“Where’d you find her?” Travis asked, curious to know where she’d come from.

“She just showed up last week.”

“She’s not exactly a people person.”

“No.” Nash shook his head. “She’s not.”

“Then why’d you hire her?”

Nash frowned and shook his head. “I have no idea.”

“Well, good luck with that.” Travis took a step back and swore as his hip butted the edge of a barstool. “Hey, sorry,” he said, turning to the guy sitting there. It took a moment for his brain to catch up to his eyes, and when they did, he wasn’t sure how to feel. Holy. Hell.

> “Ryder?”

The man looked up from his empty glass, eyes glassy, a scowl touching his handsome face. The glass indicated he’d been drinking, but there was something else there, and Travis remembered all too well Ryder Montgomery’s dark side—his need to dance with the devil. From the looks of it, it seemed Ruby’s brother was on the wrong side of this particular dance. Again.

“So, it’s true, then.” Ryder pushed back his glass and got to his feet. He stumbled a bit, and Travis nearly lost one of the jugs of beer he held. “You’re back.”

Travis nodded but kept silent. He and Ryder had been close once, but blood is blood, and the last time they’d seen each other, the two of them had gotten into it and things hadn’t ended well. Both of them had taken a trip to the ER, and that was pretty much it for Ruby and Travis.

“Sorry, Ry.” Nash grabbed the empty glass. “But the lady says your cut off.”

Ryder didn’t acknowledge Nash. He shoved past Travis and headed for the exit. “Should we…” Travis cleared his throat. “How’s he getting home?”

Nash shrugged. “I can’t babysit every drunk in the place. Ryder Montgomery can figure it out. I’ve got his keys, and he won’t be getting behind the wheel. That’s all I’m concerned about.”

Travis headed back to table, but by the time he got there, he knew what he was going to do. It just didn’t seem right letting Ruby’s brother head off on his own. Hell, depending which way he went home, he could lose his balance and end up in the damn lake. He set down the jugs and told the guys to start without him. At Wyatt’s raised eyebrow, he shrugged and said, “Ryder needs a lift home.”

His brother nodded—he got it—and Zach was already occupied chatting up a pretty girl at the next table. He scooped his keys out of his pocket and headed for the parking lot. Ryder was already on the main road and didn’t stop or look his way when Travis pulled up alongside. Rain was just starting to fall, the drops light and probably refreshing. But the dark clouds over the lake coupled with the high humidity meant something mean was rolling in.

“Get in, Ry.”

“Fuck you, Blackwell.”

He kept pace with Ryder. “You really want to get caught in this storm?”

Ryder stopped and laughed. “Why the hell do you care?”

He put the truck in park. “I don’t. But Ruby does.”

“You don’t care about anyone but yourself, Blackwell.”

“Kind of like you?”

Ryder’s face darkened. “You don’t know shit.”

Lightning arced across the sky, and an ominous roll of thunder followed. Ryder stumbled again, and Travis gritted his teeth. He should just head back to the Coach House and forget he’d run into Ryder Montgomery. Some guys would. Hell, a few years ago, he would have been one of them.

Except Ryder looked like hell and the sky looked even worse. Regardless of what Ryder claimed, Ruby loved her brother more than anything, and she would kick Travis’s ass if she found out Travis let him wander the streets in the state he was in. The ass kicking, he could take (hell, he would enjoy it), but the disappointment he’d rather not face. He’d been responsible for too much of that in her life, and with the new leaf turning and all, it wasn’t an option.

“I’ll follow you anyway, so why don’t you save us both the time and effort and get the hell in.”

Another roll of thunder sounded, and with a curse, Ryder yanked open the door and slid inside the truck. He sank back in the seat and rested his head.

“Where you living these days?” Travis asked, heading back down the road.

“Where do you think?” he mumbled.

Tags: Juliana Stone The Blackwells of Crystal Lake Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net