Paradise Lost (Private 9)

ything--or anyone--there. I thought of Poppy's warning to stay away from Upton. Of her ire the night before, and Paige's and Sienna's hostile attitudes toward me. Was it possible? Gould someone actually have set off Misty to teach me a lesson? To try to keep me away from Upton?

"Come on," Upton said, lacing his fingers through mine. "We'll walk the horses back to the stable. I think that's enough riding for today."

"Try forever," I joked, squeezing his hand.

When we reached the horses, Upton tethered Misty to Bolt, then took Bolt's reins and led both horses with one hand so he could hold my hand with the other. As we turned north toward the stable, I couldn't help but check over my shoulder one last time at the trees and the bluff, just to see if anyone was there. But there was nothing except the sound of waves crashing against the rocks so very far below.

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CHAPTER 22 GARDEN TOUR

We met Noelle and the rest of the crew--minus the Ryans, Poppy, and Sienna--at Shutters for brunch as planned. Everyone arrived in waves, so I was forced to retell the story of our runaway horse experience five times. By the time we were done with our meal, I was so sick of thinking about it that all I wanted was a nice, relaxing afternoon on the beach. Instead, thanks to a plan Gage had floated by the crew while Upton and I had been out riding, I found myself en route to the Ryans' estate yet again. We were gathering at the scene of my near-disaster so everyone could go Jet Skiing together.

Jet Skiing. Like me and my still-quivering thighs were really up for that.

"Look on the bright side," Kiran said as she, Upton, and I walked out onto the patio where the week's first party had been held. We had driven up together in Kiran's car and were the last to arrive. Compared to that first day, there were relatively few people there. Just our

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group and Mr. and Mrs. Ryan, all hanging out near a big table covered in fruit and sandwiches.

"Which bright side would that be?" I asked.

"You have an exciting story to tell when you get home!" Kiran said, lifting her palms.

"Yes, but I already have plenty of exciting stories thanks to Sabine," I told her lightly, ignoring the twinge in my chest as I said the girl's name. "I wanted to leave here with only boring stories. Boring, passing-out-in-the-sand-and-getting-sunburned stories."

Upton put his arm around me. "I believe we can still accomplish that goal. Although no sunburns. I don't want to see that adorable nose of yours peeling," he said, touching his fingertip to my nose.

Kiran groaned and Upton and I laughed as we arrived at the table. Gage walked right over to me and smacked me on the back.

"Starting to think you're a cat, Brennan," he said. "Nine lives and all the jazz." Once again, he wore nothing but his board shorts and a smile. Considering his sexual history and lack of an edit feature on his tongue, I supposed I shouldn't have been surprised that he was such an exhibitionist. He popped a grape into his mouth and held it in his teeth, showing it to me for a second before crunching into it.

"Ew," I said.

"I'm serious," he said, grabbing another grape. "I think you should let it all ride on Casino Night. You're, like, the luckiest farm chick on earth."

"Or the unluckiest," Paige put in as she stopped by with Daniel.

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"It all depends on how you look at it," Taylor said as she added gobs of mayo to a turkey sandwich. "I prefer the 'glass is half full' approach."

"Yeah, well, no glass or plate is half full for long around you these days," Paige said with a sniff before moving on.

Taylor's jaw dropped slightly, and she looked down at the sandwich for a moment as if the sight of it suddenly made her ill. But then something in her expression shifted and she took a big bite out of it, defiantly staring after Paige as she chewed. That whole out-of-Billings freedom kicking in again, I supposed.

"So exactly how fancy is this Casino Night thing? Are we talking Legacy fancy, Oscars fancy, or Cannes fancy?" I asked Kiran, picking up a wedge of watermelon. I couldn't imagine it was Cannes fancy, but I threw it in there just to show her I knew that the French film fest was the ultimate in red carpet. Something I'd learned after living in Billings for a year and a half with my fashion maven friends. "Because I still don't know what to wear."

"Don't worry," Kiran said with a wink. She snagged a bottle of water out of a big silver bucket filled with ice. "I've got you covered," she added, tapping my forehead with the bottle.

I was about to ask her what that meant when Sienna shoved aside the sliding glass door and trudged out, looking grim. Mrs. Ryan walked over to her and wrapped her up in a hug, her ever-present silk jacket billowing in the ocean breeze.

"All settled, dear?" she asked.

"Yes, thank you. I appreciate your letting me stay here," Sienna

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