Page 81 of The Mountain Echoes
Sloane is the heiress to a bottled water empire, and Delaney Pryce’s father owns half the oil rigs between Rifle and Rock Springs.
They grew up in Wildflower Canyon, where their families are from. Though they usually prefer Aspen to our small town.
They’re decked out in designer ranch wear—Dolce boots, Fendi fringe, and sunglasses the size of dinner plates.
They’re squealing like high schoolers as they cling to Cade Mercer like he’s the last eligible rancher in the canyon.
“Did you know that you’re off-limits?” Aria says, a teasing quality in her tone, but I hear the irritation beneath it.
She picks up her beer can and takes a sip, then grimaces. Yeah, it’s probably lukewarm by now—just like mine.
“I am?”
“Apparently, you belong to my sister.”
Ah. There it is.
Duke chuckles and gets up from the picnic table. “I’d better go find my wife.”
“She’s with Hunt over at the sale tent,” Aria tells him.
Once he’s gone, I turn back to her. “You want to explain what that little jab was about?”
Her gaze darts toward the pair of loud, overdressedwomen across the barnyard. “They’ve been Celine’s best friends since middle school.”
“And?”
She tosses her hair back, that braid of hers a little loose now, and fixes me with a half-smirk. “They told me they know youso wellsince you hang out with Celine and themall the time.”
Damn, but she’s jealous!
I give her a slow, knowing smile. “Did they now?”
She flutters her eyelashes like she’s in some black-and-white screwball comedy. “And that you’reoh-so-swoony.”
That earns a short laugh out of me.
Christ, I like this woman.
“And I shouldn’t get any ideas,” she adds, eyes cutting away like maybe this is a little more honest than she wants to admit. “Because you’re Celine’s.”
I set my beer down, watching her closely now. “Do you believe that?”
She hesitates before responding, “It doesn’t matter what I believe. It’s what Celine believes. And she usually gets what she wants.”
“She’s not getting me.”
“I’ve heard that before,” she snaps.
I study her for a second, everything in me bristling against the way her shoulders tense.
“Someone else say that to you?”
She shakes her head and then gives me a plastic smile. “Forget I said anything.”
I want to push her, but I don’t. There’s that damn vulnerability again in her eyes.
I’m usually good at keeping a straight face, but it isn’t easy right now because she just revealed a hurt, something bigger than Rami asking her not to come home. I can guess what it is, and it burns the fuck out of me that it still stings her.
