Page 47 of Smokin' Situation

Tripp and I spent a few hours this afternoon at the fairgrounds, walking the horses who’d stayed there overnight and then feeding them before we left. Seraphina seemed relieved to see him, and he showered her with attention, brushing out her beautiful brownish gray speckled coat in the time it’d taken me to brush out three other horses.

The big softie had even hidden apple slices in his pocket when we left the cabin that she had gone feral over. We’d almost needed another shower after we were done since the barn was hot in theearly July weather, but we’d settled for wiping off in the bathroom before we went into town to find me something to wear.

He’d been a good sport, dutifully sitting in a chair outside the dressing room of the lone dress shop in downtown Sage Springs. The small mountain town had been half deserted, the typical bustling tourist presence missing, but at least there was still a town standing. It was going to take months for a lot of these businesses to recover from the loss of tourist income, and with having limited hours, I knew the bar would be no exception. I only hoped that Hudson could keep on the new bartender, because with him gone more often, I was dangerously close to burning myself out.

I wondered how things were over in Butterfly Ridge, but since there wasn’t an easy way to get there until the roads reopened, it wasn’t like I could check.

Jayden’s impending return had been weighing on me, but I was almost relieved he wasn’t due home for a few more days because I wasn’t sure how to talk to him about the changes that’d happened in his absence. It wasn’t like he had a way to contact me at this point because the phone store had been closed when we got into town and wouldn’t reopen until after the holiday in a few days.

Even if I had his number memorized, there was no way I was using Tripp’s phone to contact him, because that would be crossing way too many lines. My new beau may have been understanding that I was casually involved with someone else when we met, but I doubted he’d be so understanding of me texting him on his phone.

“You better keep those legs crossed, sweetheart, because otherwise Baker is going to get an eyeful of those luscious thighs and I’m going to have to murder my new friend.”

Giggling, I wiggled my eyebrows, crossing my legs at my ankles as my hands slid over the fresh fabric covering my thighs. The dress was long and dark blue with a large floral print. Tripp had urged me, once again, to ditch my panties because of the sexy slit that went halfway up one thigh. I’d quietly protested, but he spun me around the dress shop until we were both laughing to show that our secret would be safe.

The salesclerk—someone I’d recognized as a regular at the bar—had looked on, amused by our antics. While she’d smiled at our interaction, I was sure the gossip would run wild. The new in town, sexy and brooding firefighter who’d taken up residence at a local horse ranch shopping for a sexy dress with the elusive bartender was bound to be in text message threads across town before the week was over.

Though I still had my purse and generous tips from the festival, Tripp had insisted on paying. He wouldn’t guarantee the condition of my new dress would be intact by the end of the night.

Such a gentleman.

“You realize he won’t be looking at me, right?”

He eyed me again, shaking his head. “He’s gonna have to look past you to see Reese, so I’m not taking any chances.”

And I suddenly regretted telling my sister I’d try to be her buffer from Baker tonight.

The truck door opened to my left, my sister’s scowling face meeting mine before she huffed and reached for the handle above the doorway to hoist herself into the large pickup truck.

Climbing into the ranch truck earlier, I’d been a little melancholy, knowing my truck was totaled where we’d left it, and probably a burned out husk of what it had once been. It’d been my first big purchase as an adult, and even though it was used when I got it, and over a decade old, I’d still loved it.

“Hurry and go before he gets down here,” Reese growled, yanking her seatbelt over her chest. She looked much different than she had the last time I’d seen her a few days ago.

“Nice to see you too, sis,” I teased, grasping her hand. She was wearing a skin-tight white dress with a neckline much lower than I was used to seeing on her. It wasn’t a dress I recognized, but that made sense since all her belongings would have been in the house we just lost.

“I’m sorry, Annie,” she huffed, squeezing my hand back, but leaning her head against my shoulder. “I’m just…overwhelmed.”

Tell meabout it.

Tripp quietly watched our interaction, shooting me a wink when I met his eyes in the mirror.

A loud thump on the hood of the truck startled all of us and I laughed, watching Baker smack his hands on the metal and then flip us off with both hands when we were looking in his direction.

“I hate him,” Reese hissed, glaring at her savior out the windshield.

“Dude,” Tripp scolded when Baker opened the rear passenger door on my other side. “What the fuck? This isn’t even my truck, and I’d prefer to not have to explain to my boss how the town dumbass scratched the hood because he can’t behave himself.”

Baker laughed, tipping his head at me and flashing me a wink before he removed his cowboy hat and slid into the seat beside me. “Ann, beautiful as always.”

“Don’t hit on my girlfr—” Tripp’s voice broke off and Baker made a loud whoop noise.

“Woo, cowboy has got himself a girlfriend,” he teased, reaching past me to smack Tripp on the shoulder. He winced, and I wanted to scold Baker for not being considerate of the fact Tripp still had lingering pain from his burns, but I also knew he wouldn’t want me to bring unnecessary attention to him. I wasn’t sure if Tripp even knew he flinched when someone touched the shoulder where his skin grafts were. “Whatever will all the single ladies do when they find out you’re off the market so soon?”

“I’m sure Slutty McSlutterson over there would be happy to console them,” Reese grumbled under her breath, and I turned in her direction.

Even though she was quiet, Baker knew she was talking about him. “What was that Reese’s pieces?”

“Don’t call me that,” she hissed, clearly still hating the childish nickname that’d once followed her around.

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