Page 9 of The Mountain Echoes

A suited-up bartender pours us a whiskey each. Wild Turkey—strong, spicy, and a favorite among ranchers.

“Cheers.” I hold up my glass, and she clinks hers against it.

We drink down the alcohol like a shot.

After, we slam the glass down on the bar counter with a thud and a chuckle. Cowboys will treat every bar like a dive bar—that’s how we roll.

“You know the sister?” I ask once we take our second glass to the living room and find a quiet corner, where there aren’t a shit ton of people pretending grief.

“Sure. We all grew up together, ya know.Butwe weren’t friends. Bree and she are close. Kaz knows her well…or used to, considerin’ she’s been gone so many years.”

“She’s not exactly how I thought she’d be.”

“And what did you think?” she asks.

“I was expecting to find a polished flake in high heels, maybe a little Botox around the eyes. She’s in high heels, but no Botox, and I’m not sure about the flaky part. She doesn’t seem frivolous. Very serious eyes,” I explain.

“Why you lookin’ at her eyes, Mav?” Elena slaps my arm.

“The eyes, they say, are the windows to the soul,” I reply with mock seriousness.

She huffs out a laugh. “Well, she left a year after Duke did, so it’s been a minute. There weren’t any stories about her. Celine was the favorite Delgado sister, and she got all the attention.”

“She was an excellent foil to Rami.”

Elena seems to consider my words. “You know what? Rami was salty as fuck, but I’ll take his blunt cowboy manner over Miss Beauty Queen there, any day.”

I tug her ponytail. “Stop judgin’ people.”

“I’m not judgin’, I’m stating facts…based on my gut.” Elena’s phone beeps, and she pulls it out from the back pocket of her jeans and sighs dramatically. “Ah, damn! Got to go. Horse trouble.”

I shake my head, amused. “You made Hunt send you that text.”

Hunt is the Wilder Ranch foreman.

She gives me a‘what you gonna do’look.

“I hate this shit, but Duke knew Rami and felt he had to give his respects,” she admits. “But now that we have horse trouble….”

“Got it!”

She goes on tiptoe and kisses my cheek.

“Every time I turn around, you’ve got your hands on my wife.” Duke’s tone is only half playful.

“Don’t blame me because your wife prefers me to you,” I shoot back.

Duke wraps an arm around Elena.

Prickly, strong, prideful Elena.

She melts into him. It warms my heart to see them so in love. She deserves all the good in the world…and maybe Duke does, too, when he isn’t pissing me off.

“Seriously, Kincaid, you need to find your own woman.” Duke brushes a kiss against his wife’s temple.

“Oh, hush.” Elenacuddlesup to Duke. Never thought I’d ever see that sight, knowing Elena as well as I do.

“And you need to stop planting your lips on other men,” Duke admonishes her softly and then whispers something in her ear that sounds a lot like ‘your lips are for my….’