“Damn. You’re good at this bartender advice thing.”

He laughed. “When all you make are mistakes you learn how to help other people avoid them. Thanks for having my back. I’m not used that.”

“Maybe you deserve more than you think, Opie.” He glowered at me and I laughed as I made my way outside and to my SUV.

The sun had gone down but it was still a gorgeous summer night that had just enough of a chill to it to speak to the fact fall was right around the corner. Time had been moving so fast ever since Salem hit town I didn’t even realize the balmy summer days were almost gone.

When I got home I stripped down and scrubbed off. My mind was a million miles away, jumping from the past to the present and buzzing around among everything that had happened in the last few months.

I was winding down for bed, watching TV, and working on a few sketches for work the next day when there was a knock on my door. I was surprised at the sound but not at all surprised to see the raven-haired beauty on the other side when I pulled the door open. I propped a shoulder on the doorjamb and lifted an eyebrow at her as Jimbo shot past me and headed right for his favorite spot on the couch.

“Thought you were gonna call.” I had told her to call me later.

She tilted her head back to look at me and slowly blinked those midnight eyes. “I didn’t really know what to say.”

“Why are you here, then?” Eventually we were going to have to have it out—down and dirty over this whole Poppy situation—but I knew it was still too raw and still too fresh to do it tonight. Salem had been just as surprised to see her sister as I was and I was sure she was worried out of her mind at the condition Poppy had shown up in.

She flipped some of her hair back like she liked to do and blinked up at me. It went right to my gut when she batted those long, feathery lashes at me. She told me in a quiet tone, “I don’t want to go to bed without you.”

Talk about a first that really held some water. She was the first and only girl I didn’t want to go to bed without as well.

She brushed past me and trailed her hand along my chest as she went. “I do have a request, though.”

I shut the door and watched her walk toward my bedroom like she had been doing it forever and it was the only place she wanted to be.

“What’s that?”

She looked at me over her shoulder and her smile was sex, surprise, and everything I ever wanted without knowing it. It also sent bolts of desire shooting hot and fast through my bloodstream.

“Put the cowboy hat back on.”

Well, hot damn. Time to saddle up.

WHEN I WOKE UP Salem was gone and so was the dog. I figured she had run back to her own place to get ready for work and to check in on Poppy. There were a lot of awesome things that went along with being a tattoo artist. One of my favorites was that I didn’t have to be to work until noon if I didn’t want to be. I took my time getting ready for the day by meandering around the apartment and making myself some coffee. I had just finished getting dressed and was pulling on my boots when there was a knock on the door. I assumed that it was Salem like it had been last night and almost fell over when I pulled it open and saw the other Cruz sister standing there.

“Poppy?”

She looked up at me with her black-and-blue eyes and I wanted to throttle whoever it was that had hurt her.

“I was wondering if I could come in and talk to you really fast?”

That sounded like a terrible idea but I couldn’t think of a reason to say no to her, so I stepped aside and she entered my apartment, her eyes darting around like someone might jump out and attack her at any minute.

“I assume Salem knows you’re here since you know where I live.”

I closed the door and leaned back against it with my arms crossed over my chest. She nodded and twisted her hands together as she paced back and forth in front of me.

“I told her I had to talk to you one-on-one. I don’t think she was happy about it but she gave me your address and told me how to get here. She’s really crazy about you, you know?”

“I would rather not talk about my love life with you, Poppy. Why are you here?” I wasn’t sure if I meant here in Denver or here in my house, but she was welcome to answer for either one.

She moved her hair behind her ears in a way that was so similar to her sister but came across as timid and nervous and not sexy and confident like when Salem did it.

“I owe you an apology, Rowdy . . . and so much more.” She let her hands drop to her sides and she faced me steadily. “You were so nice to me and always tried so hard to save me from my own good intentions.”

“I thought I loved you.” It was the first time I had admitted out loud that there was a rock-solid chance I was wrong about that from the get-go.

“I know you did but you were the only one.”

I snorted and pushed off the door. “How did you know I was fooling myself?”

She tilted her head and a sad smile pulled at her mouth. “I lived in the same house as Salem and I have eyes. I saw the way you were with her. She brought you to life and I was there when she left and you latched on to me like a lifeline. I understood that you thought I was safe, that I was boring and never going to change, but come on, Rowdy, what girl wants to be a guy’s safe bet? You never tried to hold my hand or kiss me, not even when you started sleeping with every single girlfriend I had. The signs were pretty clear.”

I pushed my hands through my hair because I hadn’t gotten around to putting any goop in it yet.

“I followed you to college, Poppy. That had to mean something.” I didn’t know if I said it to convince her or myself of that fact.

She sighed and moved toward me a couple steps. “I was your security blanket and you were mine. You didn’t have anyone else to hold on to and I was scared to try and be someone else after trying so long to be the perfect daughter. Looking back, I should’ve fought you, should have told you to cut loose and go to art school like I’m sure Salem would have done, but I was selfish and I was scared.” She gripped my hand and gave it a squeeze. “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been there when I got pregnant, Rowdy. You were the only person that didn’t make me feel like I had committed an unforgivable sin.” I saw tears well up in her eyes. “Thank you for trying to protect me.”

I swore and pulled her to me so I could hug her. She needed someone to protect her still.

“Why did you go back home, Poppy? Why didn’t you go live life and find some kind of happiness for yourself? Why land right back where you started from?”