Page 24 of Wrangled and Tangled (Raven Peak Ranch #1)

M awmaw’s got Heath on dish duty while Briar laughs and corrects his washing abilities. He blows suds at her, and Mawmaw yells at them both not to ruin her kitchen floor that I just finished sweeping a few minutes ago.

The two of them laugh, and Heath gets back to his mediocre washing while Briar walks over, rubbing her belly.

“I haven’t felt this fat and sassy in a while,” she groans.

“Might-a been that second scoop of ice cream,” I chuckle, poking her arm.

“Mawmaw’s ice cream is irresistible, I don’t know how you do it!” Her words reach across the kitchen because Heath whips around, dropping water and suds galore on the floor.

“I done told y’all not to mess up my floors,” she hollers, throwing her hands up in the air and grabbing dish towels.

“I’m sorry, Maxine, and yeah! How could you not have any?” The way he asks sounds like he’s personally offended.

Laughing even harder, Lucy helps me out from the front porch, shouting, “When you grow up eatin’ so much of something, sometimes it just makes you queasy.”

Nodding my head toward the screen door where she’s been listening, I smirk. “It doesn’t hurt that Loo and I used to sneak spoonfuls at a time without her knowin’.”

“Pfft, you two still think I never knew?” Mawmaw slaps the towel from her shoulder to her knee. “A mother always knows.”

She taps the tip of her nose, and pulls the towel through the loop near her stove. That’s where her towel always sits. If it’s ever missing from her kitchen, I know something's wrong.

“On that note, I’m gonna take my full belly to bed,” she winks and walks off, stopping under the stairs. “And Briar honey, you’re gonna be stayin’ in your daddy’s old room for a while, alright?”

I was going to tell Briar once I had her alone about Heath staying with me until this is all figured out, but Mawmaw beat me to it.

“Why?” Briar asks, looking around the room. “I want to stay at home. It’s not like Dad’s never had a friend…”

She stops mid sentence and I can see it the moment everything clicks for her. Her mouth drops open, and she points at me, then Heath.

“You’re… You two…? Oh… OH!” Her eyes widen, and I worry she might explode.

“That’s enough of that,” wrapping her up in my arms, I walk her out to the porch where Lucy’s snickering behind her glass of whatever she’s drinking instead of dessert. “Not helpful...” I grumble at my sister, though I’m happy to see her in a good mood.

When I’ve safely gotten her out of earshot, Briar whirls with one of the biggest smiles on her face I think I’ve ever seen. “You and Heath Macabe?” Her squeals echo into the night and I hang my head.

“I’m not answering that.” Chastising her does nothing to dim her wide lips. “He needs someone the sheriff trusts to keep an eye on him. That’s. All.”

Popping her hip out she plants her hand there and says, “So the condom Thelma just happened to pull out of your trash was from… what?”

“Briar,” I start because I do not want to have this conversation with her. “Boundaries.”

“So you hooked up with him but you’re not interested in more.”

Rubbing my hand across the back of my neck, I massage the tense muscles there and nod.

“Why not?”

“Because, he’s a rodeo champion, he’s engaged–”

“Fake engaged!” She snaps with more enthusiasm than a fifteen-year-old should have about her father’s possible dating life.

Choosing to ignore her protests about the fake engagement , I continue, “And he’s a murder suspect, I think he’s got enough on his plate right now, and I certainly don’t want him around you. At least… Not until he is cleared by the police.”

“But you like him?” She sing-songs, waggling her brows.

I do. Despite all the reasons I’ve told myself not to. My eyes travel to the screen door where Heath’s leaning against it, arms crossed, looking at Lucy.

“You so like him,” Briar smarts and runs back to the porch.

And I don’t know what it is she says to him, but the smile he throws my way makes me wish I did.

Briar’s passed out on the swing not long after I joined Lucy and Heath on the porch. Her soft puffs of breath move her hair every time she exhales.

“I’m sorry,” Lucy says, waving a hand in front of her chest. “I’m having a hard time with all of this information.”

Heath’s eyes are soft as he looks at my sister. Telling her what he told me was hard for her to hear, I’m sure, and Heath doesn’t look like it was a cakewalk for him either.

“I believe you,” she clarifies, “it’s only–God, that asshole. How could he be such a monster and smile at me like I was the sun to his moon?”

“I can’t imagine all of the thoughts and scenarios you’ve put yourself through,” Heath says. “Sometimes people like Levi fool us all.”

She huffs with a sarcastic chuckle, “I’ll need to add that one to the list.”

“You’re not a fool, Loo,” I interject, “You were in love. Sometimes we choose to ignore things in hopes they go away.”

Shaking her head, she stands, lifting the empty whiskey bottle and scowling.

“I guess that’s my cue for bedtime,” she grumbles as she walks past Heath. “Goodnight, love birds.”

Closing my eyes and smashing my lips together, I force myself to pretend she didn’t call us that.