Page 12

After I left the coffee shop that morning, I felt like I could breathe again.

Step one in the Fix My Life Playbook was accomplished. I had a job, which meant I could start saving for my own place. Funny enough, when I accomplished step one, I also checked off step two—make new friends.

I pulled away from the coffee shop and made the short trip to the market. It was quick and uneventful.

I picked up all the ingredients I needed for homemade pizza: sauce, flour to make pizza dough with, fresh pepperoni and cheese from the deli, and fresh bell peppers and mushrooms from the produce area in case Cassie wanted some extra flavor on her pizza like I did.

I also picked up some margarita mix and a bottle of my favorite tequila.

When I got back to the guesthouse, I tidied up. That took no time, seeing as I only had the bare minimum with me.

Cassie showed up right at seven o’clock with fresh cinnamon rolls in hand .

“I made an extra batch just for tonight. I always need something sweet to top off the night, and you cannot go wrong with fresh cinnamon rolls,” she said as I opened the door and gestured for her to come in.

“These smell amazing. I can’t wait to try one,” I said, taking a big whiff of the rolls as I took them from Cassie and placed them on the counter. “The pizza just came out of the oven, and the margaritas are ready in the fridge. Let’s get this party started.”

I smiled, not realizing how much better a simple girls’ night would make me feel. We each grabbed a slice of pizza and a fresh margarita, then, we plopped down on the couch.

“This place is really nice. Who decorated it? They have amazing taste,” Cassie said as she looked around admiring the small house.

“Colt did actually. He told me he remodeled it not too long ago.”

“Speaking of the devil, where is he? I didn’t even get a glimpse of his pretty face as I drove in,” she said, wearing an over-the-top sad face.

“Probably already off to bed for the night. He gets up early, so he usually goes to bed early too.”

“What a buzzkill. I just know that man wants to get in your pants,” she said nonchalantly.

I choked on the sip of margarita I had just taken.

“He does not,” I said, laughing and trying to catch my breath at the same time.

Cassie cocked her head. “Oh yes, he does. I dare you to go to his house right now and crawl into bed with him. Let me know how many seconds it takes for him to get a hard-on,” she dared eagerly .

I looked at Cassie, stunned. “You are out of your mind,” I said giggling.

She arched a brow. “And don’t give me that ‘I only see Colt as a friend’ bullshit either.

I see the way you look at him. Plus, I heard about your horse-riding adventure yesterday, how that cowboy just swooped in and saved the day.

I’m sure that really helped your we’re-only-friend’s agenda,” she said, winking at me.

Cassie was obviously really good at reading between the lines. I wasn’t going to be able to pull one over on her. Plus, I had a terrible poker face.

I looked around, making sure no one had somehow walked in without me knowing.

“If I tell you something,” I whispered, leaning in, “you can never, ever tell anyone. Promise?”

Cassie’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Scout’s honor,” she said, raising her right hand.

I exhaled slowly, hoping I wasn’t making a big mistake. I could feel the margarita starting to take hold of me.

“He slept in my bed last night. Nothing happened, of course. I had a bad dream, and he held me until I fell back asleep,” I said, immediately second-guessing my confession.

Cassie squealed. “Ah! This is the juiciest gossip I’ve heard in a while. It’s like something straight out of a Scott Eastwood cowboy rom-com.” She giggled.

Suddenly my phone started ringing on the coffee table. I looked down at the screen—Colt was calling.

“Speaking of the devil,” Cassie teased.

“Do not say a word when I answer this call,” I said, looking at her wide-eyed .

She crossed her lips with her fingers as if she was locking them shut, then tossed the imaginary key behind her back.

“Hello?” I answered hesitantly, putting the phone on speaker.

“Ellie? It’s Jace.” His voice was strained and filled with worry. “Have you seen Colt? No one can find him. He got mad and took off. Left his phone too. Is he at the guesthouse with you?”

“No, he’s not. I haven’t seen him since yesterday.”

Last night, actually. In my bed.

But that detail wasn’t necessary at the moment.

Cassie listened silently with concerned expression that probably matched mine.

“Where are you right now?” I asked, my stomach churning.

“I’m at the main house. Can you help us look for him? His truck is still here, so he couldn’t have gone too far,” he stated.

“Yes, Cassie’s here with me. She can come too. We’ll be right there.” I hung up the call, and we both jumped off the couch, springing into action. We frantically put on our shoes and headed for the door.

“Why do you think Colt got upset and stormed off?” Cassie asked as we stepped onto the porch then down the steps, crossing the flowerbeds in front of the guesthouse.

“I’m not sure. That’s not like him to—”

RAWR!

A dark figure wearing a Halloween-style mask, like the main character from the movie Scream, jumped out at us.

We both jumped back, shrieking like little girls .

Cassie took off, running as fast as she could, but I was pinned against the railing with no escape.

With my fight-or-flight instincts kicking in, I reared back and punched the masked man in the face, knocking him backward into the bushes.

I took off, running towards my car like Cassie had just seconds earlier.

“I don’t have the keys!” I yelled in frustration holding up my empty hands.

“Fuck!” Cassie said as we sprinted from the car to the pasture behind the house, our only hope for escape at this point.

I glanced behind us just as the tall figure pulled the mask from his face, clutching his eye in pain.

I stopped, recognizing the face.

“Colt?”

What the hell is going on?

Cassie stopped a few yards ahead, turning to see why I’d stopped running.

Suddenly, another tall figure came out from the other side of my car, laughing uncontrollably.

“Jace?” Cassie asked.

He didn’t reply—he only laughed harder.

“What the hell is going on?” I asked as Cassie and I walked back towards the house, no longer terrified for our lives.

“I could not have planned this out better if I tried,” Jace said between laughs.

Colt was sitting on the steps of the porch, clutching his eye, as Cassie, Jace and I made our way back to the porch steps.

“Let me guess. This was your idea?” Cassie asked, looking at Jace .

“Yes, and it was the best moment of my life. You’re all welcome,” Jace said, smiling ear to ear.

“It’s definitely not the best of mine,” Colt said, groaning in pain.

“I’m so sorry, Colt. Let me get you an ice pack,” I offered, running back into the house.

He followed me, holding his eye with one hand and the mask with the other.

I searched the freezer, finding a frozen bag of peas I’d purchased from the market the day before. It would have to do.

I wrapped the frozen vegetables in a clean dish towel and placed it on Colt’s cheek as he sat on one of the barstools next to the kitchen island.

“I’m so sorry,” I said again, rotating Colt’s barstool away from the counter, so he was facing my direction.

I stood between his legs as I assessed his injuries. There was a small amount of blood pooling around the cut where my knuckles had connected with is face.

“Let me get a warm washcloth.”

I quickly walked to the kitchen sink and back. Then I gently dabbed the blood from his skin, standing on my tiptoes to get a good look at the top of the cut.

Colt was tall, even sitting down.

As I looked him over, his free hand lingered on my thigh, holding on to the side of it.

“I should’ve known better than to let Jace talk me into going along with one of his wild ideas,” Colt said, laughing through the pain .

I gently turned Colt’s face side to side, ensuring I hadn’t missed any injuries.

“I don’t see any other cuts on your face,” I explained.

“Can you check my back? I fell into the bushes pretty hard. You’ve got a hell of a swing on you, El,” Colt said as he pulled his shirt off, then turned, showing me his back.

The guesthouse air conditioner must have stopped working, right at that moment, because all of a sudden, a heat wave swept over my body.

Tanned, chiseled muscles stretched across his broad back and shoulders—shoulders that seemed to go on forever. His skin was darkened from long hard days working on the ranch, out in the hot sun, and the muscles beneath it were firm, yet surprisingly soft to the touch.

Electricity coursed through my body, a tingling sensation running through my veins, as I trailed my fingers along Colt’s back, searching for any sign of injury.

I swallowed and took a deep breath, my mouth dry and my body on the verge of fainting.

“I don’t see anything,” I said quickly, hoping he’d put his shirt back on and end my misery.