Page 3 of Wild and Unruly (Three Rivers Trevors Ranch #3)

stetson

Bottle Grounds was loud for a Tuesday night, and I was forever grateful for it. It helps block out every thought that seemed to be on a constant spiral inside of my head.

Mostly, being alone for the summer, being alone for the holidays, you know, Fourth of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Taco Tuesdays, etc.

Okay, maybe that was the loneliness talking.

I nod at my sister-in-law, Thea, smiling when my brother Logan walks up to her and wraps her in a hug, even though they only saw each other hours ago. Last year, they went through hell and back trying to keep themselves together, so the happiness they were finally experiencing was well deserved.

Didn’t mean I wasn’t jealous. My gaze skips over to Annmarie, Thea’s sister, and I drop the smile. For the last couple of years, I’ve made it no secret that I was infatuated with her, and I’d let her know over time the truth of that .

The issue is, she has no return on those feelings. Nothing.

I knew the truth of it. I knew that she didn’t want to be with me or even try, but one last shot doesn’t hurt, right?

A brief flash of chestnut-colored hair and hazel eyes hits me, and my feet falter on their way to Annmarie, just for a second, before I shake my head and continue.

Bonnie was beautiful. Stunning, actually. But I’d seen the way she shut down the moment I mentioned horses.

I know girls like that. Training horses is either a turn-on or a major turn-off, and apparently, for her, it was the latter.

CT, a childhood friend and now cousin by marriage, yells across the bar from where he and the other members of our dart league are setting up. Tuesdays were always dart night. What started as just me, Logan, and CT, has blossomed into a full-on league of friends who get together to play.

Thea, prior to marrying my brother, had made a deal to get us more dartboards.

Now that they are married, the area we use for the league has expanded into something way more.

We had several dart stations set up for the four teams that were in the league, with high-top bars just outside of it to hold our drinks and a row of bench seats along the wall for people to sit.

Then there was a glowing neon sign announcing the area, pulling it all together.

I wave him off and make my way to the bar, a new determination following me. Annmarie, a very aware of her surroundings kind of girl, glances over at me. She doesn’t hide that she’s exasperated to see me.

I hold my ground and wait for her to stomp over. Her dark hair is tied up in a high ponytail, her eyeliner thick with black charcoal, her lips covered in flaming red lipstick, and her clothes consist of black on black all the way down to her boots .

“What do you want, Cash?” She pretends not to care that I’m here, other than being annoyed, using my last name to distance herself.

At least, I think so.

“You know what I want. A date. With you.” I try really hard to keep my voice steady and calm, but I’m pretty sure it shakes for a second, making me wish I didn’t speak at all. But I hold my ground.

Annmarie’s eyes bug out slightly, and she shakes her head, pursing her lips before saying, “You don’t give up, do you?”

“Nope.”

Her head swings around, motioning to Thea and their other sister, Juniper, who was serving behind the bar, that she’s stepping out.

Grabbing me by the wrist, she hauls me out of the bar and into the night, the road illuminated by the shops and businesses still open at this time of day on Main Street.

She spins on me, crossing her arms and glaring at me before opening her mouth. “Look, you need to know that no matter how cute and charming or nice you are, I’m never going to go out with you.”

“So, you think I’m cute?” I throw the question out there, hoping to save my own skin.

Annmarie looks at me like she doesn’t quite know how to handle what I’m saying. She looks toward the door and back to me, crossing her arms and sighing loudly before she says, “Stetson, you’re not my type.”

Ouch. “Ouch,” I say aloud, rubbing my chest as if she struck me. I’m kidding…mostly. “You haven’t tried.”

“I don’t need to try. That’s what I’m trying to tell you.”

I let my hands fall to my sides from where they were resting on my belt loops and let out a sigh. Something in me knew that this wasn’t going to happen, that she was very not interested, but this was the Hail Mary, last-ditch effort ask.

“Well.” I twist my neck, scratching at the beard that grows in about three hours after I shave it off. “What is your type?”

She lifts a brow, like I should already know the answer to my own question. “What’s your type?”

I frown. “What? I don’t know. Brown hair, pretty eyes, someone I can dance and talk with.”

“And…” She draws out the word, and I stare at her, confused. Finally, she sighs and takes pity on me. “Female.”

“Um.” I look around the mostly empty road. No one is around us to hear our conversation, but I kind of wish someone was here to clue me in on what we were talking about. “Yes. I guess that is important to me.”

“Me too.”

“You too? You want me to date a girl?”

Annmarie growls, actually growls, and blurts out, “No! I want to date them. Me. I want to date girls. Not boys.” She shakes her head, lightly tapping her hand to her forehead. “I mean, a woman.”

It takes me a moment to let her words sink in, and finally…my mouth forms an o shape, and I snap my fingers. “Oh! Oh, okay. That…” I think that over and start nodding my head. “That actually makes perfect sense.”

She frowns at me. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You didn’t want to date me,” I state boldly.

“Right. And?”

“Well, if I was a woman, you’d be all over this.” I run my hands over my chest, and she glares before shoving me in the chest .

“Shut the hell up, and no I wouldn’t. I have standards.”

“Damn, you’re feisty,” I say, keeping my tone light while I look her over. For a moment, she stands there, arms crossed back over her chest and her gaze roaming up and down the street. Her nerves are clearly on edge. “How come you didn’t just tell me?”

She looks back over at me, biting her lips. “I haven’t told anyone.”

“Oh.” Damn. This was actually…huge. I feel weirdly honored, even if she only told me because I pestered her, that she’s sharing this with me. “Why not?”

Annmarie shrugs. “I don’t know. I’m not ready to, I guess.”

“You know your sisters won’t care,” I say, thinking about Thea, Juniper, and even the other two, Ophelia and Tori, who I don’t know all that well but have met a couple of times. “They love you.”

“I know. It’s just…I need to love me first, you know?”

Her vulnerability in the moment takes me by surprise, and I reach out, pulling her into a tight hug. “Hey, you’ve got me, okay? I won’t tell anyone anything.”

“Thanks, Stets,” she says, returning the hug with more ferocity than I expected. It seems that she’s kept this burden to herself for a long time, and I felt bad for how hard I’ve pushed her in the last year or two.

“I’m your friend, Annmarie. And even if you don’t like me like that, I’m always here for you, you know?”

She pushes away from me and sighs. “Okay, don’t make it weird.”

“I can be your wingman. Find you a hot chick to pursue, talk you up to a blonde bombshell. We got this!” I hold out my hand for a fist bump and she sighs, rolling her eyes before stomping back into the bar.

“You seriously need a girlfriend,” she throws over her shoulder, and I throw my hands out to my sides.

“I know!”

As I follow her inside, though, and make my way to the dart area, I realize how easy it was for me to let go of a crush I’ve had for two years. I realize that maybe it wasn’t her I wanted to date per se, but that she was just always the person there.

That would have probably ended badly anyway, even if I was her type. I glance over at her and smile, willing her to give me one back, and she does, nodding her head and putting faith in me to keep my mouth shut.

A wave of emotion comes over me, and I watch CT hug his wife Dani, my brother and his wife whispering to each other, and while I’m happy Annmarie finally told me the truth, that longing that I’ve felt for a partner all these years is still going strong.