Page 17 of 15 Summers Later

“I’ll take that one. You can go for the taller one who looks like Austin Butler.”

“Eh. I don’t know.”

Nicole frowned and sipped at her drink. “It’s already the second Friday in June. Before you know it, the season will be over.”

She rolled her eyes. “It’s barely even summer. We still have snow in some of the higher elevations.”

“I know, but you know how short the season is.”

Since returning to Emerald Creek after she finished school as a veterinary technician and Nicole earned her nursing degree, she and Nic had fallen into a comfortable pattern. In the winter, they each tended to date ski instructors or ski patrol guys, who were only there for a few months until the weather warmed again. In the summer, they went for the guys who spent those warm months guiding fishing excursions or river rafting expeditions in the area.

Neither of them was interested in anything serious at this stage in their lives. The guys certainly didn’t seem to mind. At the end of each season, it was easy for them to say goodbye when they inevitably moved away again, on to their next adrenaline fix.

Madi hadn’t dated anybody for nearly a year. Over the winter, she had been too busy working through all the details of the animal rescue to devote much energy to anything else, much to Nic’s frustration.

Madi had promised her friend she would put in more effort during the summer. She didn’t want to admit it to Nic, but casual dating sometimes seemed like so much work, trying to be bright and funny and attractive all the time. These days she was finding she would much rather expend her energy toward working on the sanctuary’s social media presence or writing another grant.

“I’m going to go talk to them.” Nic smoothed a hand over her hair, checked out her own reflection in the mirror above the bar and headed in the direction of the two guys.

They looked pleased to talk to her. Why wouldn’t they be? Nicole was gorgeous. She was tall, slender, with the same wavy dark hair and blue eyes as her brother. She certainly didn’t have a mouth that only smiled halfway or a curled hand or a stammer that sometimes came out of nowhere.

“What are you doing here by yourself?”

She turned her attention away from the stage, ready to rebuff some overeager cowboy, and was shocked to find Luke sliding across from her, a froth-topped beer in his hand.

“Enjoying the music.” She raised her voice slightly to be heard. “I have to say, I’m surprised to see you. I never expected you to really come out with us.”

He shrugged. “I enjoy live music as much as the next guy. Also, I believe I was ordered to come so I can be your designated driver.”

“I was teasing. I usually only have one drink over three hours. I doubt that will leave me too impaired to drive.”

“You never know. You’re small enough that even a tiny amount of alcohol probably hits you harder than two or three would for me.”

“Possibly.”

She never considered herself small in stature, but she supposed compared to the tall Gentry siblings, she was a shrimp.

The band switched to one of her favorites, a ballad that had been their first single release and had gone on to hit the local charts.

The song always struck a chord with her, about lost innocence and misplaced trust. While the song was about a romantic relationship, for some reason it made her think of her father, which always made her throat feel tight and her eyes burn.

“Want to dance?” Luke asked.

The question came completely out of the blue. To her startled dismay, she felt her cheeks heat and was grateful for the dim lighting inside the Burning Tree.

Why would she have such a reaction? Luke was her friend. She had known him for more than a decade and was close to everyone in his family, including his daughter.

Yes, he was technically her boss but only for a few more weeks. Luke had never really felt like her boss anyway, more like a friend she was lucky enough to work with. Even at the clinic, theirs had always been more of a brother-sister relationship.

Maybe that was why the idea of dancing with him seemed...odd.

That was silly. They could certainly dance to one song together without things getting weird. Right?

“Sure,” she said, rising before she could overthink things. “I would love to dance.”

He looked surprised, as if he hadn’t expected her to agree, but rose as well and held out his hand to her. After a moment’s hesitation, she took it.

His skin was warm, his hand strong in hers. He smelled of leather and rain-drenched pine needles.

---