Page 68 of Burn the Wild

“Who?”

“Ford.”

I gulp my drink. Great. Just what I need, an angry mechanic with a grudge.

Fallon follows my gaze out into the backyard. She sips her whiskey, looking thoughtful. “What’s it like to leave everything behind and just go?”

I snort. “I’ll let you know when I find out.”

“God,” she says with a faux shudder. “If one more fucked up thing happens around this godforsaken place, I’m going to fucking lose it.”

I cut her a quick look. Her hard mask slips for a brief second, and I see the panic on her face. It’s breathtaking. It’s sadness and despair.

It’s exactly how I felt all those years ago.

Ifind Reese on the front lawn, staring up at the sunset. She’s so fucking breathtaking my chest hurts. I shove the thought away before it can take root.

“Way to kill it,” I say, coming up beside her. Smirking, I lower my mouth to her ear. “Minus the whole hating-horses bit.”

Reese clutches her necklace. “I didn’t know dinner would come with a side of interrogation.” A sigh furrows her mouth. “I should have lied, but I really hate that fucking movie.”

No shit. It wouldn’t take a detective to see that Reese was jumpy as hell after Stede brought it up.

“We love hard, but we’re also nosy as hell. They’ll get over it.”

Relief floats into her emerald eyes and she nods.

I’ve been in her shoes more times than I can count. I know the feeling of putting my foot in my mouth all too well. Meeting my family isn’t for the faint-hearted. I don’t want her to beat herself up over it.

The wind blows softly through the woods, rustling the trees. A truck door slams and together we watch Fallon, duffel bag in her hands, take it inside the house.

Reese looks up at me. “What happened to her?”

The question catches me off guard. “Fallon?”

Reese nods.

“Let’s see…she dated a fucking sociopath who happened to be her sister’s ex. She was kidnapped and stabbed.” Reese flinches. “Instead of dealing with it, Fallon doubled down on, well…Fallon.”

“Are you sure that’s all it is?” Her voice is wary.

“What else is there?”

Reese shudders, wrapping her arms around her waist. “She makes me feel like I’m standing next to a bomb.”

I look back toward the house, worry simmering in my gut.

Before I can say anything, Reese takes a step forward, our shoulders brushing. “See you, Country Boy,” she husks.

With a little wave, a jingle of her bangles, she heads out, taking her honeyed perfume and her scowls with her.

The soft sway of her ass as she crosses the field has my cock flexing in my jeans. It’s clear Reese is intent on torturing me with those shorts. That shape, that hair, that smile? God was generous with that girl.

Because I’m a glutton for punishment, I take a second to admire the view of Reese disappearing down the bend. The clothes she bought are still her style, sexy as hell, but they’re different somehow.

Softer. Happier.

I head back inside the house, and everyone has gathered in the kitchen. Fallon sits on the counter, and Dakota is at the kitchen table, a glass of wine in her hand, while my brothers clean up. An upbeat country song plays on the Bose speaker. Beside it, a baby monitor shows Duke sleeping.

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