Page 35 (1/2)

So rong with him?

Loneliness?

Invisibility?

Hell if he could pinpoint it

Soed to keep his sour mood hidden from the rowdy bunch He smiled and listened to the conversations He was part of the crowd, but set apart No one seemed to notice his detachotten so chummy with his little sister and Amy Jo Foster

Lord, the three of them yapped like a pack of poodles

It just served to reap between hies, but…

But what? But nothing You’re looking for excuses because you’re pissed off she’s not sitting by your side like a well-trained poodle You’re pissed off she’s paying more attention to your family than to you

Like that should be a big fuckin’ surprise in his life He’d always been the McKay in the background How ain? What’s his name?

I don’t remember him He’s so quiet

Carter wasn’t a rancher or a rodeo star or a special ops soldier or the county stud or the baby girl Eight years away at school hadn’t helped him stand out in the McKay fa order

It wasn’t as if he burned to be the center of attention tonight or any other night But between Colby regaling the greenhorns with his rodeo exploits, Ge at hiet really really drunk

Damn, he wished his buddy Jack was here Jack wouldn’t put up with this shit attitude Jack’s et fucked up, pick soet out of a funk was to suffer through a debilitating day-long hangover "Feelin’ like shit ot," was Jack’s othersorry for hiht make him a pussy, but he realized he missed his pal It’d been a couple ofout After spending daraduate school, they’d parted ways after graduation Work had taken them in different directions

Work That’s what he should be doing anyway Maybe he was just feeling guilty for leaving stuff undone It’d be best all around if he slipped away and returned to work

Not that anyone believed being an artist ork His fa into space, waiting for inspiration to strike him Then he’d paint furiously, finish the piece and wait for another visit froht-o

He wished that da this deadline big tiement issues that he’d taken two fairly substantial commissions, on the sly, strictly for thehimself it was still art, his art, and he had a truck payment tohim a bucketful of cash That’d inspire the hell out of hiut clenched from the potency of her smile When had he seen her so happy? Was his tendency to brood wearing off on her? Or had she been drawn to him because she had that same dark intensity and she understood it? Neither of theo-lucky personality Except when they were together

When was the last time he’d witnessed that side of her?

She’d acted pretty daht in the car when she’d whipped out her vibrator

Not helping, thinking about what you want but can’t have right now

Carter eased out of the lawn chair and snagged a beer from the cooler He kept his back to the fire and stared off into the darkness Bits of conversations floated to him

Gemma said, "I did not"

"You used to flirt with him shamelessly, Gelasses"

Keely piped in, "Trevor Glanzer is a total hottie I flirt with hi sounds caod I can’t believe you said that"

"Well, it’s true I think every woht, ladies?"

Silence

"Fine You’re all lying to yourselves"

"Keely, I’et home," Colby said dryly

"He tried once, said it was for ood to save me from myself Didn’t work

He shouldn’t have made sure I knoay around ropes if he’d intended to use thereenhorns said "Ain’t nothin’ wrong with speakin’ your mind"

"Oh, Marky-ar," Keely cooed "You remember you said that to me when I look you up in a few years, when you’re a world-famous bull rider, fendin’ off all them hot buckle bunnies You probably won’t have the tiirl like me"

"Aw shoot, Keely, that’d never happen"

Carter snorted Keely the cowboy conqueror had struck again