He wouldn’t keep circling back to the question, if he wasn’t interested on some level. Go for it, her heart commanded her head. She felt the same coiled tension before the buzzer sounded at the start of a barrel race. Where anything was possible.
“What if,” Dana said, her heart galloping, “I were to say that the particular someone was you?”
* * *
THE COOLNESS OF the evening pebbled Krista’s bare skin as Will led her around the edge of the dance hall to an empty bench. The blooms of a nearby white lilac bush scented the air. It was peaceful, even romantic.
But Will’s mind was on something else. “I’m worried about Dana. Keith will refuse to date her, and he won’t be diplomatic about it, either.”
On the dance floor, she’d told Will that she’d urged Dana to open up to Keith. Will had not reacted well, hauling her outside. “I’m sure that he’s got some Claverley charm.” Which was confessing that Will had it. But he’d seemed unaware of the compliment, sidetracked by the supposed disaster going on between Dana and his brother.
“Won’t outweigh his bitterness toward women.” He rubbed his hand across his face. She could make out the faint scrape of his stubble under his palm. “If I’d known you had figured out Dana’s feelings for Keith, I would’ve warned you not to encourage her.”
“Did Keith actually tell you he wasn’t interested in Dana?”
Will hesitated. “No. And if he could bring himself to be interested in anyone, it would be her.”
“Then give them a chance.”
Will dropped to the bench, elbows on his knees. “Look, I’d be all for them getting together. But with Keith, it’ll take a while. If Dana makes a move now, it’ll scare him off. I know my brother.”
“Or it’ll be the wake-up call he needs to realize that there are good women out there who genuinely care for him and his son.”
Will raised his head to meet her eyes. “You just can’t help interfering, can you?”
Ah, the root of his frustration. Keith and Dana weren’t the only couple she’d meddled with. She drew her sandal through the loose gravel. “Jack said you and Alyssa met up. And that you left separately. I’m sorry it didn’t go well.”
“I might’ve told her about you being my fake girlfriend. I guess she was angling for the position and figured you cut in.”
He looked so uncomfortable, caught in the middle of a catfight. Poor guy. Krista aimed to sound dismissive. “We’ve got history. After high school, she talked me into becoming partners in a marketing company, even though my heart wasn’t in it. Not a year later, I walked away from it and she hasn’t really forgiven me. Turned her down again a few years ago. She believes I’m a flake.”
“And you think she’s got a point?”
“No! I mean, maybe once...” She plucked at the daisy petals on her sundress. “Why do you say that? Do I give that impression?”
“Not in my eyes. You’re working your tail off to make a success of your salon, even going so far as to take on this arrangement between us.”
“But for a lot of years, I was exactly what Alyssa accused me of. I jumped from one job to another, one country to another, for that matter.” She paused and then fessed up. “Had way more than one relationship.”
“Oh.” He cleared his throat. “So I wasn’t the only one you asked out?”
Since she insisted on honesty from Will, she needed to give fair turnabout. “You were the only one who refused me.” The only one she’d cried about not getting.
“Just so you know,” he said softly, his mouth close to her ear, like when he’d whispered the dance steps to her at the rehearsal. “Riding bareback was easier than saying no to you.”
Keep it light, Krista. “It’s okay,” she said. “I recovered.”
“But I hurt you.”
A statement of fact she couldn’t refute. “What’s the saying? ‘What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.’”
He looked back through the door. Inside, Dana was opening a vein for Keith, and Keith—she could only hope he showed common sense.
Will touched his knee to hers. “You know, there’s something to be said for not forcing people into hurting others in the name of honesty.”
“In other words, I shouldn’t have pushed you into hurting me. Thing is, I was pretty cocky back then. I didn’t believe you would turn me down. Or that I would be hurt.”
“Dana’s taken the bigger risk, then, because she’s well aware what could happen. And the thing is, Krista, not everybody’s as tough as you.”
She twisted to get a better look at him. Not even a glimmer of the famous Claverley smile. “Me tough? You’re crazy.”
“You call yourself a flake because you walk away from things you no longer want. That’s courage, Krista. Hardest thing about riding bronc is the dismount. That’s when the majority of injuries happen. There’s no avoiding it for us riders, but people will go through life getting bucked around and not having the nerve to break free. You’re not one of those people, and that’s a good thing.”
Krista felt winded. Will Claverley, bronc rider champion, thought she was brave. “Oh. I—thank you.” The corner of his mouth turned up. A very kissable corner. She gave herself a mental shake. “But Dana has it in her, too. To be brave.”
“I’m more worried about my brother. Macey bucked him off hard. He’s back on his feet, but definitely not back in the saddle.” He paused. “How about you? After that Toronto guy, are you back in the saddle?”
Was he wondering if she was dating again? “I’m on my feet, maybe, but I’m not dating.”
The other side of his mouth kicked up. “For real, anyway.”
Enough of the hot seat. “What about you? I take it you’re not dating anyone seriously?”
“Not at all, actually.” He grew interested in gravel she was scuffing around. “I kind of made up my mind to find someone I could picture for the long-term.”
“You’re looking for a wife?”
“You could say that.”
Of course, he would be. He was sharing his plans with her because that’s what friends, totally unsuited romantically for each other, do. “Oh.”
“That was always my plan, you know. Have my rodeo career and then carry on at the ranch.”
“Is that...what you want?”
“What I’ve always wanted. That’s why I didn’t think it would work between us in high school. You’d be off sooner rather than later, and I knew I wasn’t going anywhere.”
Krista laughed to show how little his rejection had hurt, how his current pursuit of a serious girlfriend mattered nothing to her. “I was only asking you out, Will. Not to marry me.”
He turned to face her. “Maybe. But even then I realized dating you would be way more intense than I could handle, and I didn’t trust myself to land the dismount.” He twined his finger around one of her curls. “I admit sometimes I wonder if it might’ve been worth it.”
She fought to draw a full breath, though it came out like a gasp. “We both know I’d make a lousy wife.”
“You might be right about that.” Well, she had wanted honesty. His hand fell from her hair. He stood, tugging her up with him. “You and me might not work, but how about we go inside and see if we can get my stubborn brother to hang on for the full count?”
* * *
DANA WAITED FOR Keith’s response. Had she misread the situation entirely? Anything was possible, and in this case it was as if her horse had balked at the first barrel.
At her question, Keith had turned sharply to her, shock and disappointment on his face. He looked away. Fiddled with his phone, stared hard in the direction of the bar, watched the whirling, twisting dancers. Dana’s insides jolted downward.
She couldn’t back out now. She’d have to sit here and let him give her the no-can-do speech.
He finally faced he
r. Well, her hair. “I’d say you could do better, Dana. You are better. You know my life. I work all day, and then I’m a dad the rest of the time. I’m pushing thirty and live at home. You shouldn’t settle.”
He was giving her the old “It’s not you, it’s me” letdown. She picked at the label on her bottle. “I’m not settling.”
“And you can do a lot better than a rodeo guy. Will has told me stories about what they’ll do on the road. Don’t sell yourself short.”
Where was that coming from? “I’m not—”
But Keith was on a roll. “I’ve always wondered why Will didn’t snap you up.”
“He tried. I said I only wanted to be friends.”
Keith glared at the door Will and Krista had left through. “When was this?”
“A few weeks back.”
“And now he’s hooked up with Krista. A rebound.”
Dana was relieved he’d steered the conversation to Krista and Will again. “I don’t think it’s a rebound.”
“She’s entirely unsuitable to be his wife. It won’t last more than the summer, I bet. So long as he doesn’t—” Keith broke off, but Dana mentally finished it. So long as he doesn’t get her pregnant. That was what happened with Macey. Keith had married her, a quick slapdash affair that everyone had attended, plastering on smiles and not bothering with extended warranties on the gifts.
“Krista’s caught up with her business. I don’t anticipate problems there.” Then again, what kind of relationship expert was she? She’d just let her own heart get stomped on. She picked up her cooler and drained the contents in one go. When she lowered the bottle, Keith was frowning at her.
“You’ve not had too many of those, have you?”
He was giving her an out. Blame it on the alcohol and save both of them embarrassment.
“Probably. Didn’t sleep much last night. And big day today. Didn’t eat much. I should...let you go home.”
“If you don’t mind...”
“Sure. Go.” Before she ruined Krista’s makeup and started bawling right here, right now.
She waited until he disappeared through the doorway before beelining for the bar.
On her way across the floor, she spied Will and Krista slipping back in. Krista spotted her, waved and started toward her. But Will caught her arm. Good move. Right now, as unfair as it was, she couldn’t stand the sight of pretty Krista. Or Keith’s brother, for that matter.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Where are you?
WILL’S TEXT CHIRPED as Krista turned into the long driveway of the Claverley Ranch. She was supposed to have been at the ranch an hour ago but a chatty client proved hard to shoo out, and then she’d had to dash to her apartment, throw on something a girlfriend of a rodeo champion would wear before hustling out there.
The suspension on her low-riding car took a beating as she bounced along the freshly mowed land between the arena and road, now functioning as a parking lot for a hundred or so vehicles. Friday night and Spirit Lake’s top-ranking outdoor summer show was set to get underway. Top-ranking according to Alyssa’s buzz, anyway, which glossed over the town’s jazz festival, youth festival, sailing festival, beach volleyball playoffs—all of which Krista had attended instead of the rodeo when she’d lived in Spirit Lake. A rodeo featured wild horses and mean bulls and rocks-for-brains cowboys.
Yet here she was, picking her way across a mosquito-thick pasture to be with one of those cowboys. And kind of excited. She’d not seen much of Will in the past two weeks. They’d made their plans via text or quick calls. She’d seen him only once when he’d dropped off boots Laura had wanted her to have. White and studded silver with intricate rainbow threading, they were on her feet right now as she texted: I’m here. Where are you?
East end of arena by the gates.
Wherever that was. She’d walk to the arena and ask someone.
Families with blankets and lawn chairs were forming a settlement on the sunny grass slope opposite the covered bleachers. It might make a decent weekend outing for Jack, Bridget and the girls. She sent Bridget a photo, as Keith came along on a horse big as a hill with Austin tucked in front of him on the saddle.
And this, Krista thought, is why farms ranked high for accidents. Though she couldn’t deny that Austin seemed totally at ease up there in the curve of his dad’s arm.
Keith slowed to a stop. “Here to meet Will?”
“On my way to him now. Uh, which end of the arena is east? Asking for a friend.”
To his credit, he kept a straight face as he pointed to the other end. “He’s there in the big white hat.”
So he was, and she noticed there were already a couple of pretty little things within arm’s reach of him. She also noticed Alyssa on his other side.
“I better beetle on over there.”
“Ready to be Will’s girl?” Keith didn’t crack a smile. In fact, he sounded as if she were lowering herself onto a bull.
“Sure. How hard can it be?”
“Not bad. Saturday’s the peak period.” As if buckle bunnies were an infestation.
“I’ll slap them down.”
He grinned, the wide Claverley smile that came straight from Dave and the four generation of Claverleys that had called this land theirs. It was a living Claverley heirloom, and while Krista thought Will wore it better, Keith was a contender. “That’s what Dana used to say.”
“She here?” Krista kept it casual, unsure if Keith knew she’d encouraged Dana to reveal her feelings.
“Not yet.” He adjusted Austin’s baseball cap against the sun. “She usually comes for the barrel racing. Dana won every year before she retired a couple of years ago.” His pride in her was unmistakable. You didn’t feel pride for someone you didn’t care about. Maybe there was still hope, if Keith shaped up.
Austin pushed up on his cap, twisted to gaze up at his dad. “Dana?”
Keith couldn’t have looked more surprised than if his horse had talked. “He said, ‘Dana,’ didn’t he?”
“Loud and clear.”
Keith’s arm tightened around Austin. “Good work, son. Your first word.”
“First word? Wow. That’s something to celebrate.” Krista felt an upwelling of pride herself, and she hardly knew the little guy. “You’ll have to tell Dana.”
Keith played with the reins. “I guess.”
“It will make her day.” It would also give Keith a reason to contact Dana. If he was searching for one.
Krista’s phone chimed. Can you see me?
“I better go. Will’s antsy.”
She left Keith frowning at his phone. Tell her, she silently urged.
* * *
THE TWO BUCKLE BUNNIES had edged alongside Will as Krista arrived, their skirts high and their tops low. They looked like twins, or else they shopped at the same place and shared the same makeup. Alyssa glared at them.
Time for her to step up. She skimmed her hand across his lower back, lifted his arm and ducked underneath. “Hey there.”
He grimaced. Had she played it up too much? They hadn’t talked specifics but some physical contact made sense. He squeezed her shoulder and tucked her closer to his side. Ha! Krista flashed a smile at the girls.
But then Will’s arm slipped down to her waist in a loose hold. Very loose. Well, his choice. Out in the arena, a performer was defying gravity on her horse. She was extended sideways from the saddle, long golden hair streaming out as her horse galloped around the perimeter of the arena. The crowd in the stands and on the grassy slope opposite whistled and clapped. As horse and rider passed in a rush of muscle, pounding hooves and sequins, Krista joined in the applause.
She was about to remark on the act when she noticed tension around Will’s mouth and eyes, like a horse had backed onto his foot and he was determined not to react. “What’s up?”
He rested his b
oot on the bottom rail. “I’m good.” He added, his lips grazing her cheek, “Glad you’re here.”
Nobody could’ve heard him, so why say it? His attention pivoted to the equine goddess who was now standing on one leg atop her cantering horse. “Will. Do you know the main difference between her and me?”
“What?”
“Everything.”
There, his mouth softened. “I’m up next on the stage,” he said. “They’re about to make an announcement about the ride I’m doing tomorrow.” He patted his pocket. “I’m supposed to say something.”
“Ah. And you’d rather ride a bull that throws you into a pit of hungry boars while under attack from murder hornets.”
“Something like that.”
“What are you supposed to talk about?”
“The reason for the ride, and then to ask people to open their wallets. ‘Call to action’ it’s called. Alyssa’s written something up for me.”
Of course Alyssa would’ve micromanaged Will’s every step. “Hold on to the mic like you would the leather strap thingy and read right to the end.”
Will’s lips were twitching like an invisible butterfly kept landing there. His hand on her waist tightened. She leaned in. All part of the act. “You’ll rock this. Just be—”
“Yourself. Speak from the heart, right?”
“Speaking of speaking, Austin said his first word. I heard it myself.”
Will finally broke into a full smile. “Is that right? What was it?”
“Dana.”
His smile faded. “How did that go over?”
“I left Keith staring at his phone, deciding whether or not to text Dana with the news.”
“And let me guess. You suggested to him that he should.”
“It’s big news! Wouldn’t you want to know if Austin had said your name?”
She wouldn’t get her answer because Alyssa tapped his arm. “Time to go.”
Will did that lip-grazing-cheek thing again. “You’ll wait here?”
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