is. He just shakes his head and I take it as ‘later.’ “I’m hanging out for a while then walking back. You know where I’ll be.” He nods his head then scoops the girl into his arms. I hold open the passenger side door as he sets her in and buckles her up.
Her face is hidden by the curtain of her long dark hair. She is so still and quiet with her hands folded in her lap. If I didn’t know any better I would think nothing was wrong. Like me, Chase has locked his heart up for one girl. I don’t recognize her but I didn’t really see her face either. This must be her. I really hope he knows what he’s doing because I sure as hell don’t have a clue.
~*~
After they leave and the stares die down. I look across the bonfire and see the girls. They are whispering something to one another. Lily gives me a tentative smile when she sees me looking at her.
I walk over to join them as they start dancing. Lily is smiling wide at the antics of the other dancers. Someone offers her another beer but I intercept it before she can take a drink. “Hey!” I ignore her protest and silence her with my hands on her hips. Before long she’s swaying with me and has forgotten about the drink. Her body is moving with the music. My hands are itching to pull her closer but I’m trying to be a gentleman. She has no idea how important she is to me.
“Oh my god! I love this song!” Skye reaches over and pulls Lily by the wrist. Some girly high tempo song about women power blasts over the speakers. I smirk. The girls must have taken over DJ duties. I’m pretty sure my boys wouldn’t have picked this song. More girls join Skye and Lily dancing around them while they sing the words to the chorus.
I like this Lily. She’s relaxed and not the girl hiding in the bushes with sad eyes. My grand-dad use to tell me stories about my ancestor who caused the poker incident. He showed me pictures once. When I see Lily I’m reminded of her.
The party is winding down. Most people have started to leave. Some are lingering, some are making out, and others are too tossed to move. This is usually how it is and I don’t mind. I’d rather they hang out than drive drunk.
Lily tells Skye it’s time to go.
“I’ll walk you.” I say and start leading them down the path that leads back to their ranch. I pull out my phone and text Grayson that I’ll meet him at home but a minute later he runs up to us. “Hey guys. I’ll go with you.”
“Awe, my hero, G!” Skye grabs his arms and smiles brightly at him.
“At my service, my lady.” I’m sure he’d like to service her but I don’t want to picture my brother doing anything like that we anyone.
We follow the trail back to her ranch. Skye and Grayson are leading the way. It’s quiet on the walk even though we can hear the sounds of partying in the distance. When we get to the back of the main house the lights are on but Lily assures me that everyone is down at the barn. They probably snuck out and don’t want to get caught. We stop in the shadows a small distance away in case someone comes around the corner.
I walk up behind her and put my hands on her shoulders. Our bodies are so close I can feel the heat from her body. She doesn’t move but she doesn’t tense up like she did earlier. I brush her hair to one side and lean in close to her ear. “Take care of yourself, Sugar.” I whisper in her ear then press a kiss to the back of her neck. Mmm, sweet, just like I predicted.
Five
The bonfire was the last time I saw JT. As much as I wanted him to notice me, he was the last person I was supposed to want to be near. After that night I was more determined than ever to achieve my dream of taking over the ranch. During my senior year I was awarded several scholarships, enough for a full-ride to college.
My twenty-first birthday is this year. I am about to graduate a year early from the University of Colorado in Boulder. I worked my ass off so I could