Page 1 of Brothers Best Friend Cowboy

Chapter One

Maggie

Three days in a cabin with my older brother, who practically raised me, and his best friend. On paper, the idea sounds good enough. They’re planning bonfires, smores, fireworks, and fishing by the river. I was even told that they were bringing an inflatable raft to test out on the rapids near the bridge. It’s every country girl’s fantasy, and I should be excited. Technically, I am, but not for the right reasons.

My dreams have been dominated by Emery Knox since the very first day we met. I was sixteen at the time and he was always the kindest man. I dropped two scoops of my ice cream straight off the cone. My date laughed and called me clumsy, but Emery didn’t. He told my date to get lost, bought me another one, and showed me what it looked like when a grown man cared. He was thirty at the time.

The sun is still low and there’s a fog on the mountains, causing a murky veil as far as I can see. Most mornings, I’m thankful for this type of weather. I like to sit out on the back porch, drink a cup of tea, and watch the mist roll across the grass, giving way to mountain views and flowered meadows. Today, the winding roads make the haze a nuisance. Despite that, I’m not the strongest driver. I was in an accident last year while I was parked at a gas station. The damage was minimal, as the car that hit me was only going ten miles an hour, but I still feel shaky about driving.

A shadow of movement catches my eye through the thick fog in front of me. It’s the arm of a giant. I squint and lock the doors as the figure moves closer. When he does, his bright red basketball jersey tells me to calm.

“Dodge!” I roll down the car window for my brother. “You’re going to get hit. No one can see in this fog!”

He narrows his gaze. “You’re sitting thirty feet from the cabin.”

“What? No. I just turned the curve for the—”

He opens my car door and reaches for my hand. “You’re here, Maggie. Look.” He points toward the clearing to where the fog is lifting, and the sun is starting to shine. Amid the rolling haze sits a quaint little cabin with a storybook entrance and a babbling brook in the distance.

It’s official, I’m an idiot.

I slap my hand over my face and stare up at my big brother, who I haven’t seen in months. For a second, I question if any of this is real. Maybe I got sucked into some kind of fog vortex where I’m living in a parallel universe and perfect cottages and reunions with my brother exist. Maybe I’ll find a unicorn next. If the universe wants to fulfill all my heart’s desires, let’s push it to the limit.

“Get over here!” He holds out his arms and pulls me in, wrapping me in a tight bear hug like he did when I was a kid. “You’re getting shorter. How is that?”

I roll my eyes. “I’m not shorter! You’ve got boots on.”

He ruffles my hair and hops into the driver's seat of the car. “Don’t worry, little sister. I’ll save you from the fog monster.” He motions for me to hop into the passenger seat, and I do. Slowly, he puts the car in drive and blares the radio, making dramatic turns on the wheel while he drives the final thirty feet.

“I didn’t think we were gonna make it,” he bellows with a laugh, slowing the car to a crawl. “We should wait out the rest of this nightmare at the end of the driveway.”

“Ha. Ha,” I manage. “I’m going to let that go because I’ve missed you.”

“Jokes aside,” he says, glancing toward me, “you look good. You feelin’ okay?” He rubs his hand down over his beard. “You know I’m sorry I left, right?”

Dodge is twelve years older than me, and truthfully, he’s more like a father than a brother.

“You don’t have to be sorry, Dodge. You spent most of your adult life raising me. You deserve to get out and try new things.” I say this, because in part, I mean it. Also, I wish he was still here doing the same boring things we always did. Now, he’s some fancy contractor out in California and I’m here, still working at the same diner I’ve worked at since middle school, talking to the same people, and taking the same hikes every Saturday. It’s not a bad thing. I love Rugged Mountain, but a part of me wishes I had adventure too.

Dodge glances toward me. “I am sorry, though. Which is partly why I wanted to talk to you this weekend.”

My stomach drops and my heart does this thing that’s not quite a stop, but it’s pretty close. “Okay…”

“You remember Ash, right? The girl from Whiskey Falls. Blonde, big boobs…”

I suck in a breath. The words‘please tell me you didn’t drag me up here so you could hook up with Ash’being choked down to avoid ruining the trip. I hate to be the girl that judges, but Ash has a reputation for getting around. It’s kind of her thing and I can’t figure why Dodge would want any part of that.

“Yeah, I remember her. Why?”

“I invited her this weekend.” His tone is upbeat, like it’s a big part of why he set all of this up.

My stomach turns. In my head, this was a fantasy where I got to be alone with my brotherandthe guy I’ve spent a decade dreaming about. I guess that’s why it’s called a fantasy.

“Why?” The word releases in a more accusatory tone than I’d planned.

“Emery has been super depressed since he got back to Rugged Mountain. You know that when he got downsized, it really took a toll on his psyche.”

Emery?What does Emery have to do with Dodge bringing a girlfriend to camp? Besides that, I didn’t know Emery was back in Rugged Mountain to stay. If he was depressed and lonely, why didn’t he call me? I’d have been more than happy to help him.

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