“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Warren. If there’s anything I can do, just name it.” I hang up the phone and kick the stall. I wish I could give her more answers about last night, but I don’t have them.

My horse Wrigley snorts at me nervously. I reach out and rub his nose. “I’m sorry, boy. I’m just having a rough couple of days.” My phone starts ringing again. I look down but don’t recognize the display.

“Hello?”

“Sterling! It’s Lucy. Ivie’s mom called me, and they can’t find her. She left a note sometime early this morning to let them know that she was going for a drive to clear her head. I’ve tried calling her, but I can’t reach her either.” She punctuates her frantic report with a loud sniffle.

“Lucy, what exactly do you want me to do? Last night I was the last person she wanted. What makes you think if she’s not answering for you, her best friend, or her parents, she’ll answer for me?”

She sighs. “I don’t know, Sterling. I’ve just always sensed there was something going on between you two. Maybe she needs the comfort only you can give.” Lucy’s right, there’s something between us—something neither of us has ever dared to say out loud. I kick the dirt.

“I’ll see if I can find her.” I snap my phone shut and a new sense of dread takes over. Dang it, Ivie. Where are you, and what are you doing? I run to the main house and tell my mom I’m heading to town.

I had just slipped the key in my truck’s ignition when I see Lynn’s car in my rearview. “Great,” I mumble. She pulls up beside me and walks over to the driver’s side door. I sigh and roll the window down.

“Hey. Where are you going in such a rush, cowboy?” Lynn has short blonde hair and blue eyes, with tanned skin and what appears to be a fake smile painted on that pretty face of hers.

“Lucy just called me, and they can’t find Ivie. She went for a drive several hours ago and no one knows where she is. They want me to help.” Lynn’s hand flew to her chest, as if concerned.

“You’re going to look for her, then? What would she be doing by herself like that?” Lynn has a pouty look on her face.

“I’m sure she’s going through something confusing right now and probably needs some space, but everyone’s worried, given Dean’s attack. I’m going to help look for her, so I’ll talk to you later.”

I put the truck in reverse and tear down the drive. A glance in the rearview mirror shows Lynn still in the same spot, staring after my truck. I like Lynn, but she isn’t someone I’ll ever be in love with. I should somehow let her know that, so I’m not leading her on. Since I’ve gotten to know Ivie, I don’t think I can be in love with anyone else. No one is her. Whether I can have her or not, my heart’s just not in it with anyone else.

I’ve called Ivie five times, with no answer. I’ve driven all around town. I don’t know where else to look. I’m starting to get worried. This attack on Dean was attempted murder, which means there’s a would-be killer on the loose somewhere.

I’m going to drive up to the outlook, and if she’s not there, I’ll contact her parents and see if they want to call the cops. I pull up the hill and around the last curve to the outlook, and there’s Ivie’s car. I pull up beside it and see she’s sitting on the hood, wrapped in a blanket, staring at the town spread out below us. She has bloodshot eyes and her hair pulled back. Dark brown curls fall around her neck. Even though she looks tired and worried, she’s as beautiful as ever.

“How did you find me, Brigg?” She doesn’t even glance at me as I shut my truck door and start toward her.

“You have quite a few people who are worried about you—including me. Both because whoever hurt Dean is still out there, and because we know you’ve been through something traumatic.” She looks up at me.

“So have you. He’s your best friend. I know you mean well, but I really don’t want to talk about it right now.”

I lean against her car in the early morning light. “Okay, if you don’t feel like talking, do you mind if I sit quietly with you for a while?”

“That’s fine.” I climb gingerly onto the hood of her coupe, and we sit in silence for several minutes. I can see out of the corner of my eye she’s shivering under her blanket. I pull up part of the blanket and slide under it beside her. I put my arms around her, and somehow, I feel completely warm in this cool autumn air, being so close to her. She finally loosens up and lays her head on my shoulder. I can’t help but savor the feeling of rightness, that this is exactly where I’m supposed to be, even though I know it’s wrong.

She turns into my chest and little sobs escape from her. I just hold her tighter. She looks up at me with her stunning green eyes, and I can’t help it—I’m going to kiss her. I lean in and kiss her forehead, then her nose. Finally, my lips touch hers, gently, and when she kisses me back, I’m all in. She lets out a little gasp as I part her lips with my tongue, then she’s kissing me back fiercely, fisting my shirt in her hand. All I can think about is her sweet taste and soft skin. Without warning, she jerks away, tears starting to spill over onto her cheeks.

“We can’t, Sterling. We can’t do this. I’ve got to go.” And with that I help her down from the hood, then tuck her blanket back in her car. She doesn’t so much as look at me as she backs out then tears off down the road.

“Nice going, Brigg. Real smooth.” I get back in my Dodge and start back down to town. I’m sure I just blew any chance I ever had with Ivie Davis.

 

 

I can’t believe this nightmare is real. I pull back up to the hospital and check my eyes in the rearview mirror, cringing at my swollen lids and red-rimmed eyes. I put on a little mascara and lip balm and call it good.

When I left the outlook, Dean’s mom called. They arrived early this morning and said I could come see him. He still hasn’t woken up. I open my car door and see Sterling’s truck pulling in. Did he not hear me? I can’t deal with this right now. What was I thinking, letting him kiss me? What was I thinking, kissing him back? I can’t make that mistake again. It makes me want things I can never have.

I shut my car and lock it up and head for the hospital doors. Sterling gets out of his truck and walks up behind me.

I stop before going in. “What are you doing here, Sterling?”

“Dean’s mom called and said I could come see him. As you pointed out earlier, he is my best friend.” His lips are blade thin as he looks at me.

“That’s why I can’t be around you, Sterling. It’s dangerous. He’s my boyfriend. Whatever happened back there at the outlook can’t happen again.”

He nods in agreement but doesn’t speak. We both go through the doors and take the elevator in silence to Dean’s floor. His mom’s just walking out of his room when she sees us. She rushes over and hugs us both.

“I’m so glad you’re both here. He needs to know his girl and best friend are here.” She sniffles and wipes away a tear.

“Any change, Mrs. Warren?”

She wipes her eyes again. “No, I’m afraid not. But he’s a fighter. You both know that. He just needs some time.” She smiles sadly. “Listen, why don’t you two go on in? I’m going to run to the house and grab a quick shower. We came straight here from the airport. I know he’ll be in good hands here with both of you.”

“Sure, go ahead, Mrs. Warren. Do what you need to. I’ll be here.” I smile at her.

Sterling chimes in. “I’ll stay too.” I look over at him and feel guilt tear through my soul.

We walk into Dean’s room. He’s lying there, so still except for the rise and fall of his chest. There’s black and blue bruising on his face along with stitches around his right eye, which is horribly swollen.

I can tell they shaved his hair on the right side, and I see the edge of a bandage at the back of his head. I grit my teeth because it looks so painful. I walk over to his bed and pick up his hand to hold it.

Sterling looks at our hands and turns his eyes away as he takes the chair on the opposite side.

“Dean, it’s me. It’s Ivie. Sterling’s here too.” I wait for his eyes to flutter or for him to move a finger, but nothing. Just the steady beep of machines and his breathing. “Dean, we need you to wake up,” I tell him.

Sterling still hasn’t spoken. He just looks from Dean to me. I let go of Dean’s hand and pull up the other chair so I can sit, too. Sterling finally speaks up.

“Hey, man. You’ve got to hang tough. We all have your back. Wake up so you can tell us whose ass we need to kick.” I study Sterling’s face and can see he’s hurting. They’ve been best friends all their lives. I can see the shadow of guilt on his face when he glances at me.

We seem to have the same feelings, but we can’t act on them. It’s a betrayal to Dean in the first place; to do it while he’s like this hurts my heart in a new way. When he kissed me, I could feel the electricity in it. I bite my lip causing Sterling to look at it. I quickly look away and back to Dean.

We sit there for about an hour and a half, and his mom comes back. “Hey. Nothing new?” she asks quietly. I shake my head, and Sterling gets to his feet.

“I need to get back home, Mrs. Warren. I’ll come back and check on him soon.” She nods, and he hugs her before walking out.

I stand. “I probably need to get going, too, and let you and Mr. Warren have some privacy. Please let me know if anything changes, and I’ll come back soon, I promise.”

“Okay, dear.” She hugs me tight. I lean over and kiss Dean on the forehead and feel tears burn again. I quickly walk out before they spill over.

 

 

Ivie. Beautiful, stunning Ivie. I couldn’t help but stare at her the whole time we were visiting Dean. After I leave the hospital, I decide to wait on her to come out, and lean against the side of the building.

It doesn’t take long before she comes barreling through the automatic doors.

“Ivie! Wait up!” She startles, whips her head around to look at me, and then keeps going . I follow after her, catching up right when she unlocks her car door.

“Hey, Brigg. What can I do for you?”

“I just wanted to check on you. I know this is rough. I know how much you care about Dean,” I stammer.

“Actually, Sterling, you don’t know much of anything where Dean and I are concerned.” She sighs and shakes her head. “Look, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to sound rude. I just don’t know what to say or even think right now. I’m in a place I’ve never been.”

I reach out and grab one of her hands and rub it with my thumb. “I may not know the right thing to do or say right now either, but I do feel like I shouldn’t leave you alone today. What do you say to letting me buy you an early dinner? Just two friends.”

She looks up at me, pondering my offer. “Yeah, that sounds good,” she says quietly.

“I’ll follow you. Lead the way.”

She looks down at my hand on hers and then back up at me. I drop her hand as she steps back to get in her car. Okay, Brigg, don’t screw up. Just play this cool.

After a few minutes trailing her car in my truck, I see she’s turning into the Valley Café. We park, and I hustle to get to her car so I can open the door for her.

She begins stepping out and looks up at me. “Is this okay? I was kind of in the mood for a burger and fries.”

“It’s perfect.” We walk in and sit at a booth in the back corner. The café looks like something out of the 1950s, which is fun, and the food is delicious.

Our waitress comes over and takes our order. Once she leaves, I try for some small talk, which mostly works. We talk about finals and graduation parties, and the conversation inevitably turns to the future.

“What are your plans after graduation?”

“I’m going to college. Probably to study journalism, English. Something of the like. I love to read and write. One day, I hope to write a book, that’s my dream. How about you?” The waitress drops off our burgers and fries, and I take a giant bite of my burger to buy myself time to process the fact she’s leaving and going off to school somewhere.

“I’ll take over Valley B Ranch. It’s just in my blood. My dad took over for my grandad. It’s what we do.” I smile tightly.

A pleasant couple hours went by, but after a cup of coffee and a slice of pie, she start gathering her things. “It’s starting to get late. I should probably head home. Thanks, Sterling. I really needed this.”

She leaves a tip as I take care of our check, and then I walk her outside. The parking lot’s almost empty. The wind is much colder, and the rain is starting to fall. Her cheeks start to turn pink as we stand facing each other between our vehicles.

“I enjoyed dinner, Ivie—considering the circumstances.” She looks up from fiddling with her key ring.

“Yeah, me too, Sterling.” I open her car door, and she slides in.

“I’ll see you around.” I shut her car door and head to my truck. She’s already backing out of her space. I get right behind her and notice she’s turning away from the direction of her house.

Curious and a little worried, I follow her. She’s heading toward the outlook again. Lightning strikes as we turn up the hill. The storm that’s been looming is almost here. She pulls up and parks facing the valley and city lights. Not another soul in sight. I pull up beside her and get out of my truck.

“Ivie, what are you doing up here? It’s getting late. You don’t need to be alone right now. Like you said, someone tried to kill Dean, and they’re still out there somewhere.” She steps out of her car into the rain that has begun to fall, standing toe to toe with me.

“I guess I’m not ready to go home, and I figured you’d follow me, so I knew I’d be safe.” I watch her cheeks turn even pinker with that statement.

“You seem to have my number, Ivie.” The rain starts pouring harder. Ivie’s hair is wet and rain drips off her face as she stares at me with such intensity I can’t move.

“What is it, Ivie? You look like you want to say something.” She moves so close I can feel the heat coming from her body.

“I do want to say something. I’ve been thinking about that kiss, and I know I shouldn’t, but I want to kiss you again.”

I stare at her for a moment, not sure what to say. I put my hand behind her neck and look her in the eyes and then straight down at her lips. She tilts her chin up just a little as I pull her face toward mine. I barely brush my lips against hers. Be careful, Brigg —dangerous territory. But I can’t help myself. I press my lips to hers while pulling her body tight against me.

She wraps her arms around my neck as the rain cascades over us, and I pick her up and take her to my truck, fumbling open the door and laying her down in the seat as I continue to kiss her. I pull back just long enough to shut the door behind me to close out the weather, then fall back onto her, letting my tongue dance with hers.

When I come up for air I move down to her neck and kiss her, letting my tongue skim her ivory skin. She shivers under me, and I feel her fingers tugging at my clothes.

“Ivie, be careful, you have no idea what you’re doing.” I run my hand under her shirt and feel the warm, smooth skin of her back, damp from the rain, tempting me further. Her hair is so dark it looks black when it’s wet. She looks at me with a passion I’ve never seen or felt before, putting her hands around my neck again and pulling me down to her.

“Yes, I do,” she says as she kisses me again, harder. And with that, all reservations are gone. I stop and look down at her again, her eyes burning with desire, her lips swollen from my kiss.

“Are you sure this is what you want?” I ask shakily.

“Yes. I’m sure.” My heart beats out a chaotic tattoo as I undo my belt. She pulls me to her again, and I lose myself in her kiss, not caring about anything but this moment, right now—with her.