Heat and annoyance swept through me, some sensation that seemed a lot like jealousy. I shook off the ridiculous thought. “She eating?”
Aspen’s piercing green gaze found me again. She wore an emerald sweater that hugged her curves and made the color of her eyes burn impossibly brighter and the red of her hair look deeper somehow. I forced myself to focus on the ridiculous glittery gold headband in her hair. What was she, five?
“Seems to be eating and drinking just fine.” A hint of a smile played on her glossy lips. “She loves the treats she gets the medicine in.”
I grunted. “You’re not going into the stall too much, are you?”
That smile dropped away, and I wanted to kick myself.
Grae glared at me. “Aspen knows what she’s doing. She’s been helping injured animals for years now.”
I didn’t say a word.
Grae huffed, turning back to Aspen. “Come on. I’ll give you a tour of the house, and we can leave Mr. Grizz to brood.”
I glared at my sister. The last thing I needed was for my family to pick up on Cady’s ridiculous nickname.
“I’ll come,” Wren said, struggling to her feet.
“Me, too,” Maddie echoed as she extricated herself from Nash’s hold.
Aspen sought out Cady. “You okay with Charlie?”
The girl nodded, only half-paying attention to her mother.
My mom sent Aspen a reassuring smile from the kitchen. “I’ll keep an eye on them.”
“Thanks,” Aspen said, but Grae was already dragging her off.
Once they disappeared, Nash turned his focus to me again. “Mr. Grizz, huh?”
“Shut up,” I muttered.
“You know we’re never letting that one go,” Holt echoed.
My thirteen-year-old nephew, Drew, flopped into an overstuffed armchair next to me. “Putting the moves on Ms. Barlow, huh? Respect. She’s smokin’.” He held out a fist for me to bump.
I simply stared at him.
“Drew…” Lawson warned. “That’s not how we talk about women.”
“Come on, Dad, no disrespect. I’m just spittin’ the truth, bruh.”
“Well, let’s tone down that truth-spittin’, bruh.”
Nash chuckled. “I don’t know. I’m happy the kid wants to hit on someone who isn’t Maddie.”
Drew grinned. “Naw, Mads will always be my girl.”
The amusement fled Nash’s face. “Do not try to steal my nickname.”
Drew’s grin only widened. “Come on, Uncle Nash. You scared of a little competition?”
Nash launched off the couch and Drew flipped over the chair to escape him, cackling as he dodged his uncle.
Lawson just shook his head. “I swear they’re both thirteen.”
Holt’s gaze turned my way. “What happened last night?”
I fought the urge to squirm in my chair. “Nothing. Just a typical callout.”
That was far from the truth. Nothing about last night had felt routine. The green eyes that had haunted my dreams hadn’t either. But this wasn’t the first time I’d lied to my family. And it wouldn’t be the last.
As everyone clustered in the living room for appetizers, I pushed open the door to the back patio. Grae immediately pulled away from her fiancé. Caden mumbled something about me being a cockblock.
“You act like you two haven’t seen each other in years,” I grumbled. “You work and live together.”
Grae stuck out her tongue at me. “Don’t hate. One day, there’ll be someone you can’t stand going a few hours without.”
Not bloody likely. But I didn’t tell my sister that. I simply grunted.
Caden chuckled. “That’s Roan-speak for screw you.”
Grae rolled her eyes. “I can’t wait to watch him fall.”
“Could be fun to witness,” Caden agreed, wrapping his arms around her.
Now that the sun had dipped beneath the horizon, it was freezing. The bite of the cold was a welcome relief. I’d felt on edge since the moment Aspen walked through the door. Any hint of discomfort the frigid air brought distracted me from that.
“How are things at Fish and Wildlife?” Caden asked.
“Good.”
He stared at me for a bit. “Care to elaborate?”
I fought the urge to shift in place. I wasn’t good at chitchat. Normal. So, instead of trying, I turned to Grae. “Where’s Aspen from?”
Grae’s brows flew up. “She lives here. You know that.”
“Before that,” I pressed. I wasn’t sure when Aspen and Cady had moved to Cedar Ridge. I only knew they hadn’t been here all their lives. I’d kept a low profile the past several years, avoiding crowded, touristy spots in town like The Brew. The only things I knew about Aspen were tidbits I remembered Grae, Wren, and Maddie dropping.
“I’m not sure. Somewhere in the South. Why?”
Something about Aspen’s reaction to crowds and how she’d braced when we were alone in her barn had me on edge—tweaked my radar because I recognized it. I knew what it was like to look over your shoulder constantly. It made a phantom energy that you couldn’t turn off run through your system. Because you knew there were shadows everywhere.
My back molars ground together. “You don’t think it’s odd you don’t know where she’s from? What about family? Other friends?”
A need had dug into my gut. A compulsion to figure out what was going on with the redheaded beauty. I told myself it was because she was friends with my sister, and the last thing we needed was Grae in danger, especially after almost losing her a month ago. But the rational part of my brain called me a liar.
“You sound like the Spanish Inquisition over there,” Grae clipped.
Caden’s expression had shifted from relaxed to alert. “You think something’s going on?”
I mentally cursed. I didn’t want my entire family on Aspen’s case. I only wanted to uncover the truth. Shrugging, I met Caden’s gaze. “I just think it’s weird no one really knows much about her.”
A grin spread across Grae’s face. “You like her.”
“No,” I protested.
Her grin widened into a smile. “You do. You should ask her out. She’s the kindest. Super funny. Loyal. Protective.”
That last word had my radar dinging again. You weren’t protective for no reason. It was built into you because of an experience. Because people around you got hurt or you had been. The idea of someone hurting Aspen made my gut clench in a foreign way. I shoved it down and stared at my sister.
“Enough.” The single word lashed out, making Grae’s eyes widen.
“Chill, man,” Caden warned.
My teeth gnashed together. The last thing I wanted was to hurt my sister. But what was new? I was constantly saying or doing the wrong thing. It was better when I was quiet, removed.
“I’m not interested in your friend. Just leave it be, G.”
Her expression softened, sadness slipping in. “Okay. Sorry.”
And I hated myself even more.
7
ASPEN
I glanced over at Grae. She kept staring at me as the girls holed up in the family room while Kerry had the boys helping her prep dinner. We’d gotten caught up in watching Charlie and Cady put on some cross between a ballet and a battle. I finally turned to face my friend. “Do I have something on my face?”
Grae winced. “Sorry.”
A hint of worry trickled through me. “What is it?”