Page 75 of A Reckless Memory

Vienne’s grin was apologetic. “Clearly, he’s not a fan. Gotta go—happy New Year!” She rushed off.

Aggie watched them until they slipped outside. “It wasn’t my imagination. He really is a downer.”

“Definitely not your imagination.” I liked sitting this close to her, cozy. This time, things were different, and it wasn’t just her. “This isn’t like Buffalo Gully, is it?”

“How do you mean?”

“When we’d go out in Buffalo Gully, people were...”

“Standoffish unless they were kissing one of my brothers’ asses.”

“Both men and women. Here, you’ve met Vienne, and Isla was excited to see you again.”

She gave me a placating look. “Because I’m here with you.”

“She said you were really nice, and she wished she’d had more time to talk to you.”

“She said that?” She licked her bottom lip like she was embarrassed about what she was going to say. I kept still, waiting for her to speak. “I haven’t, uh, had a lot of friends. Other than Sutton. Meg was like a big sister-ish figure. I wished we could’ve been closer, but she was distant.”

“Aggie baby, Meg and your mama made it about them, not you.”

She frowned. “No, they didn’t.”

I gave her a solemn look, tracing over the fine tendrils of her hair. “Didn’t they?” Reaching up, I smoothed them between my fingers. The yellow flecks in the brown of her irises sparked.

She blinked, and her eyes became unfocused, like she was recalling a hundred conversations over her lifetime. “I guess I never thought of it that way. I wanted to make Mama proud, and she’d have loved Meg.” She let out a sardonic laugh. “It’s a miracle I didn’t go to law school.”

Because Meg had been a lawyer.

I feathered a curl through my fingers. “Good thing you didn’t, or I’d be locked into a hell of a contract.”

“I would’ve put so much small print in that thing it would’ve made your head spin.”

“You already make my head spin.”

She groaned. “Oh my god, that was sappy.”

I chuckled and took a drink of my root beer, glad to see some things hadn’t changed. Aggie preferred her mama’s beat-up, taped-together books over new copies. Just like she’d liked the simple ring I’d gotten. She’d be glad to get another chicken as a gift for her birthday rather than receive jewelry she wouldn’t wear.

Dr. Jake appeared at Aggie’s side, standing closer than I would’ve preferred, but there wasn’t much space, and it was obvious she and I were a thing. To make sure, I slid a hand around her waist. Couldn’t help it.

He wasn’t looking at her anyway. “Ansen, how do you feel about draft horses?”

“You’d have to ask my boss how she feels,” I said good-naturedly but annoyed. I thought our talk would’ve been enough, but when it came to horses, he deferred to me. “She’ll tell me how I feel.”

He gave a self-detracting wince. “Sorry, Aggie. I’m used to dealing with your man when it comes to the details.”

She leaned into my hold. “Send me the information, and I’ll see how I can help.”

“Will do.” He pushed away without looking at her.

“If Sutton moves here, I’m firing him so fast,” she muttered.

“Sutton and Wilder are thinking of moving?”

Alarm passed through her gaze. “Shit, I’m not supposed to tell anyone.” She grimaced. “They’re probably getting divorced. I’m not sure if Sutton’s going to go through with it, but she mentioned moving here if she does.”

Damn. I had fond memories of Aggie’s brothers, even Eliot, up until the day of our wedding, and I’d been envious of how well they fit each other, like a tailored pair of boots. They were evenly matched, while I’d been like a pauper trying to infiltrate the castle.

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