Page 19 of Drive Me Wilde

I laugh. "That's possibly the craziest and smartest thing I've ever heard. Won't people see that zit when you post the pictures?"

"That is why you must promise to only take pictures from the left," she says matter-of-factly. "By the way, you can use my alternative phrase method when discussing the B spot on the back of your head. Just call it a hair-free zone. Then you'll never have to cop to being bald."

"First of all—there is no bald spot."

"Sure, if you say so." She sits forward and presses her hands against the dash. "Look! Nate's here. I have to get some selfies with him. My friends get so jealous when they see I've been hanging out with Uncle Nate."

"That's right. I forgot about the Nate fan club." At twenty-seven, Nate is the baby of the family, and he's probably more on top of shit than the rest of us. Sometimes, Zander and I were more of a parent to him than Dad. Nate's mom, Stevie, stuck around longer than the rest of our mom's mostly because Dad was already slowing down from age and health issues. A bad heart and joint problems kept him from sleeping around with other women. Stevie was twenty years younger than Dad, and she was the closest thing to a real mom the rest of us had. But even she got sick of Dad and his household of out-of-control sons. Dad could be charming and funny, but he could also be a first-class asshole. He married four women, and each one loved him in their own way. They also learned how easy it was to hate him.

"The twins are back," Rio says excitedly. She's still clutching the dash and leaning forward to see. The brim of her cowboy hat taps the front windshield every time we hit a bump. Chunks of mud fly through the air as Ronan and Colin race around the arena on Cooper and Archer, two of Dad's quarter horses. Rio sits back with a satisfied sigh. "All my uncles are here. Yay! Andrea is going to be so jealous. She likes Ronan."

I pull the truck up next to Nate's motorcycle. "I thought she liked Nate," I say. I'm amazed at how easily I can get sucked into the gossip world of a twelve-year-old.

Rio shakes her head letting me know how pathetically bad I am at keeping up with all this. A loud huff follows. "Olivia and Bella like Nate. Andrea likes Ronan." She taps her chin. "Or is it Colin that she likes?"

"Aha," I say triumphantly. "So, it's not just me."

Rio rolls her eyes. "Give yourself a blue ribbon," she mutters before jumping out of the truck and racing for the barn.

Nate's sitting on the pipe rails of the arena watching them ride. His long hair drives Dad nuts, which is probably why he keeps it long, that and because he's the lead singer in a popular local band and his flock of groupies would probably light themselves on fire if he cut it. He waves at me, and I head across to the arena.

The morning fog has burned off, and a blue sky is trying its hardest to break through the mist. It seems the rain is behind us for a while. Thinking about rain reminds me of the night before when I opened the door, and Indiana fell into my arms, wet and exhausted. For a few hours last night, I had her to myself, and it was as if she never left. Everything about her was familiar, and I realized, as hard as I tried, I never got Indi Nash out of my soul.

She left the house angry, not unusual for Indi when it came to being around me. All morning, I kept telling myself that it was a good thing she's not staying long. Just haven't convinced myself that it's true yet. I can't believe how much of my life has been taken up thinking about one girl. Woman actually. Indi is hotter now, and I didn't think that was possible.

"Hey, Jameson," Nate says from his perch.

I lean against the railing and join him.

"You coming to the Gold Rush tonight?" Nate asks. "We're playing a few sets. Harry had a band cancel, and he was in a pinch, so I told him we'd do it."

"A night out sounds good, but not sure if I can make it."

We both watch Ronan and Colin chasing each other on horses, trying to knock each other's hats off. Ronan finally takes too big of a swipe and launches himself right out of the saddle. He hits the ground with a thud.

"Fuck," he grunts. Lucky for him, Cooper is an easy-going horse. The animal takes a few steps away from the fallen rider and drops his head to see if there's anything to munch in the arena. Colin is laughing his ass off by the time he swings Archer's head around. Nate hops off, walks to Ronan and offers his hand. Ronan is just getting the wind back into his lungs. He moans in pain as Nate pulls him to his feet.

Colin rides up to where I'm standing. "Please tell me you got that on camera."

I peer up at him. The sun is high enough now that I have to squint. "When was the last time you saw me taking a video?"

"That's right. I forgot you hate phones."

"Just hate having to answer them because it's hardly ever anyone I want to talk to. How was Ireland? How's your mom?"

"She's got some new guy. He drank both Ro and me under the fucking table. He's all right but kind of a clown. Mom seems happy." He looks past me. "Where's your mini-sidekick?"

I lean my head toward the barn. "I assume she's helping Zander saddle Irish for a riding lesson."

Colin takes off his sunglasses. His face is still shaded by the cowboy hat. "So, I hear a certain someone is back in town." Zander is the only person whoreallyknows how I feel about Indi, but Zander also has a big mouth. Not that he's into gossip or any of that crap, but he has a big mouth regardless.

"How'd you find that out? Never mind, I forgot how fast news travels in this town. Yes, Indiana showed up in Rockhurst yesterday, and she'll probably be gone before any of you see her."

"Too bad. Is she still hot?"

I look up at him. "What do you think? I think I'll see what's taking them so long."

"Uh oh, I hit a sore spot," Colin calls to me as I walk away. I respond with my middle finger.

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