Page 8 of Sweet Whiskey
She hums. “That’s plausible.” Her words are missing her usual sarcasm, so I know she’s being genuine, and it settles the doubt that had begun to creep into my thoughts.
“He did mention that he heard about us possibly getting jobs at the bar, though.”
Brielle tilts her head to the side, considering that for a second. “Well, like you said, small town. I’m sure we’re the point of gossip. Maybe? I don’t know. Let’s stay together going forward, or at least take my taser.”
I laugh. “I can compromise on that. Did you want to do anything before we head over to talk to Tracy?”
She shakes her head. “It’s already going to take me a couple of hours to convince myself to shower.”
CHAPTER 4
BROOKS
Watching the bombshell walk away, I have a sense to follow her, make sure she doesn’t get out of my sight. Colt lingers on the sidewalk for another moment before storming back to the truck. As soon as the door opens, he shoves my coffee and muffin into my hand with a grunt.
“By the way, you paid for hers too.”
I glare at him. “Does she know that or does she think you did?”
He grins as he pulls out of the parking spot and heads back to the ranch.
Flipping him off, I take a sip and sigh, already feelingthe caffeine’s calming effects. “Who is she anyway?”
Colt clutches the steering wheel tighter. “I don’t know. Trouble, maybe. She was at the bar last night asking about Levi.”
The muffin is rough down my throat as I harshly swallow and take another drink. “That mean old son of a bitch? Why?”
He shrugs. “She didn’t say. That’s what I was trying to find out.”
“Oh yeah, you were working real hard finding that answer.” I grumble, sipping my coffee. He snatches the muffin out of my hand, taking a big bite.
“Tax for dealing with your grumpy ass. I should have brought Dallas.”
I snort, shaking my head. “He would have been out of the truck at the first glance of her.”
Colt grunts, not answering as we turn onto the gravel driveway of the land we call home. The humor evaporates, the air turning moresomber.
“Do you think she’s bringing trouble? Maverick is already an asshole without any more stress,” I say, gulping down the rest of the coffee and muffin. If the boys see me eating it, they’ll give me shit for hours about it, patting my softer belly and saying I’m gonna tire out the horses. Fucking bastards.
Colt lets out a curse, and I grimace when I see who’s waiting for us at the barn. Maverick stands with his arms crossed, staring at us with cold eyes. Glancing at the clock on the dash, I realize how much time we spent in town, and now we’re about to get our asses handed to us.
Jumping out of the truck, I pull my jeans up by my belt on my sides with a quick tug. Gravel crunches under my boot as I nod at Maverick and try to turn to the truck bed.
“Where the fuck have you two been?” his deep voice rumbles out. His alpha bark makes the hairs on my neck stand up. I’m not as strong of an alpha as Colt, and my knees are already wobbling to submit. Colt lets out a growl before the tension in the air dissipates.
“I warned you if you did that again, I’d fuckingquit,” Colt grits out, and I silently move to the front of the truck, putting a body between them.
Regret flashes across Maverick’s face, his jaw working back and forth as he grinds his teeth. We all know that Maverick doesn’t recognize the strength of his alpha bark sometimes, but nothing compares to Colt’s.
“I can’t find Duke, then I come to help you two unload the supplies, and you’re almost an hour late,” Mav says.
It’s only an explanation of his anger, not an apology. Colt stares at him for another minute before shaking his head and making his way to the trunk. Maverick looks at me, and I raise my eyebrows.
“He’s the manager, Mav, and he has been for years. You gotta trust him like your dad does,” I say, shrugging my broad shoulders. Ever since Levi, Mav’s dad, retired two years ago, Maverick has struggled to fully let go of working with the ranch hands. His daily life went from being outside with the horses and nature to behind a desk pushing paperwork, and I know he hates it.
I sigh, scratching at the back of my neck. “Did you check Delilah’s cabin?”
Maverick glowers. “For Duke? No.”
