Page 127 of Catching Sparks

“He will. He does,” Anna states.

Bryce holds my gaze. “If that’s the case, then we need to get to know him properly.”

“Only if you promise not to get me up on that mechanical bull again.”

“He better keep his head out of his ass, then,” she says with a shrug.

“What about tomorrow night at Peakside?” Anna suggests.

Bryce nods. “He has to come as your boyfriend, Poppy. That’s the only way it will count.”

“My boyfriend for the next two weeks,” I correct her.

She makes a disbelieving sound in the back of her throat. “That’s an entirely different problem, but I’ll leave it for now. We’ve grilled you enough, and you fucking stink.”

I laugh, the sound a mix between self-pity and genuine humour. “You’re such a charmer, Bryce. It’s a wonder you’re single.”

“She’s single ’cause she’s too hot for anyone in Cherry Peak,” Anna pipes up, standing from the couch and stretching out her back.

Bryce winks at her, a hell of a lot less tense than a few minutes ago. “Careful, I don’t think Brody would appreciate it if I stole his girl.”

“Stop flirting. You’re making me jealous,” I mutter.

Laughter escapes all three of us, and I soak it up, storing the sound deep in my soul for the moment in the near future where I’m going to need it more than anything else.

44

GARRISON

Kip whinnies when I step into the stable, and I grin in return, a light feeling sweeping through me. The sunshine streaming in from the open door behind me has his black mane shining, looking like silk. I wasn’t expecting to see him still inside, so I know Wade did it on purpose. Fuck, that shouldn’t make me so damn happy to know.

The old man didn’t even say hi to me when I returned. He took one look at me and then ordered me to change and get back to work with a list a mile long of tasks. But seeing that he left Kip in the stable for my arrival tells me everything he didn’t. He’s thawed to me whether he wanted to or not, and despite my own efforts, I’ve done the same toward him.

“You look good, Kip,” I say, stepping up to his gate and reaching over to scratch his neck. “They been taking care of you while I was gone?”

He blows a fierce puff of hot air through his nose and burrows into my palm, demanding more pets. I chuckle, not leaving him wanting.

“What do you think the odds are that I could hop on your back and use you for a bit today without Wade whooping my ass?”

Footsteps sound on the stable floor, and I turn my head to catch a glimpse of Johnny striding toward me, a massive grin parting his lips. He moves quickly toward us, and without his usual cowboy hat perched on top of his head, we’re nearly the same height. His baseball cap is old and flipped backward, so his messy hair pokes through the Velcro strap. He looks his age today with a wild and free aura about him that I don’t hate at this very moment.

“My man!” he hollers. I’m pulled into a strong hug before I can back out of it. Clapping me on the back, he adds, “I hardly recognized you without a scowl on that million-dollar face of yours.”

I step out of the hug and straighten my T-shirt. “Only million-dollar?”

“Searching for compliments already, I see. I’ll have to tell Poppy to step up her game.” He tuts.

“She’s doing just fine.”

“Oh yeah?” He reeks of mischief, which isn’t out of the ordinary.

“Did you only come in here to give me a hard time? I have a list of chores from Wade to start on,” I say.

“Is that why I found you gossipin’ with your horse? Nah, don’t even try and pretend you weren’t. We all do it.”

“Kip is a better listener than most of the people I’ve met.”

Johnny snorts a laugh. “Yeah, you’re telling me.”

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