Page 31 of Sunkissed Colorado

“Easy solution.” Ashford blew out a breath. “You just have to get rid of her.”

Beer shot up into my nose, and I started coughing. “The hell, bro? Get rid of her?”

“I mean, just make sure she doesn’t want to stick around in Silver Ridge. Remind her of all the reasons that this town sucks. She should go back to Chicago.”

I sat back and laughed. “This town sucks? You love Silver Ridge so much, I remember the time you nearly decked some tourist for saying Vail has better skiing. Which it does, by the way.”

Ashford scowled. “I take pride in my hometown. But there are plenty of reasons it can be miserable sometimes. You know it as well as I do.”

“Such as?”

He held up his fingers to count the ways. “The small-town gossip mill is a pain in the ass. Cell reception is terrible, and the internet is so unreliable you might as well be living in the stone age. You can’t get decent gelato to save your life.”

“Gelato,” I muttered, shaking my head as I took another sip of beer. “What do you know about gelato?”

“They’ve got a place now in Hartley. Tried it when we went to see Emma’s family.” Ashford chewed his lip. “No wait,bingo night. Make the city girl call bingo numbers at the community center for an hour and she’ll run screaming. Or just stick her in a room with Dixie Haines.”

Ashford’s wife Emma appeared at our table, looking concerned. “What are you two saying about Dixie?”

“Ideas for how Cal can get rid of his work competition. City girl is gunning for the same manager position he wants.”

Emma bent to peck her husband on the lips. “Reminds me of how you tried to get rid ofmewhen I first moved here.”

“Not like I tried very hard.”

“I’m so glad you lacked commitment.” She tugged on his arm to get him to stand. “Enough alcohol. We’re going home now before you give Callum any more brilliant ideas.”

“Good,” my brother said in a low tone. “I have some brilliant ideas about you in our bed.” Ashford kissed her again, more thoroughly this time. I glanced away, smiling at their happiness. I’d been rooting for my brother to wind up with Emma from minute one.

But his advice for me was terrible. I preferred to take a more direct approach.

Exactly what, I didn’t know.

But somehow, someway, I was going to win that woman over. Even if it killed me. ’Cause she very well might.

A few hours later, the brewery had mostly cleared out. My baby sister Grace and her man had already taken off, and Teller and Ayla were saying their goodbyes to everyone. They’d been in their own little love bubble all night.

“See you soon, man,” Teller said, pulling me into a hug.

“I can’t keep up with where in the world you’re jetting off to next.”

“Just a quick trip to Nashville, then LA, then we’re back here for at least a month.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it, Mr. Maxwell.”

After they left, all my friends had scattered except for Piper, Teller’s younger sister. The only other Lonely Hart who was committed to singlehood like me.

“Just you and me, kid,” I said to her.

“Not for long.” Piper grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair. “Ollie will be up at the crack of dawn wanting pancakes. Almost makes me look forward to him being a teenager. At least then he’ll sleep in.”

“Come on, one more drink.”

“Nope.” She gave me a quick kiss goodbye, purely platonic. Piper and I had never felt anything for each other romantically, but we were tight. “Besides, looks like you’ve got your hands full with that brunette you’ve been trading glares with all night.”

With a groan, I glanced toward the bar where Zandra was drying glasses with more force than necessary. “Yeah, those aren’t the good kind of looks.”

“Maybe not, but there’s definitely something there. Night, Cal.”