Broken (Broken 1)

My mouth dropped open. “What? What in the hell, Reed? With who?”

“Some cute little secretary that just started,” Reed said.

“Ah hell, Reed. Really? So, are you going to just fuck girls until you forget about Courtney?”

“To hell with Courtney. I told you, I don’t give a shit about whom she’s dating or what she’s doing. Shit, Layton…this damn blonde has been flirting with me for two fucking days, so I gave in. Don’t act like you’ve never fucked a girl just to do it. ”

I let out a sigh and shook my head. “Anyway, guess who I just ran into?” I said, hoping to change the subject.

“I don’t know, Layton. Who?”

“Anna MacBeth,” I said with a smile.

“No shit. Is she in town visiting or something?” Reed asked.

“Better. She moved back to town and is working at her grandfather’s jewelry store—Jim’s. I just left there, and she told me to tell you to give her a holler. ”

Reed let out a laugh. “First off, what in the hell were you doing in Jim’s? And second, I thought she was getting married. ”

“Nope. Turns out the guy was a cheat, and she missed Llano, so she moved back. And I bought Whitley an engagement ring. ”

“Wait—what? Dude…no fucking way! Are you for real? You’re going to ask Whit to marry you? When?”

I laughed as I started up my truck. “I think on her birthday next week. ”

“Jesus, Layton. That is huge. Congratulations, man. I mean, I knew the two of you were pretty damn serious, but…dude, marriage? Are you sure?”

“I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life. Anyway, I think you need to pay a little visit to Jim’s. Anna really perked up when I mentioned your name. ”

“Really? Awesome. I think I might head on out and make my way into town for lunch. I’ll ask her if she wants to go to the game with me tonight. ”

I shook my head. “You fuck a girl at work and then go to lunch to make plans to take another girl out tonight? Real nice. ”

“Fuck off, asshole. You’re just jealous. Hey, I’ve got to run. I have a meeting to get to. I’ll see y’all tonight at the football game, right?”

“Yeah, we’ll see ya there, and, Reed…trust me, dude, I’m not jealous. ”

Reed let out a gruff laugh. “Yeah, I know you aren’t, you lucky bastard. Later. ”

I hung up the phone and put my truck in drive. I was about to pull out and head home to put Whitley’s ring in my safe. There was no way I was going to walk around with it. Right before I pulled out, someone knocked on my window. I turned to see a young guy standing there, staring at me.

I rolled the window down and smiled. “Can I help you?”

The way he was looking at me was almost like he wanted to rip my eyes out before he slowly let a smile play across his face. His green eyes were filled with contempt, and I was almost wishing I had just driven off. I looked him up and down. He was dressed in dress pants and a button-down shirt with a light jacket. His brown hair was perfectly in place, but he looked completely out of place.

“Thanks so much, dude. I’m actually looking for a hotel. My cousin is getting married right outside of town, and I lost the paper she’d sent me with the hotel names on it. I just flew into Austin and drove straight out here. My cell coverage is hit or miss here in the middle of nowhere. ”

I let out a laugh. Yep, city folk.

“Where you flying in from?” I asked as I threw my truck back into park.

“Denver, Colorado. ” He extended his hand and smiled. “The name is Pete, Pete Miller. ”

I reached for his hand and gave it a good shake. “Well, Pete, welcome to Llano, Texas. Layton Morris. There’s a Days Inn on Bessemer Avenue and a Best Western on West Young Street. ”

I quickly glanced down at his rented convertible. I wasn’t surprised to see he had the top down.

“I guess, being from Colorado, this type of weather feels good for you. ” I gestured toward the car.