Page 11 of A Cowboy's Bride
Petra spenta wonderful day with her brother and sister-in-law. They wandered all over Red Boot ranch, checked all the animals and the venues for both weddings and the dude ranch.
She hung her arms over the railing and stared at the teeny white colt standing under foot with his mama. She took a quick picture and posted it to the Sorenson family chat group their father had set up years ago.
Petra: Photo proof that I’m here at Red Boot ranch. This place is amazing, and spending time with Julia is so much fun. Oh, and Zach. He’s okay too. I guess.
“It really is beautiful here,” she said to Zach as she tucked her phone away. She glanced over as he leaned lazily on the fence beside her. She smiled to discover his gaze was fixed on Julia where she stood across the yard chatting with some of the hands. “I’m very happy for you, big brother. Not only about your new home, but the people and your wife. Julia is perfect for you.”
Her brother grinned, gaze remaining on Julia. “She is pretty perfect, and I’m very happy.” He turned his attention to Petra. “I’d be happier if you’d let me go beat the shit out of your ex, but since I know you’re far too good of a person to allow that, let’s focus on making you at home here in Heart Falls.”
Ugh. “Are we going to have that conversation already?”
Zach shrugged. “I don’t like that he made you cry.”
Petra twisted and leaned her elbows on the rail behind her, staring toward the Rocky Mountains in the distance. Patches were bright yellow where larch trees were reacting to the dropping fall temperatures. Snow would be coming soon, but right now everything was on the cusp between warm and cold.
It was a good place and a good time to make a fresh start, she decided.
She met her brother’s gaze. “Curtis wasn’t who I thought he was. Which is mostly on him for being a jerk but partly on me for not seeing it sooner. It’s up to me to move on, and that’s going to be far easier to do here in Heart Falls than back in Manitoba, where everywhere I go, someone will want to know the details of why we broke up.”
“Some people here in Heart Falls knew you were seeing someone,” Zach pointed out, cringing a little. “Maybe more than a few? I’m sorry, but I like to talk about good things.”
“And for a while it was a good thing,” Petra assured him. “I get it. It’ll still be easier to say we broke up when they don’t know him.”
Anger flashed in Zach’s eyes again. “I know you don’t want his knees broken or anything, but I’m more than willing to find a way to hit him in the pocketbook. I have the resources,” her brother assured her.
Petra kept her expression blank. What Zach didn’t know was she had some skills in that area as well. The temptation to use her recently honed hacking skills to hijack her ex’s finances was a hard battle, but so far she had won.
Telling Zach about her illegal side gig was out of the question. Instead, she offered him her full attention. “With your contacts, you could probably go in and mess with his investments from now to eternity. If I ever feel particularly vindictive, I’ll let you know.”
Zach extended his hand. “Deal.”
She used his hand to pull him into a tight hug. “Thanks for finding me a job.”
He ruffled her hair, pointing a hand toward their office building. “As if you needed my help. You could walk into any place in any town and get a job dealing with their tech, but I’m glad you’re going to do it for us. My partner is glad you’re going to do it for us.”
Zach’s partner, Finn Marlette, hated computers, which always struck Petra as funny in this day and age.
She briefly wondered what Aiden’s job was and where he sat on the technology scale.
Like every other time her thoughts had drifted toward Aiden that day, she found herself smiling. They had an evening picnic date planned for two nights from now. She still wasn’t sure if she was comfortable bringing him back afterwards to the small cottage she’d been loaned at Red Boot ranch. It seemed too soon, even though everything in her was craving the mindless physical release of some truly spectacular sex.
If she were being honest, it was probably too soon for herbig brotherto deal with. The last thing she needed was Zach going overprotective, both for her and Aiden’s sakes.
The question was still on her mind when she got together with Tansy and Sydney the following night.
Tansy had hot wings in the air fryer, Sydney had made a salad, and Petra’s contribution had been to stop at the grocery store and buy three liters of ice cream plus chocolate and marshmallow sauce.
She didn’t tell her friends that she was so distracted she’d gone back to her truck twice to grab her shopping bags.
Sydney took the treats from her with an appreciative nod. “All four food groups are represented. We’re set.”
Tansy considered. “Vegetables, protein, dairy…?”
“Oh please, nothing so proper as that.” Sydney gestured around them. “Wings. Salad, a.k.a. the illusion of something healthy. Plus ice cream, and of course this.”
She pulled out a bottle of tequila.
Hell, no. Petra raised her hands in protest. “The last time we drank tequila, I felt it for a full week.”
