Page 19 of Fool Me

I ignore Canyon, and he’s smug as fuck, enjoying the hell out my discomfort. Most of the meal is filled with him talking about himself, but as soon as I finish, I stand, holding out a hand to clear my mom’s plate, and take it to the sink, where I become overly interested in hand-washing the dishes.

I don’t stick around for dessert—even though my mom tries to tempt me with her peach cobbler—blaming a headache, which is certain to become a reality if I stick around.

Taking the long way home, I drive past Hey Jude, the local bar that’s been around for nearly as long as the town. It’s not the bar, but the baby blue International Harvester Scout that catches my eye, the same one I’ve seen parked outside my clinic.

If there’s one person in this town who seems to dislike my brother as much as me, it’s Harlowe Corbin. And there’s truth to the saying: misery loves company.

Giving into my impulses, I pull into an open parking spot.

The bar is only half full when I walk in, but even if it was packed, Harlowe would be easy to spot in the crowd.

CHAPTER

SEVEN

HARLOWE

Girls’ night did little to take my mind off finding out Canyon was coming back. Other than my dad, I haven’t told a soul. And, listen, I know tonight would have been the perfect opportunity, but I’m not ready to answer questions about how it makes me feel. Not when the girls will see straight through my bullshit about being fine.

The four of them know me as well as my childhood best friend, Vivienne. While she’s living her very best life with her fiancé, a former pro baseball player, his daughter, and their newborn son in Denver, they’re here, ready to sniff out my lies. Somehow, all of this makes me miss her more. There’s a difference between friends you met as a full-blown adult and someone who’s helped you pick rocks out of your skinned knee. Although, none of that makes me any less lucky to have found my people in Timberline Peak.

Between us, we’ve got a flight nurse, Aspen, who’s smart, brave, and emotionally intelligent. She knows what I’m thinking without me having to say a word. She and Briar grew up here, along with Tessa.

Those two are possibly the most thoughtful people I’ve ever met. Where Briar is soft, Tessa is gritty. They’re the kinds offriends that show up with coffee when your day sucks, or flowers to celebrate a milestone that would go unnoticed by most people.

Sloane is witty as hell, and while she keeps a close guard on her past, she’s got no shortage of loyalty. If someone is going to throw down for another member of our little quintet, it would undoubtedly be her. She’s also the youngest of the five of us, but you’d never know it.

Before the avalanche, I was only close with Aspen and Briar. But now, all of us are knitted together by fate, circumstance, and a fifty-fifty split on our love of pickles. It’s a weave too tight to be undone. All four of them rallied around me in their own way over the last two years.

Tessa used her platform as a professional snowboarder to help raise money to cover medical bills while workers’ compensation did its thing, taking forever to be approved and not covering every expense.

Aspen was my near-constant sounding board for medical decisions, and kept me from the brink of a breakdown when I was tired and overwhelmed more times than I could count.

Briar brightened bleak days with thoughtful cards, weekly flowers for my dad’s room, and a never-ending stream of text messages to see what we needed long after others had stopped checking in.

And Sloane became my outlet for the anger I tried so damn hard to hide from my dad—letting me vent to her, and taking me to the gym to work out my feelings when Aspen’s logic or Briar’s positivity wasn’t what I needed. She let me live in the darkness.

It’s because of all this I know they would wholeheartedly support any feelings I might have as a result of Canyon coming back. Hell, we have a shovel and tarp policy. Say the word and we’ll show up for each other, no questions asked. Digging a Canyon-sized hole has crossed my mind, but I’m not readyto talk about it all. Not yet. I’m still trying to pretend it’s not happening.

I’m about to close out my tab and leave when I see a stupidly handsome, familiar face with a pair of golden brown eyes sweeping the bar. It’s a shame the new vet in town makes me weak in the knees, because, while my body knows what it thinks of him, my brain can’t make heads or tails of him now that I know his last name is Kane.

Yesterday I was pissed. Today, I realize that most of that anger was misplaced.

Atlas has traded the dark green scrubs he wore in the clinic for a pair of faded blue jeans and a white T-shirt that hugs his chest, while his biceps test the limit of the cotton’s resilience. Tonight, he looks less like the polished vet from the city and every bit the man who grew up here—right down to the squared toes of his scuffed boots.

His gaze finds me across the dark and musty bar. Heat zips through me when our eyes meet. His normally relaxed presence is nowhere to be found. Somehow, he looks darker, more dangerous. Maybe it’s my subconscious warning me away because of who he is, but I can’t help but think there’s more to it than that.

His long legs eat up the space between us and I find myself wishing the girls hadn’t left. Being in his line of sight is unsettling now that I’m having a hard time reconciling the tender version of Atlas who treated Echo, and the knowledge that he’s Canyon’s brother.

Having the girls as backup would give me a much needed excuse not to talk to Atlas, but they’re long gone. I had every intention of being right behind them, but Marcy had stopped over to say hi and here we are.

Without asking, Atlas snags the barstool next to mine. That ominous look is still clouding his expression when Jude, the owner, comes over.

“Atlas Kane. I heard you were back. What can I grab you?

“Bourbon, neat.”

Jude slides the glass across the bar to Atlas, pouring the amber liquor without another word. I’m stuck to the bar stool, knowing I should leave but unable to move as I watch the veins in his arms pop as he wraps his palm around the glass.

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