head. Her hair spills from the clip holding it haphazardly on the top of her head, and I resist the urge to run my fingers through it.
“Truce,” I agree. If she knew I was betting against her, she probably wouldn’t be so fast to call a cease-fire. Nope, she’d probably go straight for the sheep shears.
I wouldn’t blame her.
She shifts slightly, and her eyes go wide. I turn to find everyone watching us, and I square my shoulders. Great, I’m never going to hear the end of this.
“I guess I better get going,” she says and stifles a yawn. “Six o’clock comes early around these parts.”
“Six o’clock comes early everywhere,” I say.
“True, but in New York, I don’t have a rooster around to announce it.” She hesitates for a moment and says, “Night, Jay.”
“Don’t forget to lock the animals in tonight. You don’t want the coyote prowling around, and be sure to put that salve on your stings.”
“Right,” she says and turns to go. With my gaze latched onto her back, she heads down the sidewalk toward her car. I turn, and when I do, the guys are all grinning at me.
“Leave it,” I grumble.
“Like fuck,” Jaxon says.
“You tapping that or what?” Mason asks.
I rake my hands through my hair. I know the guys care about me—we all go way back—but I’m not in the mood for their shit tonight. “No.”
“Then why the fuck is she in your clothes?” Mason shoots back.
“Hers got lost on the way here and she hasn’t had time to shop. I was just being neighborly.”
“Neighborly, huh? That’s what we call fucking these days?” Matt asks.
“I am not fucking her. Not now. Not ever.”
“Dibs,” Patrick pipes in.
“No one here has dibs,” I counter. “She’s a woman, not the last piece of pie, and you damn well better treat her with respect.”
Patrick holds his hands up, palms out. “Whoa, sounds like someone already called dibs.”
I glare at him. “Leave it. She’s my neighbor, not yours,” I say, suddenly all territorial.
“Fine, you need to get laid more than any of us, anyway,” Jaxon says.
They’re not wrong.
“How about that cold one?” I say to Colin.
“Let’s go, guys. Hopefully Jay’s new girl”—I throw a death glare his way and he laughs—“I mean Jay’s new neighbor will help us nail down a routine.”
“Funny, Colin. Really funny.”
He rolls his hand and leans forward like he’s taking a bow. “I’m here all week.” His antics pull a smile from me.
I throw my arm around him. “Does Sara have any idea what she’s getting herself into?”
We step outside, and the sun is low on the horizon as we walk down the block to the pub. Farmington is pretty much a one-street town. Everything you need can be found here, and everyone you meet knows your business. I just hope the wager I made with Charlie Miller doesn’t get out. Alyson and I called a truce, and there is no need for her to know I bet against her before she leaves here and returns to New York, where she belongs. She’d be pretty sad and upset if she knew, and well, I just don’t want that.
We step into the Crow, and music blares. The place is busy for a Sunday night, but there’s not much to do around this town so everyone convenes at the local pub. I play a few games of pool with the guys and nurse a beer, but I’m distracted, worried about Alyson’s animals when a coyote is in the vicinity.
“What’s the matter with you?” Colin asks. “You worried about…you know,” he says, not wanting to say the “bet” out loud.
“No, why are you?” I ask, a measure of panic invading my gut, even though I’m trying hard not to show it.
“Nope,” he says, but he doesn’t seem as convinced as he was the other night. Shit, I hope it wasn’t the beer talking when he swayed me, and I pray I didn’t make a big mistake. “She’s as good as gone,” he says, a little more conviction in his voice.
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“You’re good then?”
“Just tired.”
“That’s what we’re calling needing to get laid. Angie has been eyeing you.”
I glance at the server. “Colin—”
“Fine then. Go home. Get some rest, buddy.”
“Yeah, I’d better get going. There’s a coyote around, and Alyson has no idea how to deal with it. I should probably check in on her.” Colin gives me a knowing grin as I hang up my pool cue and head outside. Darkness falls over the town as I hop into