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I don’t realize I’m holding the wheel in a death grip until Ryder clears his throat. “Don’t break it, man.”

“It’s probably just a friend of Mollie’s,” Wyatt says from beside Duke in the back. “She’s been away from home for a bit.”

“Yeah.” Duke glances at Wyatt. “Girls can drive pickups too. Maybe she, like, borrowed it from her parents or something? You know, for the drive to the country.”

Wyatt nods. “Exactly.”

I meet his eyes in the rearview mirror. They gleam, kindness and understanding written all over his expression.

But there’s nothing to understand, I want to yell.I’m fine. So what if it’s her boyfriend? I don’t care.

I don’t want to fucking care. Because caring?—

That’s how you get your heart ripped out.

That’s how you get hurt. And I’ve had enough hurt to last a lifetime.

Wouldn’t Mollie tell me if she had a boyfriend? But why would she? We’ve had intimate conversations about dreams and family and grief, but we’ve never talked about our romantic lives. Seems strange now that I think about it.

And not strange at all, because she’s my boss. Garrett’s daughter. I need to show them both the respect they deserve.

I also need my brothers to stop looking at me like I have two heads.

Hitting the gas, I turn up the radio. The breeze blowing through the windows is refreshingly cool. “Just wanna make sure it ain’t her lawyers or some shit. Or a buyer.”

Because that’s what Mollie said she would eventually do—sell Lucky Ranch to the highest bidder. She could be starting that process already.

Although there’s a tug in my gut that tells me that’s not it. Mollie’s been with me all week, and not once has she mentioned a potential buyer. When would she have the time to find one? She’s as tuckered out as the rest of us at the end of the day.

“Maybe.” Ryder hangs his arm out the window.

“If it’s not a buyer,” Wyatt says slowly, “and if she’s out tonight with this friend of hers, you’re gonna be all right at The Rattler, right, Cash? I just rode into town today to collect my winnings. Best week I’ve ever had. I’d hate to lose that income if there’s, er, trouble and Tallulah decides her feelings on us Rivers are lukewarm at best.”

I yank my baseball cap off my head and put it on backward. “Why wouldn’t I be all right?”

Duke chuckles. “No reason.”

“You got somethin’ you wanna say, brother?”

“Not at all,brother. Just haven’t seen you this keyed up about a girl in a while.”

“It ain’t about a girl.”

Wyatt’s turn to snicker. “Sure it isn’t.”

“Y’all want me to turn around? Because I will.”

Ryder holds up his hands. “Let’s just go get some drinks, all right? Nothing is gonna happen.”

“Thank you,” I reply, even as I have the very distinct feeling that something is, in fact, going to happen tonight.

Or maybe I just want it to happen, because I’m sick of feeling so…tight. Wound up.Hopeful.

I hold my breath every time I turn a corner now, hoping I’ll run into Mollie. I can hardly sleep because I want to know what witty, pervy things she’ll say to me over coffee the next morning. And at night, after supper, I think about her in the tub. The one in the New House has a Jacuzzi setting. She turn it on, get herself off?

She think about me while she does it? Or she think about the prick who drives the Denali instead?

I’m vibrating by the time we roll up to The Rattler. I stalk inside and look around. Mollie is nowhere in sight.