Hadleigh: I’ll let her know the date. Super excited to see you!

Ivy: Same, sis! I seriously CANNOT wait!

I send another message to Knox just in case he forgot to reply.

Hadleigh: So are you ignoring me now?

Another read receipt. And no response.

Him saying nothing is the only message I need.

My anger level rises with each passing second because he’s playing games with me. He knows I hate fighting with him, and I’d hope we could get past this, but apparently, he’s going to act like a child instead.

Needing to calm down, I pour myself a glass of wine and run a hot bath. I slide down into the water, then check my phone again.

Still nothing. Ugh! This man is infuriating.

I won’t play cat and mouse with him. If this is his way of pushing me away, it’s worked. Next, I move down to Kane’s name.

Hadleigh: Turns out I’m free on Friday!

Kane: Great. It’s a date. ;)

I lock my phone, take another sip, and try to focus on clearing my head. Tomorrow’s back to work for four days, and then I’ll get to see Kane. He never messes with my head and is the only one who deserves my attention.

CHAPTER NINE

KNOX

I can’t wait until this week is over. The weather has sucked. One day it rains, then it’s cold as fuck, and by the end of the week, it’s hot again. If that wasn’t bad enough, every time I see my brother, I think of Hadleigh and their date this weekend. It didn’t take long for the rumor mill to tell me that one.

Today, I’m working in the cow pasture with Grayson and Kane. A few barbed wire fences need to be repaired on a long stretch that meets the highway. A few days ago, a couple of cows were grazing on the side of the road, and the sheriff ended up coming out to let us know. We made a temporary repair, but it rained so damn hard that we were sloshing around in the mud. Now it’s time to fix it the right way.

Grayson rides with me, but Kane drives himself. I’m pissed at Riley for continuing to put us together, but I know our issues don’t matter compared to the work that needs to get done. So we avoid each other, which is weird when it comes to my brother.

We drive across the pasture, through a creek bed that we nearly get stuck in, then finally arrive at the worst part of the fence. Once I park, I grab all the tools and supplies, then get to work.

“Can you ask him to pass the pliers?” Kane mutters to Grayson.

“Can you tell him to quit being a cunt?” I say to Grayson when I hand them over to him.