Logan returns with a tray filled with warm flour tortillas and plastic containers with red and green salsa. He hands me a bottle of water and explains what he’s ordered for us—tacos with brisket and pulled barbeque chicken, and carnitas tacos topped with queso fresco that smell so good, my stomach grumbles.

“Cheers.” He hands me a water bottle, and then opens his, downing it in one long gulp. Grinning, he says, “Dig in.”

And I do, trying to pretend that this doesn’t feel like the best first date I’ve ever been on.

I’ve always thought when I fall in love there would be candlelight and wine and maybe fancy appetizers. Now I wonder if someone can fall in love with the scent of sulfur still on their skin at a roadside taco stand, eating from paper plates.

Because from where I sit . . . it sure seems like it.

15

LOGAN

“That’s a nice one. Six points?” Austen asks.

“Eight,” Matt says proudly. He adjusts the bill of his ball cap as Austen and Graham scope out the deer we got this morning.

Well, Matt got the deer. I spotted it first but nudged him in the elbow. He’d drifted off to sleep about two hours into our hunt—how, I’ll never understand. The deer blind was cold, drafty, and uncomfortable.

I pointed to the grassy bluff out in the distance, wanting him to be the one to take the shot since he loves hunting. I don’t really care for it, truth be told. And now, seeing how proud he is with Graham looking on, I know I made the right call in waking him.

“That should stock the freezer nicely. Well done, boys.” Graham doesn’t smile, but he does nod to indicate his approval. It’s probably the most praise we’ll get out of him.

Summer enters the barn, carrying a stack of books Mom loaned her after dinner. There’s a title about the medicinal properties of different herbs, a slow-cooker cookbook, and Lord knows what else. I’m still not sure if Summer was only pretending to be interested or actually wanted to borrow all of these from Mom’s personal library. She’s got such a positive attitude all the time, it’s hard to tell.

The moment Summer realizes what we’re all standing around staring at, she stops suddenly and one hand flies to her mouth. The deer is hanging upside down from the rafters, so it’s kinda hard to miss.

“Hey, sorry.” I raise one hand toward her. “I should have warned you or something.”

She swallows hard and shakes her head. “It’s okay.” Taking a cautious step closer, she gestures toward the animal. “Is this the deer you got?”

I nod. “Matt got him, but yeah.”

“I’m both thoroughly grossed out and impressed.”

Matt chuckles. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”