Under the Dusty Sky (Holloway Farms)

grass from my jeans.
    I didn’t believe Archer when he said it would be so hard to say no. Her fire is contagious, beyond irritating, because I don’t know what to do with it, but contagious.
    Unfortunately, my future’s been planned for me so I have no choice anyway. This is the downfall of always having everything at my disposal. Always being handed things has its disadvantages. Or so I’m learning. I guess it's go home and deal with my family, or stay and deal with Gracie.
    Gracie startles me as she comes around the corner. That permanent strip of bare stomach made to torment me stretches and flexes with each step. Her arm is stretched out behind her and attached to her hand is another girl, who looks my age but like she was transported here from the 1960s. Her straight brown hair, flowing floral sundress, and no shoes are proof enough.
    “ Oh.” Graceland jumps, and her friend stops.
    “ Uh, hey.” I smile and try to pass, but the Flower Child grabs my arms.
    “ Bentley?” She says it like we’re old friends meeting on a crowded street.
    “ That’s me.”
    She pulls me in and wraps her arms around me, standing on her tiptoes, and I have to bend to her height. I hug her back, mostly because I don’t know what to do with my hands.
    “ Emma, proximity. Not everybody loves everything in the universe like you do,” a male voice sounds, and I peek around the corner of the house. Hunter, I presume. He’s smiling and shaking his head. It’s not irritation. His expression is pure adoration and amusement as he walks toward Emma, carrying her shoes.
    Emma drops her arms and smiles the sweetest smile I’ve ever seen. She almost glows she looks so pure and flawless. I’ve never seen someone so natural, but I guess I come from a world of fake. Emma’s tiny features bunch together on her face, and she reaches up to touch my cheeks. My eyebrows raise.
    “ Something’s bothering you. I’m sorry we have intruded on your thoughts,” she says.
    I look over at Gracie and frown. She rolls her eyes.
    “ It’s so annoying when she does that. You get used to it.”
    Hunter reaches us and holds out a hand. He looks more like Gracie than the twins do. The twins look identical to their dad, Carter. Lighter features, stockier build.
    I take his hand, and he laughs. He exudes kindness and honesty, which puts me off balance. I'm always waiting to be assessed, but with Hunter it doesn’t happen. He just smiles.
    “ The most annoying part is she’s usually right.” He slaps my shoulder.
    Emma wraps her arms around Hunter’s waist and winks at me.
    “ We’re going to catch Dad,” Gracie says over her shoulder. “Comin’?”
    Her voice tilts up into that country twang. I wonder again why she’s always trying to hide it.
    I shouldn’t want to find out. But every time she let’s it out, it gets harder to say no.
    I jog to catch up and do my best to look straight ahead and pretend I don’t notice her sweet smile and the way her hair brushes her bare shoulders as she walks.

CHAPTER 6
    Graceland
    He hasn’t looked at me once. Not once.
    The sky’s a dusty orange, turning everything a rust color, even Rasp’s yellow-gold fur. I sit on the steps with my dog between my knees and scratch his ears before hugging him around the neck and gazing out at Bentley talking to Daddy at the barbecue.
    I’ve seen hot guys before, guys with chiseled jaws and rock hard muscles. Guys I don’t much care what’s going on behind those perfectly defined features. Guys I just want to kiss or touch or dance with, and that’s it. Like, Dermott hot.
    This is different.
    Bentley glances over at me for the first time, and I suck in a tiny breath. There’s something behind those gorgeous features, and I’m starting to want to figure out what it is. Why it looks like nothing ever phases him. Like nothing’s good enough for him. Like I’m not good enough for him. I’m starting to want to know why.
    Daddy looks over, too, and he’s laughing. I narrow my eyes. They’re talking about me. Bentley shakes his head and shoves his hands into his pockets. He turns to me and starts toward the porch. My heart speeds up with every step, and I do a full body shake to calm myself down, masking it by wiggling Rasp back and forth between my knees. His tail thumps on the wooden step.
    “ May I?” Bentley points to the stairs, and I nod. He sits and leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and laces his fingers together. His head turns,