Page 27 of Fool Me

“Okay, other than the great-sex clause, is there anything else we need to add to the break-up agreement?”

“Nope.”

“I think we have a plan.”

“I think we do. Shall we shake on it?”

Kissing on it sounds better, but after my sex tangent, that feels dangerous. Nevermind, there’s no plausible reason to kiss her, considering we’re alone on the riverbank, other than the fact that she looks really damn kissable.

She was right about the chemistry, at least we won’t have to fake that part.

CHAPTER

NINE

HARLOWE

Phase one of getting the town to believe Atlas and I are together started on Sunday morning, after coffee, with a walk around the farmer’s market. We strolled hand in hand, letting everyone see us as we got to know each other better. After a mostly uneventful morning, we agreed to set a time for another date on Friday.

We have four weeks before Vivi’s and Xavier’s vineyard wedding in California. That means at least four more public dates here, where we can be seen together, before people think he’s whisking me away for a romantic weekend at the vineyard celebrating my friends. Or at least, I hope that is the conclusion they come to if we sell this fake relationship.

But before I worry about our first date tonight, or fake falling in love with the town’s new vet, I have to get through the monthly SAR team meeting that’s happening in under an hour.

With each meeting comes mandated training to ensure the team is sharp and prepared for all the scenarios the Wyoming wilderness can throw at us. Today is ropes training. I’ve got a pair of tactical pants and a tank top on, with my hair braided, so it’s easy to deal with the helmets later.

There’s a pit where my stomach should be.

We all know Travis’s retirement is coming, and with Canyon back in town, the ground beneath my feet feels unsteady, shifting, like it could crumble away and send me careening down a cliff.

My stomach stays in knots on the fifteen minute drive to the SAR Headquarters we affectionately call “The Shed.” We’ll start our day there and go over the plan for training, before we head out to Outlaw Falls to do ropes training.

I switch the radio over to my phone and start one of my dad’s more mellow playlists. By the time I pull into the parking lot, I’m feeling less tense. That is, until I almost run into Canyon coming out of Travis’s office. I put my hands up to stop the collision and my palms press against his chest. I quickly pull them back, but I can’t help but notice he’s not as thick or solid as his brother. Where Canyon is leaner, more wiry—built like a distance runner—Atlas is more well-defined with a bit more heft to him.

Without his brother here, there’s no buffer, no one to whisk me away or put themselves between Canyon and me. Atlas got me out of the bar so fast I didn’t have time to think about seeing my ex again, let alone talk to him.

Today, I’m alone and unprepared to see him. Finding him here feels like an invasion of my happy place. My hands clench and my nails dig into my palms. I cannot punch him or I can kiss my promotion goodbye.

“Harlowe,” Canyon says, his lips curling into the smile I used to find charming. Now, that crooked grin makes my skin crawl. It’s not endearing, it’s slimy and fake.

“What are you doing here?” I already know the answer, it’s painted all over his smug face.

“Just catching up with Travis and telling him about the team I was working with out in Montana. I learned a lot that Timberline Peak could benefit from.”

I have to hold back my snarky comments. Reacting emotionally to Canyon in front of my boss isn’t going to do me any favors.

Instead, I poke my head into Travis’s office. “Is my dad here?”

“Yeah, he should be in his office.”

“Thanks, I’m going to go say hi before we get started.”

“I’ll walk with you,” Canyon says, putting a palm on my elbow that I shake off.

“Please don’t,” I grit out.

“I didn’t get a chance to say hello to him before my meeting with Travis.”

I start down the hall, ignoring him—not letting him goad me into looking like the petty one. When we’re out of earshot and he steps up next to me, I hiss, “Just leave me alone. I’m not interested in you or your games.”

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