Marva Jo shook her finger at Liz. “You’ve got all the pie you can eat right here in this living room, my child. Let Blaze have his in the kitchen. I guarantee you that Tressa won’t let them do one thing more than I let you two get away with.”

“Why do I feel like I’m sixteen and on my first date?” Liz asked.

Marva Jo smiled. “Because I said so.”

Liz giggled. “I’ve heard that often enough.”

Blaze yelled from the kitchen, “I heard that last remark. Colleen has invited me over to her place to meet her parents tonight and to see those two famous horses.”

“Children, children! Forgive them, Colleen,” Tressa said. “They’ve acted like siblings since the day I brought Blaze to the carnival. Marva Jo, bring your wayward daughter to the dinner table. We are ready to sit down.”

***

Liz pulled the sheet up over her and Raylen. A fine sheen of sweat covered them both, and an afterglow that was almost visible surrounded them. She reached across the space between them and clasped his hand in hers.

“That was fantastic. Good night, darlin’,” she said breathlessly.

“Always is,” he panted. “But I’m not spending the night.”

“Why?” she asked. “Mama and Aunt Tressa are in their trailers.”

“I’m trying to show your mama and aunt that I’m one of the good guys, not a bad boy that only wants a romp in the hay, so I’m going home.”

She held on tightly to his hand, but he shook free and in one swift movement he was off the bed and on his feet.

“You don’t play fair,” she said.

“That would be the pot calling the kettle black, darlin’.” He dressed quickly and headed out of the bedroom.

She sat up and wrapped the sheet under her arms. “You think Colleen made Blaze’s trailer rock?”

Raylen covered his ears. “I don’t even want to think about that—Colleen is my sister!”

“You are her brother. You think she doesn’t know we’ve been to bed?” Liz asked.

“Don’t go there,” Raylen said.

She whipped the sheet back and jumped out of bed, put her finger under his nose, and said, “Don’t you talk to me in that tone. I was joking.”

“If you had a brother, would you want me to tease about him sleeping with Becca?” Raylen’s tone had a bit of a chill to it.

She took a step forward. “That’s different, and Blaze is like a brother. I wouldn’t get all hot under the collar if you wondered if he was out in the horse barn with Colleen. Go home. Evidently, you can’t take teasing.”

He whipped around and stormed out of the house. She threw herself back on the bed and pouted for five minutes before the tears started. Her short-lived relationship with Raylen was probably over. Most likely the whole reason fate had sent her to Ringgold was so that Colleen and Blaze could find each other.

“Life isn’t fair,” she sobbed into her pillow.