Excerpt
I should tell Quinn and Clay that he’s
here. But one look at him and it’s like the last ten years have never passed
and I’m back at the bonfire, the awkward high schooler uncomfortable in her own
skin. Marching away from him in the woods. It was the last time I saw him. How
is it possible that he can affect me this much after all this time?
He hasn’t noticed me, not with his head
bowed, so I quickly turn around and focus on Pastor John as he finishes up his
prayer. Him being here means nothing. I should be happy that I remember the
pain from that night so well, it will make keeping my walls up around him so
much easier.
“On behalf of the Davis family, I want to
thank everyone for coming today. At this time, the family has asked for some
time alone as they say their good-byes. They wanted me to remind everyone that
the PieHole will be opening up for a few hours tonight starting at five for
anyone that wishes to join them.”
I keep my arm around Quinn, not looking
back to where I saw Maverick. I can hear the church slowly emptying and I feel
a frown pull at my lips. I had hoped that when everyone started to leave that
he would have come up front to be with his family, but so far, the pew we’re in
is still empty save for the three of us. We sit and wait for everyone to leave,
something that Clay had asked Pastor John to make arrangements for in place of
the customary recessional, knowing that no one in this town would really mean a
word of it anyway. Plus, I know Quinn is having a hard time. Regardless of the
fact that she wasn’t the closest with her father, she was really counting on this—Maverick
home. She’s still shaking in my arms, but when I look over at Clay I realize
his silence isn’t because of the heaviness of Buford’s death, but instead anger
over his brother’s absence that has started to build to a boil. I fear that
he’s seconds away from tipping over the edge.
I stand when Clay and Quinn do, but hang
back at the edge of the row we had been sitting in as they meet Pastor John and
gather their father’s ashes. I can’t wait to get out of these heels. If it
would have been acceptable to wear my boots, I would have, but Quinn would have
killed me. As it is, I feel like I can’t take a deep breath with how tight my
dress is against my chest. I never wear tight shirts. I haven’t since my boobs
became beasts of their own right. I’m too busy fiddling with the straps of my
dress, trying desperately to get some of the pressure against my chest to ease
up so I could take a deep breath, when I heard Quinn gasp.
“Mav!” Next thing I know she’s running past
where I’m standing, her black hair streaming in the air behind her as she
speeds forward right into her brother’s arms. Clay moves to stand next to me
and I look up to meet his green eyes, the questions he isn’t vocalizing dancing
in their emerald depths. He’s not stupid and I’m doing a crappy job at hiding
the memories haunting me right now. He gives me a small smile, shifting his
hold on the urn to wrap his free arm around me and pulls me into a strong hold.
“You’re shakin’,” he says against my temple
and I just nod.
“I’m good, Clay. Go see your brother.”
“I’m fine right where I am, sugar.”
I keep my eyes to the ground, focusing on
his worn boots instead of looking up, hating myself for making this moment
about me when I should be focused on them. Like it or not, I can’t fight the
feelings that being near him bring me. I’m that stupid, naive sixteen-year-old
all over again. “Let’s get out of here,” he says after a few silent seconds. I
look up and give him a smile, hoping that it looks a hell of a lot braver than
I feel. Inside I feel like I might puke.
“You
think I could have a second with my family?”
My head shoots up at the coldness I hadn’t
anticipated in Maverick’s voice. He’s not focused on me, though, instead
looking at his brother with a hard expression and one brow raised upward.
“Mav!” Quinn gasps and he moves his
attention from his brother to her.
“Sorry, Quinn, but I’m thinkin’ that Clay’s
lady friend would understand that this should be a moment for our family and
give us time alone.”
“I’ll just—”
“Don’t you dare finish that sentence,
sugar,” Clay all but spits through clenched teeth and drops his arm to take a
step forward. “You’ve got something to say, Mav, then say it.”
“Nothing to say, Clayton, I just think it
would be nice for your girlfriend to give us some space.”
“My girlfriend,” he parrots sarcastically,
his deep voice vibrating in anger.
“Mav.” Quinn attempts to butt in, but stops
when Maverick leaves her side and turns to stalk out of the church. I should
find it comical that he obviously didn’t recognize me, or hell, maybe he did
and he’s just picking up where he left off ten years ago in the middle of the
dark woods. I take a deep breath. “It’s okay. He’s right. Y’all need some time
as a family. I’ll head over to the PieHole and start settin’ up for tonight.”
Quinn brushes a tear from her cheek and
just shakes her head. I look at Clay to see him staring in the direction that
his brother just left.
“You’re family,” he finally says, not
looking in my direction.
“Clay, really, it’s okay. It’s been a long
time since y’all were back together and I don’t need to be there for that
reunion. It sucks that it takes all of this to finally bring him home, but he’s
here and y’all need to make up for a lot of time lost.”
“Shut up, Leighton.”
“Don’t, Clay.”
“Don’t what? You’ve got every right to be
here. You’re just as much a part of our family as he is. Hell, maybe even more
so than he is at this point. So just shut up, come with us, and ignore him.”
I shake my head, the fight instantly
leaving my sails, knowing I would be arguing until the end of time if I pressed this issue.
“I can’t believe he doesn’t even recognize
you,” Quinn whispers.
I can never get tired of a good ol' cowboy love story. There's something about the rugged cowboy hero that just turns my insides to jelly. Maverick Davis is just that and a slice of pie. He's got issues and one of hell of a past that makes him a very intriguing. There's a lot of brooding that's going on, of course, that adds to his dark and mysterious character. His off-the-charts chemistry with Leighton is thrown in your face from the get-go. Between flashbacks of when they were teens to how things are between the two in the present, we're served with a lot of steamy scenes and a lot of highly-charged emotions. Leighton was literally his girl-next-door, the one he secretly pined for but loved enough to let go and "set free". She never knew why he left, though, so she was in over her head with hurt. She tried to move on and did a pretty decent job, or so she thought, until Mav moves back home a decade later. The story of Maverick and Leighton's second chance is a nice one, the story flows nicely and the writing is decent and easy to get through. The only reason for the 3 instead of 4 stars is because I felt that Mav "won" Leighton back way too easily. I get that she never got over him and vice versa but damn...if I were in her shoes, there'd be a hell of a lot more fight on my part and a whole lot more grovelling on his part! Aside from the lack of conflict, the story was enjoyable and a great start to the series!
About the Author
Harper is a NEW YORK TIMES, WALL STREET JOURNAL and USA TODAY bestselling author residing in Georgia with her husband and three daughters. She has a borderline unhealthy obsession with books, hibachi, tattoos and Game of Thrones. When she isn't writing you can almost always find her with a book in hand.
