Under the Dusty Sky (Holloway Farms)

really feel like talking to anyone, and I’m the new guy in a small town. I can imagine I’ll be forced to talk.
    It’s dark, and I can’t see much in the little stable except from what is illuminated by the silver moon. The long corridor is swallowed by darkness and only about one or two stalls are visible. There’s a snorting sound in the distance of a horse that's not happy I woke it up. A shadow passes through the light, and I spin around to see Gracie backlit in silver. She smiles at me and steps into the stable. I instantly know I’ll give her anything she wants. She has me cornered. And wearing that dress. I’ve heard of strong men. I’m not one of them. Not with Gracie.
    “ What was that?” She laughs as she approaches me. She steps in. Close. I can smell her. Straw and apples and fresh air.
    “ What was what?” I shrug even though I know what’s what.
    “ You never said you were a musician.”
    “ You never asked.” Which is true. I haven’t really thought about it. She's never asked me anything about myself. She doesn’t even know where I’m from, but she’ll come on to me no problem. The public Gracie, the one that hides and schemes and manipulates. The one that doesn’t care about how her actions affect others. I don’t like that Gracie. Right now, that's clear, but her face lit in the moonlight reminds me of earlier.
    The private Gracie that reads poetry, that doesn’t take any shit, and wears beat-up sweatshirts and ponytails. The one that lets loose her accent when she’s pissed and squeals when she’s excited. The one that smiles with every muscle in her face. That Gracie is irresistible.
    I can’t handle that I never know which one I’ll get.
    Gracie leans against the wall next to me, and we look at each other. Half her face is shadowed, but I can see her thinking. It plays across her face until she finally opens her mouth.
    “ So are you in a band? Famous?” She grins. Fake, flirty Gracie. I look away.
    “ No, I’m not famous. I just play guitar.” It’s a total lie. I mean I’m not in a band. That’s ridiculous. But I’m not exactly unknown. I’m just unknown in Nebraska.
    “ Well either way it was really nice what you did for Les. They’ll talk about it for years. Trust me. You’ll be a legend by Monday.” She laughs.
    Looking back at her, I can see every eyelash, long and thick. My eyes run along her cheekbones and down her jaw line before settling on her lips. If I just give her what she wants, this torment could end.
    But I can’t. Like an invisible force is holding me back and I can't figure out why.
    Gracie reaches across me and grabs the edge of my blazer. She spins me so I’m standing right in front of her. Toe to toe. My forearms press flat against the wall on either side of her head. My head tilts down and hers up, and our eyes lock. She pulls on my coat until my body is flush with hers. I can’t help but notice we line up in all the right places.
    Wow, she is good.
    “ Graceland.” I try to sound stern, but I’m not sure how it comes out. I can feel her breathing. It’s fast. Her hands slide into my blazer and clasp around my back.
    “ Bentley.” She mocks. She isn’t going for a kiss. She wants me to make the first move. I remember what Archer said about her having a plan for me. A plan that doesn’t involve knowing anything about me but my body pressed against hers.
    I shut down.
    “ I can’t.” The words are hard to choke out, but I pull away from her. As I walk from the stable, I take a huge breath and run my hands roughly through my hair. I can’t look back. It’ll be a disaster if I do.

CHAPTER 12
    Graceland
    I’m not mad. I’m shocked. Not because he left me standing here heated from head to toe, vibrating with a need for him that goes beyond what I had planned, or the utter confusion about why he just shut down like that. He was clearly into it five minutes ago.
    What shocks me are the tears that float around in my eyes, refusing to spill out. I’ve never cried over a guy. Never. I’ve never let a guy get under my skin like this.
    So why do I feel like, when he walked away from me, he took some of my heart with him?
    Taking a couple deep breaths before I push off the wall, I head back to the arena. Bentley’s gone. Hunter and Emma are gone. Asher and Lacy are gone, and I regret giving them the go ahead. I mean they could have waited a day. Kelsey and Brandon are gone, and I do not want to be alone with Dermott right