Page 24 of Since Day One

“What the hell does that have to do with how she rode today?” Gunnar asked defensively yet not outright denying it.

My heart jumped.

“It has everything to do with how you handled it,” Ruger slurred slightly, and his wife grabbed the bottle from his hands.

“Alright, how many is that tonight?” she asked.

He giggled and hiccupped. “I lost count, but I’m pretty sure there were other kinds of liquor mixed in too.”

Gunnar rubbed his temples as I bit back a laugh. “You are drunk,” he grumbled, and the three of us who hadn’t said a word since the argument started, snorted at the same time.

“Is this a frequent occurrence?” I asked, and Rob and Carsen nodded.

“Maybe not this exact conversation where Ruger accuses his big brother about liking a girl, but somehow he usually ends up drunk and targeting Gunnar in one way or another,” Rob replied, and Gunnar threw his hands in the air.

“At least everyone is aware of his outlandish actions,” he muttered.

I chuckled. “So what you’re saying is Ruger’s baiting you.”

“Absolutely.”

“Then you’re not attracted to me at all?” I pushed, and he rolled his eyes. “You said I was cute earlier.”

“That’s not the same thing,” Gunnar answered, raising his eyebrows.

“Riiiiiight,” Rob and Carsen said at the same time, and I waved a hand in agreement at them as Ruger staggered to his feet.

“Goodnight, asshole,” he said, flipping Gunnar off. Gunnar threw him the bird in return.

“Night, Jesse,” Gunnar said to Ruger’s wife as they stumbled into the lodge.

“I think I’m going to bed as well,” I added.

“Night, Willow,” Rob said, tipping his beige cowboy hat in my direction. I smiled as Carsen grunted his goodbyes as well.

Gunnar lifted his beer as I stepped over his legs. “I’m not going easy on you tomorrow just because you’ll be sore.”

I rolled my eyes. “I wouldn’t expect anything else,” I answered, and his annoyance quickly turned into a grin. He winked as I flicked the brim of his hat, the felt bumping higher on his forehead.

“Goodnight, Princess.”

“Night, Gunnar,” I replied and disappeared down the designated path I’d become accustomed to taking.

Almost a full week of being here had mostly flown by with hardly any interaction these past few days with my family. However, tomorrow is Thanksgiving, a day filling me with sinking dread because there would be no buffer from Gunnar or any of my other newfound friends. This was the day that I would be left to the clutches of my family, and the fear clawing at my throat was made worse by the ever-growing animosity that Marissa held toward me.

Gunnar exited the Razor he parked next to the lodge for dinner; the storm clouds thick overhead. “Did you bring a cowboy hat?” he asked after I made the mental note to see if he’d let me tag along the next time he made the drive into town, so I could buy myself a warm coat. I wore another sweatshirt and wild rag tied around my neck but had nothing new other than the tighter shirt I wore underneath. I wanted to show off my buckle now that he knew, and this outfit had done its job, but it lacked the heat I needed now.

Rounding the front of the Razor, I stopped beside him.

He glanced down at me inquisitively, his thick Carhartt back in place as gentle snowflakes began to fall from the sky.

Raising my eyes to his, feeling the frozen water landing against my rosy cheeks, a child-like smile spread upon my face.

“It’s snowing,” I muttered distractedly, staring in awe as the white flakes began dusting the ground, ignoring his question.

“Yes, it is,” he stated and walked closer, his body heat adding a little bit of comfort as I shivered against the chill.

“It’s actually snowing,” I said again, and he chuckled.

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