Perfect Secret by Molly McLain

Chapter 2

ALANA

Ihave a bad feeling about this.

It’s been two hours since Marty and Aiden ambushed me at the door with the new guy, but I still can’t shake the feeling that there’s more to this than anyone is telling me.

So I call Emma for the scoop.

“Hey, girl!” she answers on the third ring and the line is immediately filled with loud country music and laughter. “I’m at the bar right now. Can’t talk unless you want to come down and have a drink with me.”

“Ugh, that would require getting dressed.” My stomach has settled from earlier, and while a drink doesn’t really appeal, a greasy bar cheeseburger does. “I am hungry though.”

“Well, get your butt down here and I’ll feed you. Extra fries and all.”

My belly growls and I smile. “Girl, you know the way to my heart. I’ll see you in a half hour.”

“I’ll save you a barstool!” she sings and hangs up.

I spend the next few minutes making myself presentable in the bathroom, all the while eyeing the door that I’m begrudgingly going to have to unlock when I’m done.

Who the heck is this guy, anyway? And why is he really here? It matters little that Aiden and Marty are willing to back his credibility, because I’ve known them both long enough to know their judgment isn’t always as up to par as they’d like to think.

The only solace I have at the moment is that this guy—Holden, I think he said his name was—didn’t look like the punk kid I was expecting. And he didn’t look like a strung out wanderer, either.

But just because he looks like the kind of small-town guy I see in the store and around town on a regular basis doesn’t mean that’s what he is. I’ve been fooled by wolves in sheep’s clothing before.

Yet, I don’t really have a choice but to give him a chance. With my bathroom, that is. I definitely don’t plan to get to know him. In fact, I plan to do everything I can to avoid him and hope these next few weeks go by quickly.

Sighing, I flip the lock on the door between the bathroom and the hall and head downtown to Pony Up.

“Alana Banana!” Emma calls from behind the bar when she spots me. A few locals turn my way as well, raising their mugs in greeting. By the time I claim the seat Emma has saved for me at the far end of the bar, she’s already setting a can of Diet Dr. Pepper and a glass of ice in front of me. “From Jessie and Doc.”

“Aww.” I scan the bar and find them sitting at a booth with their son Parker. Jessie is a couple years older than me and, while we used to be close, our friendship isn’t what it used to be. If I’m honest, I’ve always been a little jealous of her. She’s independent as heck and she worked her butt off earning a business degree and putting it to good use when she opened Java Jitters, the best darn coffee shop this town has ever seen.

I’ll be done with school next April, but I’m down to my final three classes—two this upcoming fall semester and one during the spring term. I’m proud of how far I’ve come on my degree after taking time off when things went to crap with Cory. But it’s the business owner part that worries me. I want what Jessie has—a place to call my own—but I have no idea how the heck I’m going to afford it.

“So, Aiden said he was by your place earlier,” Emma says while grabbing a bottle of beer for a guy who sauntered over from the pool table.

“Ugh. He sure was.” I pour my soda into the glass and sigh. “Did he happen to tell you why?”

“Something about a guy staying across the hall from you. A ranch hand of Wilder and Levi’s, right?” She hands over the beer and collects the guy’s money before turning back to me.

“Apparently. I know Wilder’s having his cabins renovated, so I get that he doesn’t have the room to put this guy up, but why the store? Why my little piece of privacy, you know?”

She tosses her long blonde hair over her shoulder and presses her lips together into an appeasing smile. “I get it. Especially with the whole bathroom thing. I mean, I’d be just as annoyed.”

“Thank you for that. Old Man Morton and Aiden looked at me like I was crazy and for a few minutes I started to wonder if I was.”

“Nah, girl, you have every right to be skeptical. I mean, I’d be nervous enough having a new neighbor let alone one like him.” She props her elbows on the bar and leans in, waggling her eyebrows. “I heard he’s hot,” she whispers. “But don’t tell your brother I said that.”

I snort and roll my eyes. “Who told you that?”

“Laken who heard it from Sadie who saw Hallie at Jessie’s coffee shop earlier today.”

So, the town is already talking. I’m not surprised, it’s just… “He’s not that hot.”

Emma’s eyes narrow and she searches my face for a long beat before smirking. “You are such a horrible liar, Alana Faulkner.”

“I’m not lying. He’s just a guy.” A broad-shouldered, built-like-a-cowboy guy with unruly dark blond hair and smoldering brown eyes. Under normal circumstances, I might have taken an extra moment to appreciate his God-given assets—after all, I’m single and have been for quite some time—but these circumstances are anything but normal.

“I guess I’ll have to see him for myself to be sure,” Emma says with a wink and I groan.

“Can I just order some foo—oh, crap.” No, no, no.

“What?” Emma stands upright and follows my gaze to the front door where none other than Mr. Pain in My Ass just stepped inside. “Damn,” she mutters. “That’s him, huh?”

This day can’t possibly get any worse. “Yes, that’s him,” I grumble, keeping my eyes on my drink and wishing I could absorb right into this stool. I doubt he’ll come over if he sees me, but I don’t want to take any chances. We may be neighbors, but I’m not feeling particularly neighborly about it.

“Al, he’s gorgeous,” my brother’s fiancée rasps out the side of her mouth. “And I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but he’s not only looking at you, he’s also coming over, too.”

Dammit. The whole point of coming out tonight was to hash this whole thing out with Emma, but I can’t very well do it with him here, now can I?

“Howdy, neighbor,” he says when he sidles up next to the empty stool beside me, his voice low and smooth and friendly, as if I wasn’t rude when we met earlier. “Mind if I join you?”

I absolutely mind. In fact, I’m not even hungry anymore. I should just go—

“Of course, she doesn’t!” Emma slams her hand down on the bar with such gusto that I jump. “Right, Al? In fact, I was just about to take her order and hook her up with dinner for the night. Can I get you something while I’m at it?”

“That’s what I’m here for,” he says, grinning and dropping his denim-clad butt down onto the stool. “You said something earlier about having the best cheeseburgers in town, and I’ve been thinking about ‘em ever since.”

Wait, what?

I pin Emma with a hard glare and she merely presses her lips into a smile and retreats backward toward the kitchen, knowing damn well she’s in trouble.

“You want a double cheeseburger?” she asks Holden. “Fries, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, or maybe some deep fried pickles?”

“Surprise me.” He winks and a low chuckle vibrates the air around him as he leans his elbows on the bar.

Emma is barely out of earshot before I spin to face him. “You saw Emma already?”

“Yeah, when I met Aiden here earlier. Why?”

I’m going to kill her. She didn’t hear about him through the grapevine—she knew firsthand. Which means she also knew about him rooming across the hall from me, too. And she never gave me a heads-up either.

What the heck is wrong with everyone?

“Listen,” he says, angling toward me so it’s hard to miss the genuine sparkle in his eyes. “I think we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot here.”

“You think?”

He gives a small smile. “I understand why you’d feel put out or even pissed off about the whole bathroom thing. You don’t know me. I don’t know you. It’s weird. But we’re kind of stuck in the situation. All we can do at this point is make the best of it.”

“Or you could find someplace else to stay.” Wow, I sound like a bitch. I almost don’t even recognize my own voice or this bitterness running through my veins.

“Afraid I can’t do that, darlin’.” He winks and a shiver runs down my spine.

“Darlin’?” I ask, suddenly a little breathless. Obviously, it’s a side effect of him taking up so damn much space and crowding me.

His gaze locks on mine and he smiles. “Yep, and I hope you don’t mind me saying, but I do believe you have the prettiest set of hazel eyes I’ve ever seen.”

“It’s Alana. And clearly you don’t get out much.”

He laughs again and shakes his head. “I get out plenty. Then again maybe it’s not the color of your eyes I’m drawn to but the fire behind them.”

Drawn to? Is this guy flirting with me? I know I’m out of practice, but either he’s flirting or he’s trying to butter me up in hopes I’ll share my shampoo and towels.

“Why exactly are you here?” I ask bluntly. “In Mason Creek, I mean.”

He lifts a shoulder. “Wilder needed some help on the ranch and I happened to be laid off for a bit.”

“What do you do for a living?”

“I work with livestock mostly.”

“Like a ranch hand?”

He twists his lips and nods. “You could say that.”

Hmm. “Why are you laid off?”

“Damn, darlin’.” He chuckles. “Why so many questions?”

“Because there’s going to be nothing but two doors and a hallway separating us. I’d like to know you’re not a serial killer.”

He tips his head back and gives a full-bellied laugh as Emma comes back from the kitchen.

“Can I get you something to drink?” she asks him, not even bothering to look my way, because she knows better. This girl and I are going to have a serious talk about this as soon as possible.

“I’ll take a bottle of Coors.”

“I have Light or Banquet.”

“Banquet would be great.”

“Coming up.” She spins away and begins taking another order while grabbing his beer.

Holden uses the opportunity to continue talking. “My boss asked me to take a voluntary leave for a few weeks. Had some stuff to deal with.”

Oh. Well, that doesn’t sound as scandalous as I was anticipating. “How do you know Wilder?”

“A friend of a guy I work with.”

“And my brother?”

“Same. We met a few times over the years and, when the opportunity presented itself, I figured they seemed like decent enough guys to work with.”

“My brother is a cop, not a rancher.”

“I know, but he helped hook me up.” He smirks and shakes his head. “Are you always this tough of a nut to crack or is this skepticism and game of Twenty Questions just for me?”

“I like to know who’s using my toothpaste.”

“I have my own stuff, Alana. I’m not here to mooch off you.”

Hmm. “Night owl or morning person?”

“What?” He laughs and swaps some cash for the beer Emma sets in front of him. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“I’m usually up late doing homework, so I like it quiet.”

“Me too. I outgrew partying years ago. In fact, this is the first bar I’ve been to in months.”

I hope he’s telling the truth. As annoying as the bathroom predicament is, it’d be even worse if he was loud.

“What are you going to school for?”

“Business management.”

“You manage the grocery store, right?” He tips back his beer and glances my way, dark chocolate eyes darting back and forth between mine.

I swallow and nod, suddenly self-conscious about that fact, which isn’t something I’ve felt in years. I used to struggle with feeling like I’d given up on my dreams, and for some reason, I don’t want this guy—a virtual stranger—to think it’s because I lack ambition for more.

“That’s cool,” he says. “From what Aiden said, the place would fall apart without you. You must be really good at what you do.”

My brother said that? Wow. Aiden and I aren’t as close as we used to be, because he’d been living in L.A. for so long. But now that he’s back in Mason Creek, our relationship is changing. He’s still a pain in my ass, just a slightly more lovable pain in the ass.

“I like to think I do a good job. We’ve turned a bigger profit since I took over, but we’ve managed to keep our prices low so the locals don’t feel like they have to go to the box stores in Billings to afford their groceries.”

“That’s really important in small towns like this.”

“Yeah? You know a little something about small-town living?”

“Yep. The one I live in is pretty much the same size. The only thing we have going for us is a big music festival every year.”

“Where is this mystery place?”

“Bear Creek, Colorado.”

“Really? I’ve been through Bear Creek a bunch of times. I have family in Boulder.”

His eyes widen. “You serious?”

“Yep. My uncle is a pediatrician and my aunt is pretty much the chairwoman of every social club.”

The grin on his face spreads wide, revealing a perfect set of white teeth amidst the light brown five o’clock shadow. “Small world.”

“For sure.” I sigh and take a sip of my Dr. Pepper.

“Not a drinker?”

I shrug. “It’s not that I don’t, I just don’t do it often. School and work have kept me busy.” And when the heck did I stop hating this guy and started having an actual conversation with him?

“Did you walk here tonight?”

“Yup. I like the fresh air.”

“Me, too.” He glances around the bar filled with patrons either minding their own business or chatting politely with other customers. Even the college-aged guys at the pool tables are behaving themselves. “Nice little town y’all have here. A girl like you probably doesn’t have much to worry about, walking around town alone at night.”

“A girl like me?” I pull back, brows lifted. “What exactly does that mean?” I know he’s not insinuating that I couldn’t take care of myself…

He grins and his eyes crinkle a bit. “Simmer down, darlin’. I have no doubt you could kick someone’s ass if they even thought about messing with you.”

“You’re damn right I could.” I mean, probably. And I could get used to this darlin’ business.

He chuckles again, running his thumb up and down the side of his bottle of beer. “Speaking of kicking ass, you got a boyfriend I should be worried about? Someone who might see me keeping you company and get pissed?”

“And if I did?”

He smirks like he’s already made the assumption I’m single and something about that irritates me.

“Maybe I have a girlfriend.”

His brows lift. “Do you?”

As much as I want to continue the ruse just to yank his chain, I really don’t want to keep talking about the sad state of my love life. “No,” I sigh.

“Thank god.”

This time, it’s my brows that rise. “Excuse me?”

“I thought I read you all wrong for a second. That you were into chicks instead of dudes.”

Well, that’s interesting. “I tried that. I mean, in theory anyway. I didn’t get very far.”

“I feel like there’s a story here.”

“There is, but I don’t talk about it. Suffice to say, I’ve given up on men.”

His expression falls. “Shit. That’s more tragic than you being into women.”

I laugh. “Blame it on the Megatron of asshole exes.”

“Must have been a real piece of work to make you consider switching teams.”

“Not just a piece... he was the whole freaking gallery.”

“Damn.”

“Uh huh.”

“So the stick your brother said you have up your ass… it’s justified.”

I snort so hard soda nearly comes out my nose. “I’m going to kill him.”

“I’m kidding.” He prods me with an elbow. “Just trying to make light of things. Hoping to somehow get on your good side.”

I figured as much. “Listen, I’m only tolerating this conversation because I know at any moment, Emma is going to bring me delish food that’s going to make me forget about all of this. I’m still not happy about you poaching my space.” And maybe because he’s mildly interesting. And majorly cute.

He grins. “You know what? I’ll take it. And I’m going to make it my personal mission to make you actually want to talk to me by the time I leave.”

“Don’t be too tough on yourself when you don’t succeed. I’m kinda known as the Ice Princess around here.”

“Oh really?” He smirks as one of the waitresses comes from the kitchen with two baskets of food. She sets the one with extra fries in front of me and the one with onion rings and a mountain of meat in front of Holden. After she grabs the ketchup and mustard and a stack of napkins, she disappears again. “Why do they call you the Ice Princess?”

“It’s more of a general perception than a nickname.” All because of a certain bull rider who liked to ride more than just the bulls.

Holden eyes me for a long beat. So long that I squirm in my seat.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

His jaw pulses as he swallows. “Just trying to figure you out, darlin’, that’s all.”

“Well, don’t try too hard, because you’re not going to be here long enough to make it worth your while.”

A small smirk turns up the corners of his mouth and those brown eyes twinkle beneath the bar lights. “Something you should know about me is that I love a challenge and you, darlin’, are a puzzle I am determined to figure out.”