Prologue
Parker Leighton sat in her car, hands gripping the steering wheel, staring at the worn building in front of her. It was a Friday night in small town Wyoming, which meant Crazy Pete’s, the only bar in town, was hopping tonight. There had been a steady stream of people going in and out, laughing, chatting, and looking like they were having the time of their lives.
The last thing she wanted to do was go in there. She didn’t have a choice, though, if she didn’t want to hear about it from her sister. Tiffany would never forgive Parker if she drove home like she was longing to do.
Parker shivered despite the warm air blowing from the vents. She loved her sister, but Tiffany wasn’t the problem. Tiffany’s friends were, along with the crippling social anxiety Parker always felt around crowds and people she didn’t know. Her phone dinged and she reluctantly looked at the screen, already knowing who it would be.
Where the hell are you? Get to Pete’s. It’s my bachelorette party!
Parker closed her eyes and sighed before putting her phone in her pocket and reluctantly shoving the car door open. A shiver wracked her body and she pulled her flimsy coat around her body tighter. It was March and still freezing, and Parker had been in California for the past six years, so she wasn’t used to cold like this anymore.
She took a deep breath, wishing more than anything that she was still in warm and sunny San Diego. She hadn’t missed the cold. Really, she hadn’t missed much at all of Eagle Creek since she’d escaped for college.
Chiding herself for stalling even more, Parker made her way through the parking lot and walked inside Pete’s. She froze just inside the doorway. Loud country music was blaring from the jukebox and almost every table and barstool was taken, full of people in various stages of sobriety who were talking and laughing.
She spotted her sister just as Tiffany jumped up and made her way over to where Parker was standing. “What took you so long?” Tiffany shouted to be heard over the noise.
Not bothering to answer Tiffany as she was pulled toward a table in the back, Parker concentrated on her breathing, trying to calm herself down. She spotted Tiffany’s friends at the table, but it was the sight of Hannah and Wendy that made Parker’s blood run cold.
For a moment, she was instantly transported back to high school. Plain Parker. Parker the pig. Parker tried to shut out the memories of the names they’d used to call her, but it was hard.
We’re not in high school anymore. We’re grown women now. It’s going to be okay.
Parker had almost convinced herself of that when she heard Wendy say her name to Hannah, and they both started giggling.
Parker sat down stiffly and accepted the margarita Tiffany shoved her way. She took a cautious sip. She wasn’t a drinker, but maybe tonight she’d embrace it. That might be the only way she’d get through the evening.
An hour later, Parker was on the tipsy side, as relaxed as she could be at Pete’s, and ignoring Tiffany’s friends as much as she was able. She was circling her straw slowly through her second drink, trying to space out, when she heard Wendy gasp.
“It’s him. Tyler MacKeltar is here,” Wendy said, her voice excited.
Parker’s head whipped up and she was unable to stop herself from looking around the room. It took no time at all for her to spot him, standing by the bar. Her breath caught in her throat. Tyler looked different, yet still the same, all at once. He was as tall as she remembered him being, but more muscled and tatted up now. Lord, he was huge. Parker was on the shorter side, and she knew he would dwarf her if they were to stand side by side. He was only wearing a t-shirt, despite the colder weather, and the thin material was clinging to him like a second skin. He had tattoos going down both arms, and she watched as he reached a hand up, his biceps bulging as he ran his fingers through his long sandy brown hair.
She was still staring at him, unable to look away, when she heard Hannah and Wendy sniggering. “Looks like porky Parker still has a crush on Tyler.”
Parker flushed and pulled her gaze away from Tyler, glancing at the girls before looking back at her drink. That was her cue to get out of here. She stood up unsteadily and made her way to where Tiffany was standing by the jukebox, giving her a hug and telling her she was heading back to their parent’s house.
She made her way to the door, unable to keep herself from glancing once more in Tyler’s direction as she passed by him. He was looking right at her, and Parker stumbled as she met his chocolate brown eyes. He shot a hand out, grabbing her arm to steady her, and Parker sucked in a breath as an electric shock moved through her body from the contact.
Unable to meet his gaze, Parker pulled away and rushed for the door. She went outside and moved toward her car, stopping to take deep breaths of the cold air.
He’d touched her. Tyler MacKeltar had touched her.
“Are you okay?”
Parker jumped and shrieked at the deep voice behind her. Whirling around, she stared open mouthed at Tyler. Shutting her mouth when he cocked an eyebrow, she managed to croak out, “I’m alright.”
He studied her for a moment. “You look familiar.”
“I’m Parker. I grew up around here,” Parker replied, unable to believe her voice was coming out relatively steady and she wasn’t stumbling over her words like she usually did.
She shifted uncomfortably when he continued to gaze at her. “Are you leaving? I mean, are you okay to drive? You seemed pretty unsteady on your feet in there,” Tyler finally said.
Parker fought back her blush. “I haven’t had much to drink. I’m just clumsy.”
The corner of Tyler’s mouth kicked up. “Still, maybe you shouldn’t go just yet. Come sit with me for a bit, sober up some more.”
Parker’s breath caught and she forced herself to nod.
What followed was the most amazing night of her life.
They sat and chatted on a bench outside of Pete’s for a while, before her shivers got the best of her, and then they moved to Tyler’s truck. When she told him that she was for sure sober, he hesitated before leaning over in the truck cab, saying he had to kiss her before she left.
He pulled back after kissing her thoroughly, both of their chests heaving, Parker feeling like her whole body was alive and tingling.
And when he told her he wasn’t ready for the night to end and asked her to leave with him, Parker felt herself agreeing. The whole night feeling like a dream.
She left him sleeping in the early morning hours, walking back to Pete’s to get her car. She needed to get some sleep before she had to be up for her sister’s wedding, and then she was flying home right after the reception.
She hadn’t wanted to come home this weekend, hadn’t wanted to go to Pete’s tonight. But she was so glad she had. It really had been the best night of her life.
Chapter One
Tyler MacKeltar glared at his brother Chase. “I have work to do tonight. I don’t have time to go to Pete’s.”
Chase kicked back in his chair and propped his boots on Ty’s desk. “Come on,” he said, ignoring Tyler’s warning growl. “It’s been months since you’ve gone out. All you do is work.”
Ty sighed, exasperated. “Red Moon is doing better, Chase, but that’s because we’ve all been working so hard. We can’t start slacking now.”
“We also don’t need to burn ourselves out any more than we already have, Ty. Come on, let’s go out. Just for a couple hours.”
Ty looked around the office, taking in all of the worn furnishings, the old and scarred desk, the ancient desktop that he’d turned on fifteen minutes ago and was still waiting on to boot up fully. The farm was finally out of the red, and they weren’t in danger of losing it anymore. But they still had a way to go before they were back to where they’d been before their deadbeat asshole dad pissed their livelihood away.
They’d been working twelve to fourteen hour days for years, but they were getting somewhere. Finally. He didn’t want to take a break when they were making progress. Although the last time they’d gone out had done Ty a world of good.