Page 66 of When Wrecked Meets Ruined
“Um, yeah, kind of.” I looked out the side window. “He used to be the high school football coach.”
“Right. Forgot about that,” he said, almost to himself. “Austin and my brother go way back.”
“Is that how you met Walker?” I knew that Austin was Walker’s uncle.
“Yeah. We kind of got thrown together, but it all worked out. He’s a good friend.”
I nodded. I’d always liked Walker. In the sense that he’d always been decent.
“But yeah, this ranch used to belong to Walker’s family. Austin was looking to sell, so Shiloh bought it for my brother as a surprise,” Ridge said. “Brody was pissed that she spent money on him, but he got over it. Eventually. They turned it into a non-profit organization.”
“What do they do here?” Two guys were unloading hay bales from the back of a truck parked in front of the barn and waved at Ridge as we drove past.
“They rehabilitate damaged horses.”
“Damaged how?”
“Horses that have been through trauma. Mostly at the hands of people. Bad trainers. Bad owners. My brother’s a healer. And my cousin Jude, the ex-Marine, runs his own non-profit. Disaster relief. He sends a lot of veterans over to Brody to help him out. I guess working with animals is good for PTSD. For some people, anyway.”
Ridge pulled up next to another black pickup in front of a timber-framed building still under construction. He cut the engine and pushed his door open. “Come on. I’ll introduce you to my brother and his girlfriend.”
His girlfriend? As in…Shiloh Leroux? Not to mention that I didn’t want to face his brother again after that embarrassing incident at HEB. “Aren’t we supposed to be watching the sunset?”
“Sun hasn’t set yet, Cherry.” He pointed at the sky as if I needed a reminder that the sun was still high. “We’ve got time.”
“Why are you doing this?”
He met me by my door and yanked it open. “Doing what? Showing you my world?”
That was what he was doing. Showing me his world. It was a far cry from mine, but I reminded myself that Ridge hadn’t grown up like this. He wasn’t showing off. He was just being nice. “Yeah, I guess. I mean, introducing me to your family….”Seems like a big step.
“Get over yourself. It’s not a marriage proposal.”
He was right. I was being ridiculous, so I shoved my feet in my flip-flops and hopped out of the truck. When a couple emerged from the building, I stopped in my tracks. I wasn’t the type to fangirl, but holy crap, Shiloh Leroux in the flesh. I’d been listening to Acadian Storm since junior high and had listened to Shiloh’s solo album on repeat.
She wore her long black hair in a messy bun just like mine, although not as lopsided, and a loose black tank top that showed off the tattoos on her arm.
God, she was so freaking cool that I barely noticed the guy she was with. Although I’m not sure how I could have missed him. I hadn’t gotten a good look at Brody that day because I’d been too humiliated. Brody’s hair was dirty blond, longish like Ridge’s, and his face was suntanned. He wore a black T-shirt, faded denim, and boots, and if Ridge had swagger, this guy had it in spades. Guess it ran in the family.
Shiloh gave us a big smile and a wave. My mouth gaped.
Ridge laughed, sensing that I was starstruck, and clasped my hand in his, practically dragging me over to his brother and Shiloh.
“Shiloh. Brody. This is Evie, the hot chick I picked up in a junkyard.”
My jaw dropped. He did not just say that. But yes, he did. Shiloh was laughing. Brody snorted. I elbowed Ridge in the ribs.Hard.
“Ow. Jesus, Cherry. Watch those sharp elbows.”
I glared at him. “Maybe if you stopped talking shit, I wouldn’t have to hurt you.” Remembering the audience, I mumbled, “Sorry. He just—”
“Acts like a dumb shit? Yeah, I know,” Brody said, his lips quirking with amusement. But, if he recognized me, he didn’t let on. “Try living with him.”
“Stop it,” Shiloh said, giving Brody a playful swat. “We love Ridge.”
“You see?” Ridge said. “Shy appreciates me. That’s why you’re my number one girl.” Ridge let out a dramatic sigh and put his hand over his heart. “You’ll always be the one that got away.”
Shiloh laughed.
