? He texted me that he was coming to Badlands.”

“Ooh, Hunter. The big guy. Mr. Hot SEAL.”

She gave Livia a sharp look. “How did you know he was a SEAL?”

“I knew Colton was. I figured Hunter was too since they’re such close friends.”

She nodded. “They were both friends of Forest.”

Livia sobered and touched Ivy’s arm. “I’m sorry about Forest.”

“I appreciate it.”

A beat of silence fluttered between them. Then Ivy steered the conversation in the direction she wanted—one of her reasons for coming here.

“So you did see Hunter and Colton here last night?”

She nodded, making her hair wobble. “I served them some drinks.”

“Did they sit at the bar?”

“They made a sweep of the place. We were slammed all night, and I never got out from behind the bar. But I saw them talk to a few guys and then they left.” She bit down on her full bottom lip.

Ivy pounced on the gesture—a tell if she ever saw one. Livia needed to work on her poker face.

“What is it? Tell me.”

Livia compressed her lips as if trying to hold back information she didn’t want to share with Ivy. After a heartbeat, she spilled it. “There was a brawl.”

“Oh god!”

“If it weren’t my bar they were smashing up, it would have been kind of hot.”

“What in the hell happened?” Ivy demanded.

---