I head back to the table where Grace is sitting. Wyatt is flirting with some bimbo from another town—typical.

“So why aren’t you married?” I ask, noticing she has no ring.

She shrugs and holds up her left hand. “I’m picky.”

We laugh and she tells me all about the guy she has been talking to. I can almost pretend that my life isn’t a mess right now. The atmosphere of the bar allows me to forget for a bit.

“Is he from here?” I ask.

“Pres.” Grace’s eyes nearly bug out of her head.

“What?” Her gaze is locked on something behind me, and I can see it in her eyes. He’s here.

“Presley.” His deep voice slides my name out like silk. I fight my body from responding like it wants to. He can’t have this control. I won’t let him.

“Zachary.” I turn and struggle to keep it together.

He’s the same boy I fell in love with at twelve. His eyes still hold the same intensity when he looks at me. My fingers tingle as Zach stands before me. He’s paralyzed me with one look. His light brown hair is a little shorter, his five o’clock shadow makes him more rugged, and his body is so much more filled out. Age has only made him better than I remember.

Grace clears her throat. “I’ll let you two catch up.”

I try to grab her arm, but she moves too quickly.

“You look great, Pres.” He smiles, and I fight the urge to slap him. I don’t look great. I don’t feel great. I’m a mess, and I’m trying to find a way to get up in the mornings. But there’s not a snowball’s chance in hell I’m telling him that. The Zach I knew would’ve already seen that. “How are you?” he asks.

I have a voice somewhere, but I can’t seem to get it to cooperate. “Okay,” I murmur. Damn it. Pull it together, Presley. You’re a grown ass woman who doesn’t need or want to ever be hurt like that again. “You?” Great. One word is all I can manage.

“I’m doing good. Wyatt said you were back in town, but I didn’t believe him. You were pretty clear about never coming back.”

Wyatt. That son of a bitch. He knew this was going to happen. “I sure was. Wonder why?”

“Right.” He’s thrown off by something. Probably my hostility. But he continues our very uncomfortable conversation. “I thought about stopping by the ranch. I didn’t think you wanted to see me, though.”

I let out a heavy breath. “I didn’t know you were here, Zach. He failed to mention that, as did everyone else. If I had known . . .” I trail off while I collect myself a little more. “I don’t know. I’m kind of surprised right now. I didn’t expect to see you.”

I didn’t want to see him either. I never wanted to lay my eyes on him again. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that he’d affect me this way. It’s always been like this for me. I’ve never been able to control my heart where Zach is concerned. He has some kind of special hold on me.

“We should talk.”

There’s nothing to talk about.

“Why are you in Bell Buckle?” I ask with an edge to my voice.

“Blew out my shoulder,” he says, and I want to laugh. I literally want to laugh in his face. He broke my heart. He left me in Maine to go play pro baseball and winds up back here. “I came back to rehab it, but ended up settling here when my dad had a stroke.”

Felicia slithers behind him, the whole time watching me. “There you are, baby.” Her fingers slowly glide up his arm before reaching his shoulder. “I was hoping we’d get to talk to you together, Presley. I was telling Zach how long it’s been since the three of us were in the same room. Of course the dynamic has changed a little now.”

I let out a short laugh. “Yup. It has.”

Zach’s eyes stay on me. He doesn’t even acknowledge her. “There’s a lot that’s changed.”

Felicia rests her head on his arm. He looks at her and then back to me. She perks right up. “I would love to have lunch or something. Wouldn’t that be fun, Presley? We could talk all about your life and how Zach and I are doing.”

“You know.” I let out a dramatic sigh. “I’m really busy these days.”

“I’m sure you are.”

I clench my fists, ready to let out months of hostility, but Zach interjects. “Felicia.”

She, of course, doesn’t take well to him defending me. “Really, Zachary?” She rips her arm away before raking her fingers through her hair.

Wyatt comes to stand next to me and tosses his arm over my shoulder, hauling me against his side. “There you are, Cowgirl. I need to put one of those tracking things on you.”

Felicia snorts. “Like one of the cows.”

I want to claw her eyes out. Wyatt must sense it because his hand clasps my shoulder. “I meant to ask you, Felicia,” he says with indifference. “Did you get what you wanted for your anniversary? You know, the day after Presley got back in town?”

“Why don’t you grab us a few beers?” Zach urges Felicia.

She shoots daggers at him. I have a feeling I’m missing something. “What?” she whines. “You’re kidding me?”

Wyatt tugs me closer. “Grab us one too, would you?”

“Fuck you,” she snips before turning to Zach. “Babe, let’s go back to the bar.”

I glance at Zach, whose eyes are zeroed in on Wyatt’s hand. He rubs up and down, and I turn into him a little more. I’m being infantile. I’m fully aware of this. I’m nothing to Zach, and he’s nothing to me. We’re just two old lovers who are now face to face. Of course, the history between us could fill a library, but he’s moved on. I’ve moved on. I have two boys and a life to get back to. I wish he weren’t here, though, and I wish more than anything I didn’t feel this pit in my stomach.

Wyatt coughs and waves his hand in front of his brother’s face. “Earth to Zach.”

“What?”

Felicia’s lips slant down, and I fight back a smile. She’s pissed. “I said let’s go. But you were staring off into space.”

Zach looks at her and then back to Wyatt and me.

“You should go, Zach.” Wyatt smiles and kisses my cheek. “Presley is my hot date, and I need a dance before someone else tries to swoop on in.”

My eyes widen when he says date. Zach zeroes in on that too. “Date?” he asks.

“Well, yeah. She’s single. I’m single. That doesn’t bother you, does it, brother?” Wyatt goads him.

He looks at me and shakes his head. “Of course not. All I’ve ever wanted is for her to be happy.”

If I hadn’t known Zachary my entire life, I might actually believe the bullshit he just spewed. There’s nothing he likes about this. My being here, his brother touching me, him having to see me—it’s all eating him up, and I’m glad. I hope this makes him hurt because the scars he left from ripping my heart apart are starting to ache.

“Zach!” Felicia practically yells. “Now!”

I can see the struggle in his eyes. He watches me before letting out a sigh. “Have a good night.”

“You too, buddy,” Wyatt says to his back.