Page 7 of Tangled Up With You

Tanner tucked his hands into his pockets, his smile going crooked in the most adorable way, showcasing a bright white smile. “I don’t suppose I could get you to be my guide for one of those hikes?”

The sound of Becky clearing her throat from behind me was obnoxiously loud. I cast a quick glance over my shoulder, throwing a glare her way that saidpipe down, womanbefore looking back at the big wall of beefcake. “Sorry, that’s not really my area of expertise. Trust me, you don’t want me as your guide.”

He took a step closer, lowering his voice. “Then maybe you’d just like to go with me,” he suggested, and I silently cursed Connor for ruiningeverything.

“I really appreciate the offer, but things are kind of crazy right now,” I said gently, hating turning down a man who, at least on paper, seemed like an absolute catch. It pissed me off that I couldn’t get my head on straight, even months later. I really needed to get my shit together.

He started walking backward slowly. “I understand. Maybe some other time. You know... when things are a little less crazy.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

I really hoped that happened sooner rather than later.

The Tap Roomwas already busy by the time I arrived there later that evening. I pushed through the door and stepped inside, scanning all the familiar faces in search of my crew. That was one of the things I liked most about living in a small town, you knew most everybody. It could be a pain, especially when you were prone to trouble and trying to hide it from your parents, and the gossip mill worked faster in smaller towns, but mostly, I loved knowing everyone around me. It was a tight-knit community, and I loved being a part of it.

Something caught my attention from the corner of my eye and I turned to see Rae standing at a round high-top table equal distance between the bar and dance floor. Our other friends, Lennix, Holly, and Holly’s sister Sunny, were already there withdrinks as well. Aside from Rae, the rest of us had practically grown up together.

I moved through the crowd, offering smiles and waves and returning hellos to the people I passed along the way.

“You made it,” Rae said happily, pulling me in for a quick hug. “Here, I ordered for you already.”

She slid the blond ale I favored my way and I quickly picked up the glass, taking a much-needed sip. “Appreciate it. I told you I was coming.”

“I know, but you’d usually still be at the lodge right about now,” Lennix added, arching a brow in a silent dare for me to tell her she was wrong.

I narrowed my eyes at her. “You know, you and your grandmother are too damn much alike.”

She smiled proudly. “My mom and dad tell me that same thing all the time.” Of course she would take pride in the fact that she drove her parents to the brink of insanity. That was a shared quality that she and I had bonded over in the past, but she wasn’t supposed to use it against me.

“Well, excuse me for liking my job. I figured you of all people would understand. It’s supposed to be your night off and you came out with your friends toyour own bar.”

She laughed, lifting her beer to her lips and drinking. “All right, point taken. I’ll cut you some slack.”

“Speaking of your job...” Lennix wiggled her brows. “I heard a particularly hot guest asked you out today.”

Damn it, Becky!

“It was nothing,” I insisted.

Lennix shot me a look that said she knew I was full of shit. “Didn’t seem like nothing to grandma. She said he seemed really into you.”

Rae bounced in her seat. “Ooh, was it that guest at the lodge everyone at the ranch is talking about? I only got a brief glimpseof him once, but he wasgorgeous.” She pointed a finger at each of us. “And if any of you tell Zach I said that I’ll lie through my teeth.”

“Isn’t he some kind of athlete?” Holly asked.

“He plays hockey,” I answered before I could stop myself. “And yes, he’s hot, and he asked me out, but it would be totally inappropriate to get involved with a guest.”

Sunny reared back on her chair. “Says who? Is that a rule or something?”

I took a big gulp of my beer. “Well, no. Not technically. But what the hell would I do with a famous hockey player?” I scoffed.

“Oh, I can think of quite a few things,” Sunny said, garnering a laugh from everyone else.

I balled up a napkin and threw it at her. “It doesn’t matter. I already turned him down.”

I hadn’t been able to bring myself to tell my friends about what had happened with Connor. The whole situation was too embarrassing, and I didn’t want to rehash my own stupidity, but I wondered if they’d push so hard for me to date if they knew.

“Then take it back,” Rae insisted, like it made all the sense in the world. “The man didn’t lose interest just because you shot him down once.”

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