Page 4 of Fragile Heart

“Sorry,” I offer, blushing. Scenting random Alphas isn’t something I do. Ever. Brett was too jealous to let me near them. Yes, I know that’s super toxic. You don’t notice sometimes until it’s too late, you know? “I’m, um, newly off suppressors, and the adjustment is more intense than I expected.”

I threw them out the same day I handed Brett the divorce papers, damn what the doctor had said about tapering the dosage to avoid a reaction. I needed a clean slate and that included with my designation.

She shakes her head.

“Don’t worry about it.” Then she glances over my shoulder, her lips pursing. “You want to get everything unpacked first? Or grab something to eat?”

My stomach rumbles, answering for me.

She smiles. “Dinner first then. We’ll go to Lefty’s. They have the best burgers.”

Melissa groans. “Oh my gosh, yes they do. I’m so excited.”

“Sounds like a plan,” I say with a smile. “Thanks again for letting me stay in your guest house. I’m hoping to find a small place in town once the tourist season dies down a bit.”

I can afford the prices as they are now. I could buy any of the four large ranches for sale along this stretch of highway, actually, without making much of a dent at all in the estate’s assets. But I want a chance to get a sense of the town and surrounding land before committing to something. It’s been ten years since I called Creek Falls my temporary home. I wanted to make sure I chose the right place to make my permanent one.

And if the prices go down in the winter, I won’t complain about it.

“No rush.” She waves off my offer. “It’s not like it was getting a ton of use anyway.”

Melissa loops her arm through mine. “I’ll ride with you. I left my car at Emily’s this morning anyway.”

Which is how I end up back in my car following Emily’s bright teal Jeep down the highway. Melissa’s ranch is one of the furthest from town. I used to hate the drive, always so impatient to meet up withhim. Now, the distance didn’t bother me in the slightest—outside of my legs protesting being stuck behind the wheel again so soon.

The speed drops off when we get to the town limits, and not long after buildings start to line both sides of the road. Mostly quick and easy things for the tourists passing through: a gas station, a grocery store, and a smattering of novelty shops sporting a variety of Wyoming blazoned items.

“Turn up here,” Melissa says, pointing to the next stoplight. “It’s tucked back behind the hardware store.”

“This wasn’t here last time,” I say.

“Hudson opened it a couple years ago.” She taps her fingers on the door. “Ethan helped him strip out all the old wiring and stuff. It took them an entire summer.”

Somehow, I’m not quite ready for the lurch my heart makes at hearing his name after all these years. I swallow and focus on the other person she mentioned.

“Wait. I don’t think I know Hudson.”

“Oh, right. Yeah, that’s Caleb’s youngest brother. I think he was still enlisted last time you were here,” she says.

Last time I was here was for her brother’s funeral, nearly exactly four years ago. She takes a quick breath, and her fingers tap faster.

“And that whole weekend is kind of a blur if I’m being honest, so I’m not sure who all you even met.”

Her voice wavers. I grab her hand and squeeze it. After a minute, she blows out a breath.

“Sorry,” she says.

I shake my head. “No apology needed. To be fair, I don’t remember most of that weekend either. Brett was ridiculously overbearing. If he’s an Alpha, I doubt I met him.”

She guides me to the little restaurant. It’s a converted house, the gables painted a bright white while the rest of the building is a dark navy. It almost reminds me of the little Cape Cod houses that litter the coast in New England. I ease into the spot next to Emily and turn off the car.

“This… doesn’t feel like Wyoming at all,” I say.

Melissa chuckles. “Oh, yeah, he caused a fuss when he painted it. But according to him, it reminds him of his favorite place.”

She closes the door, and I scramble to follow her.

It’s surprisingly busy when we walk in, a wall of chatter hitting us the moment Emily opens the door. The hostess glances up from where she rolls silverware, and then her cheeks flush.

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