Page 92 of Eyes Like a Hurricane

He looks down at my hand and releases a frustrated breath. “What do you want to know, Lachlan?”

“For starters, where did you get your geology degree?” I ask.

He raises his brows and, in a huff, says, “University of Washington.” Without further elaboration, he turns toward the Gator.

I decide to go for broke and show my hand. “How long have you known Cody?”

He stops in his tracks. Without looking over his shoulder, he sprints to the Gator and hops in. Starting the engine, he peels out, taking off down the path in a cloud of dust.

Tilda stands there staring at us, slacked-jawed.

“What just happened?” she asks under her breath.

I wrap my arm around Aislinn’s shoulder and press my lips to her temple. “It appears you will need to find a new geologist, as we just discovered who was partially responsible forthe cave-in and kidnapping of Aislinn. The sheriff is waiting at the bottom of the hill to take him in for questioning.”

Noah and Callum offer to assist Tilda back to the ranch. I reassure them Aislinn and I can ride together, and we offer Hurricane’s reins to Tilda. She takes them and climbs into the saddle. We watch as she starts down the trail, followed by Callum and Noah.

“Can you believe it?” Ingrid asks.

Aislinn sucks in a breath, “This is unbelievable.”

“Anything is possible, ladies. I am relieved Cooper won’t be coming to our land anymore. Let’s head down to celebrate the discovery of the mine,” I say with a wink.

Aislinn grins and shimmies her shoulders as Ingrid groans and scrunches her nose.

The three of us trot down the trail as the sun drops lower toward the horizon. Looks like exciting times are coming to the ranch.

Epilogue

Ingrid

Tuesday, October 31

The annual ranch Halloween party is tonight. As always, I’m nervous about what to wear, if my date will show up so I don’t look like a loser, and whohewill unknowingly flaunt in front of me.

The costume party is at Lachlan’s house, so I put the finishing touches on my scarecrow costume, adjusting the pieces of straw sticking out of my braided pigtails. One last fake freckle on my cheeks, and I’m done.

I step in front of my full-length mirror. It’s getting pretty cold out, so I went with full overalls, but I did a tied-crop top plaid shirt and have unbuttoned the top few buttons. I’m not busty, per se, but the shirt looks good. Deciding at the last minute to show off a bit more of my trim waist, I undo one of the overall straps and fling it over my back.

Tugging at my shirt, I groan. Do I look too childish? I can’t pull off the sexy cop or, well, anything sexy. I always look cute. My mom tells me that will pay off when I’m forty, but I’m tired of looking like Lachlan’s little sister. Both my brothers have filled out and turned into men. Why can’t I feel sexy and feminine?

I grab the straw hat off the counter and throw it on my head. I don’t bother to look in the mudroom mirror because, in the end, who cares? I check my phone, but still no text from my date. If I get stood up again, I’m going to be mortified. Sighing, I pull the back door shut behind me and trudge from my backyard to Lachlan’s house.

As I tromp up his steps, the sound of spooky music and lots of laughter fills my ears. This will be fun. It will be good. Shake it off, Ingrid. You can do this. As I place my hand on the doorknob to turn it, the door is yanked open and Xena greets me.

“Lachlan! She’s here!” Aislinn shouts over her shoulder, pulling me into a hug against her metal-plated leather top. “You doing okay?” she asks with a concerned spark in her eye.

She may be a younger sister in her family dynamic, but she acts like the big sister I never knew I needed. I’m so glad Lachlan and Aislinn found each other, but the jealous part of me has me aching for what they have. I return her hug and plaster on a bright smile, which probably doesn’t meet my eyes.

“I’m fine. How are you?”I murmur.

Biting her lower lip, she nods and shoots her eyes over her shoulder.

She hisses, “I’m good. He’s here with some blonde thing. Just ignore him.”

Aislinn figured out my crush on Callum within a week of meeting us. Everyone else seems to be clueless, but her support has been a lifesaver.

My shoulders slump for a millisecond before I pull them back with an air of determination. This is Halloween. My favorite holiday. Christmas is just around the corner. My second favorite holiday. We get to start decorating in a few short weeks. I can do this!

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