Page 13 of Unbearable

From a distance, I heard Trent reply, “Don’t worry, I can handle Dot.”

After a few hours, three tequila sodas, and a buzz that had me feeling equal parts confident and blunt, the boys and I decided to call it a night.

We headed out of the bar and Sawyer loaded up a tipsy Dorian into his truck, who immediately put his head on the window and passed out.

“He doesn’t get out much, does he?” I laughed, pointing to the drool starting to come out of his mouth.

Sawyer grunted. “Nope. I think you being back made him happy, and he decided to go for it tonight. He will be paying for it tomorrow, though.” He cleared his throat. “You good riding with Trent?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” I smiled.

Was I fine? Not really. But would I survive?Hopefully.

“See ya, sis. Love you.” He leaned over, giving me a hug before hopping up in his truck.

“Love you too.” I waved and headed back over to Trent, who was standing outside the entrance to Outlaw’s talking to a couple people.

Walking up, I recognized the two faces.

“Well, well. Is that the Reynolds brothers? It’s been a while since I’ve seen either of you,” I said.

Henry, with his tall frame and blond hair, had filled out since the last time I saw him. He now had a strong build, a contrast to the lanky boy I remembered. He pulled me into a side hug, his big and genuine smile making me feel welcome.

“Dotty James. You look great,” Henry replied. The last time I saw him, he was just a boy, and now he had transformed into a man. Henry was the same age as Dorian, Trent, and me, and we were good friends for a time.

Chris, who looked similar to Henry, was also tall and blond, though with a slightly leaner build. He took his turn for a hug, and I smiled at him.

“Hi, Dotty. It’s really great to see you. My condolences for your grandpa. He seemed like a great man,” Chris said. Chris was Colt’s age, and while I didn’t know him as well as I did Henry, I always remembered him as a silly, funny guy, always down to have a good time.

“Thanks, Chris. He was,” I said, genuinely touched by his words. “I was sorry to hear about your dad, too,” I said, knowing that their father had passed recently.

Chris shrugged, a flicker of hurt in his eyes. “Thanks,” he replied.

“I heard you guys closed down your family’s ranch a while back?” I asked.

Chris and Henry had inherited their family’s ranch after their father passed away. Though it no longer served its original purpose of horse farming due to them having their own careers. From what my dad told me, Henry, now a police officer, worked with Colt while Chris worked at the local mechanic shop. Despite the changes, there was a sense of camaraderie between not only the Reynolds but all of Woodstone Falls’ residents.

“Yeah, we don’t run the operations anymore. It was too much to handle with our own lives and jobs. We maintain the property now, but we no longer board horses,” Henry said.

“Makes sense. I see you are still friends with this guy?” I said, pointing over to Trent.

“Yes, ma’am. We keep in touch and catch a beer together every once in a while. Chris occasionally joins us too,” Henry replied.

“I’ll have to join you guys sometime, especially since I’ll be in town for a month fixing up the cabin,” I said.

“Well, in that case, if you ever want to go out to dinner, I’d be happy to take you out,” Henry said. I was almost taken aback by how forward he was but brushed it off as being flattered instead.

But I didn’t really want to go out with Henry. I didn’t want to go out withanyone. My track record with relationships was even worse than my record with friendships. I’dhad a few boyfriends over the years, but none of them were noteworthy or even decent people. After my last relationship ended poorly, I came to terms with being better off alone.

Plus, I wanted an authentic connection, one that didn’t require me to second-guess whether I wanted to go on a date. I needed to be sure before risking my heart and disrupting my routine and comfortable life.

“Thanks, I will keep that in mind.” I gave him a small smile.

Chris chimed in, sensing my unease. “Your dad was telling me about your job in Seattle. It seems like you are doing well.” I chuckled.

“Yeah, I really like it in Seattle. But for now, I’ll be here fixing up the cabin.” I smiled.

“That’s impressive. Not everyone can juggle so much. I can barely manage the auto shop some days,” Chris said.

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