Page 2 of A Photo Finish
The man is clearly Vaughn’s older brother, Cole. I’ve heard plenty about him, mostly Billie ranting about what a dick he is and making jokes about him being a robot, which I can kind of see, looking at him now. Where everyone else is elated—celebratory—he looks downright murderous.
Murderous and delicious.
I don’t know if the endorphins coursing through me right now are making me giddy, or if being this happy kills brain cells, but I can’t look away from the gorgeous man. Even though he’s scowling at me, I drink him in like the champagne I can’t wait to guzzle when this crazy day is over.
He looks like Vaughn, yet totally different. Harder, more imposing. Where Vaughn is tall and lean, his brother is strong and broad. His shoulders push against his suit jacket, like they might tear through it if he flexed hard enough. My eyes trail down to his trim waist and powerful thighs.Pull yourself together, Violet. You’re practically panting.
When I imagined the reclusive brother, who spends all his time at their downtown office, the one who never sets foot on the farm,thisis not what I envisioned.
“Hi!” I say a little too brightly.Cringe.“I’m Violet.” I stick my hand out toward him while people and cameras crowd in around us.
He doesn’t return my smile, though. His shapely lips stay pressed into a flat line, and his gray eyes sear me from where I still sit on DD’s back. When his hand wraps around mine, I can’t help but realize how big the man really is. My hand and wrist practically disappear in his grip. The warm rasp of his palm starts softly, then he squeezes and steps close to the saddle. His opposite hand rises between us, and he crooks his index finger.
A silent order to move closer.
I feel my heart rattle around in my chest as I lean in like a total sucker. Like a moth to a flame.
I expect him to congratulate me.
What I don’t expect is for him to send me reeling into past mistakes.
“Nice to see you again, Pretty in Purple. I almost didn’t recognize you with your clothes on.”
All the air in my lungs rushes out in an audible gasp as I jerk back away from him.
No.
I peer down at him, scouring his features, feeling all the blood drain from my face as I try to reconcile my memory of a man I’ve worked so hard to forget.
No fucking way.
There is only one person in the world who would ever know to call me that, who would ever have the gall to say it that way. My cheeks heat as memories from the last year come at me rapid fire.
That youthful experimentation part of my life was supposed to be a bump in the road on my way to total independence.
That part of my life was supposed to have stayed anonymous and in the past.
When I ghosted him without a word, he was supposed to stay where I left him.
He wasn’t supposed to matter to me.
But as I drown in his gray eyes while the circus rages around me, I realize he still does.
Cole
One year later . . .
I don’t wantto move out to Gold Rush Ranch.
I hate it out here. And I’m not just saying that either. It’s that deep spark of revulsion in my sternum that lets me know I don’t belong here. That inner instinct that kept me alive overseas flares up every time I get near this place. But here I am, hurtling down the highway that will take me straight there anyway. If this were Iraq, I’d turn my truck around and get the hell out of here.
But this isn’t Iraq.
It’s Ruby fucking Creek, which honestly might be worse. I’m quite sure all they’ve got is a gas station and a corner store and a bunch of gossipy old biddies. I hate small towns. I hate how friendly they are, that you’re expected to stop and make small talk with people you don’t know and definitely don’t care about. And I hate that everyone knows your business.
Most days, I think I might just generally hate people—but even I don’t want to be that far gone. That dark.
I like my privacy. I like my space, quiet and tidy. And I don’t like being asked probing questions. All of which I know are going to be tested the minute I step foot onto the family ranch. Vaughn was bad enough, the perpetual little brother constantly nipping at my heels, but now he’s engaged to and living here with Billie Black. Also known as the most obnoxious woman in the world.
