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“Damn. I’d forgotten how much attention you get.” Coop shook his head at me, its slow wag hypnotic, and the grin on his face grew wider by the second.

The steady chatter in the Crow Bar fought for supremacy with the nineties rock tunes playing from the speakers. I hadn’t seen Cooper for more than thirty minutes for days. He worked long shifts at the loggers in Robin Springs, and I’d holed myself up in his gran’s den, trying not to run into Ro.

Since our night at the school gym, I’ve been having full-on flashbacks. Vivid memories of her crashing into me. Initially, I’d found it amusing, but thoughts of her head in my lap took on a less PG tone when I thought about it later in the dark. Hanging out with Ro played havoc on my peace of mind. Giving her a wide berth seemed the best thing to do, considering the circumstances.

“What do you mean?” I waved off his observation with a laugh. “You get your fair share of attention from being on the Robin Springs woodchopping team. I bet you have to fight the ladies off with a stick.” It still made me smile to think that my street-tough best friend had a small but faithful social mediafollowing where women liked to watch him split wood in tight T-shirts. He didn’t want his gran or sister to find out, though, so he swore me to secrecy.

“It’s hardly the same. I haven’t had this much female interest since we last hung out. How do you do it, man?”

I chuckled. Maybe the oversized bank balance and the arrogant swagger I’d made my own personal brand?

“It’s just like old days,” he continued. “It’s been too long.” Coop cocked his head toward two women who sat at the long oak bar. They’d arrived shortly after us and had thrown enough flirty smiles to the two of us to make a charm bracelet.

I took a mouthful of my beer. Coop and I weren’t on the same wavelength. Two pretty women were grinning at us, but I felt nothing. Each time I scanned the bar, I couldn’t help but ponder whether any of the guys shooting pool or honing their cornhole skills had dated Ro. Had touched her. Kissed her.

My hand tightened around the icy bottleneck. I had to get a hold of myself. Aside from thoughts of her ending up between my legs, I’d contemplated my accident. That stupid tackle by a stranger may have ruined my career. What If I’d hurt Ro? What if, aside from a grazed chin,she’dbroken something? I ran my fingers through my hair. My motives for training her for the derby tryout were a little murky, but the last thing I wanted was to see her in traction.

Still, when I’d made the deal with her about the timed laps and the breakfast in bed, had I hoped she’d fail? You bet. I’d never want her to feel bad about herself, but the idea of Ro turning up at my door every morning gave me a warm glow inside my chest. Hell, she could even turn up empty-handed. Just the thought of starting each day talking to her had the corners of my mouth lifting.

“You okay, man?” Coop’s voice snapped me back to reality. “You want another beer?”

I nodded. Why the hell not? I hadn’t let loose in a long time. Cooper stood, heading straight for the two women at the bar. One had dark hair, the other blonde, and they both turned and gave me a huge grin after he reached them and spoke a few words. I gave a half-hearted, close-lipped smile.

I wasn’t in the mood to get up close and personal with strangers. Or indulging in a drunken night of fun. Six months ago, I would’ve been all over it, but right now, the thought made my gut churn. I just wanted to get back to Maggie’s lumpy couch and hang out with Ro. To watch her endless stitching while she watched old reruns ofGilmore Girls. To study how she popped her tongue between her teeth while working on a tricky section. It’d come to where being around my best friend’s sister was all I looked forward to. And she had no idea.

Sure, we joked around and had fun together. But this morning, when we saw each other briefly, she called me her other brother. It was clear how she felt. She was happy the way things were, and me barging into her life was the last thing she needed. Hell, I didn’t know wheremylife was headed and whatIneeded.

Coop came back from the bar, an enormous grin on his face. He sat back down in the leather booth and slapped the table. “Man, those two are hot for you and, by extension, hot for me. You should move back to town. Give an old friend a leg up with the local ladies.”

I huffed a laugh. Coop had never been subtle about his love of a good time. He glanced back over at the women. “I’m just sayin’ we could do worse. I don’t have plans tonight.”

I followed his gaze. They were both pretty but too keen. A little obvious. Perhaps it was the kiss the blonde one blew in my direction. Flirty fun might distract me from my leg. But all I could think of was Ro’s reaction if she found out. She’d out and out accused me at the gym of being a womanizer. Calledme a “Flock-boy.” Joining Coop would confirm all the things she thought about me.

I let out a heavy breath. A major news outlet first coined that phrase after a notorious week-long stay in a Vegas hotel with some teammates. We’d raised hell. With few people around to tell us “No,” we’d embraced all that being in the spotlight offered.

“I’m not really feeling it tonight, Coop.” I put my beer down with a gentle thud.

Cooper grimaced, leaning into me across the table. “Come on, man, just like old times. It’s been ages since we’ve had a night out. You’ve been too busy hanging out with my sister.”

As soon as his words registered, an icy shiver ran over my body. Had he noticed? Taken note of our comings and goings?

“And what’s up with her chin? She said she scuffed it while skating. That she fell. Ro never falls.”

I shifted in my seat, hoping the low lighting covered up the result of the burn in my cheeks. “It was just a minor accident. She’s still getting used to derby skates.”

“And about that. Who’s idea was roller derby?”

“That crazy friend of hers, Eve. She found a flier in the diner. Ro asked me about it, and I offered to help.” My lie slipped out seamlessly but didn’t sit well. I’d pushed her on the idea, not the other way around. I suggested the training. I hated to give Coop a half-truth, but I wasn’t about to tell my best friend that the derby trial gave me the perfect excuse to hang out with his sister. Or that I couldn’t stop thinking about her.

Coop curled a brow at me. “But do you need to help her so often? I’ve hardly seen you, man.”

Icy fingers gripped the back of my neck. “I’m sorry. The whole leg thing. I can’t just turn off the worry. I guess this derby thing gave me a distraction.” Cooper knew the full extent of my injury and what was riding on the doctor’s examination.

He shrugged. “More reason to let your hair down. Have some fun.”

His broad grin would have disarmed most people. He may be right, but why the hell did the idea feel so wrong? “I don’t know. I’m kind of preoccupied.”

Coop let out a loud breath and lay his palms on the table. He’d clamped his jaw tight and wore a furrow on his brow. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was about to propose.