It would pass. It had to. He really did like having Devon as a friend, and he wasn’t willing to jeopardize that.
“Well, there are good women in the world, too,” he said, realizing he’d let several seconds tick by. “My mom and you come to mind.”
“I’m honored to be in the same company as your mom.”
It seemed everything that came out of Devon’s mouth made him like her even more. And thinking about her mouth led to other thoughts...
He slid his chair back and stood. When he reached for the dirty dishes, Devon grabbed his wrist.
“No, I’ll clean up.”
“I don’t mind.”
“I do. You cooked, so I’ll clean. House rule.”
He looked at her offer as the opportunity he needed to leave before he made a mistake he couldn’t take back.
“Okay. I need to get going anyway.”
“Yeah, your mom probably thinks you got lost.”
Devon walked him to the door, and he had to force himself not to think about kissing her good-night. He told himself it was just because he hadn’t been with a woman in months, nothing more. But when she smiled at him, he was afraid it was more than that.
Oh, hell.
Chapter Nine
Devon rearranged the display of candles again, decided she didn’t like it and put it back the way it was. Something just wasn’t right.
“You know you’ve changed those at least a dozen times today, every time you walk past them,” Mandy said.
“Something about the way they look is bugging me.”
“That’s not what’s bugging you.”
Devon looked at her best friend. “What do you mean?”
“You haven’t talked to Cole in a couple of days, and you’ve gotten more fidgety by the hour.”
“That’s not true.”
“Who knows you better than anyone?”
Devon opened her mouth to say...something, but the words didn’t form. Instead, she simply said, “You.”
“Bingo.”
Devon sighed. “I don’t want to feel this way about him because I know it can’t go anywhere.”
“Are you sure about that? I mean, he spent the entire day at your house the other day, kissed you just to help convince your mom that you and he are a genuine thing.”
“It wasn’t a real kiss.”
“And the all-day–hang-out session?”
Devon walked past Mandy toward the front counter. “Just friends hanging out. Believe me, there’s nothing there.”
“Fine,” Mandy said as she followed. “Then you need to find someone who will be the real thing.”
“Please tell me you’re not going to set me up, too.”
“Nope, but I think you should try online dating. It’ll expand your pool of possibilities outside Blue Falls, and maybe you’ll find that Mr. Right who’ll make you forget about Cole Davis.”
Devon couldn’t imagine that happening, though it would certainly alleviate a lot of the twisted-up feelings that had taken up residence in her middle. The day at home with Cole had been great, beginning to end. But now she wondered how wise it had been to allow him to stay considering Mandy was right. With each hour that went by with not a peep from Cole, her heart hurt a little more.
Seemed Cole wasn’t the only one who fell for the wrong person.
Deciding that she didn’t want to be the type of woman who pined away for an unrequited love, she pulled the laptop in front of her and started comparing dating sites.
“You’re really going to do it?” Mandy asked, obviously surprised.
“It was your suggestion.”
“And I thought it would take a lot more arm-twisting.”
“I feel like taking a big step outside of my comfort zone before I think about it too much and talk myself out of it.”
“Who are you, and what have you done with my best friend?”
Devon stuck her tongue out at Mandy. “Don’t you have work to do?”
“Nope, all caught up. You’re paying me to stand around and bug you mercilessly.”
“Good to know. Well, make yourself useful and help me set up a profile so I don’t sound like a desperate old maid.”
They spent the next several minutes checking out the various sites before she settled on one. Next came creating a profile that was appealing but also honest.
Mandy was in the midst of taking several pictures of Devon for the profile when the front door opened and Cole walked in. Why did he always have to look so good that it made Devon’s heart feel as if a colony of butterflies had invaded her chest? Why did he have to be a confirmed bachelor?
“Oh, perfect timing,” Mandy said and stepped up beside him, phone in hand. “Which of these photos of Devon do you think is most appealing to guys?”
“Mandy,” Devon said, trying to hide her horror at what her best friend was doing.
“What?” Mandy tried to look all innocent, but Devon knew her well enough to see the well-meaning deviousness in her friend’s eyes. “You make an online dating profile, you need a picture that will draw guys’ attention. Cole is a guy. We need his perspective.”
Devon wanted to go hide in the stockroom until Cole left. Then she might actually pack up and leave Blue Falls from the embarrassment.
“Online dating?” Cole said, sounding surprised.
Devon had to remind herself that she was not hearing any sort of resistance to the idea of her move toward online dating. But the way he looked at her, even for just a moment, made her wonder.
But then he took the phone and started scrolling through the photos. “I guess this means I’m getting dumped.”
He laughed a little, but it seemed as if it was a bit forced.
No, that was her hopeful imagination again, which told her that she was making the right move. Sure, she’d have to live with her mother’s “I told you so” about Cole not being right for her for the rest of her life, but that had to be better than losing her heart to a man who wouldn’t be giving his to her.
Deciding to joke right back, she said, “It’s been fun, but a girl’s got to have some variety.”
Mandy barked out a laugh, and Cole responded with only a lifted eyebrow before going back to looking at the photos on Mandy’s phone.
Devon tried not to fidget as Cole seemed to consider each photo carefully. Was he thinking they were all terrible? That she was making a mistake? She couldn’t help but wish that he might not want her to sign up for online dating because he wanted to be with her, but he’d said nothing of the sort, done nothing that would give her hope beyond what was probably just her imagination.
When he suddenly stepped forward toward the counter, Devon startled so much she almost fell off her stool.
“You okay?” Cole asked when her gaze met his.
“Uh, yeah. Foot slipped.”
He smiled the slightest bit, and for a moment, she thought that maybe he could tell she was lying and why.
Cole extended the phone to her rather than Mandy. “This one. Shows your personality best.”
“I’m not sure that guys who go onto dating profiles are overly concerned with personality.”
“Then you don’t want to date them.”
Devon’s breath caught for a minute as her mind searched for an appropriate response. “Physical attraction is important to a relationship. It shouldn’t be everything, of course, but it can’t be discounted.”
Thus her intense attraction to Cole, which was only strengthened as she got to know him and the type of man he’d become.
“I’m going to go grab some lunch from the Primrose,” Mandy said. “Anyone want anything?”
Devon shifted her attention to Mandy, silently screaming, “What are you doing? You got me in
this mess, now get me out!”
“I’m good,” Cole said.
“Not hungry,” Devon managed while silently promising to get Mandy back later.
Mandy grabbed her purse, shot Devon a smile Cole couldn’t see, and headed out the door.
Once she was gone, Cole leaned his forearms on the counter. “So, was this your idea or Mandy’s?”
“Little of both.”
“Your mom still giving you trouble?”
She shook her head. “No more than normal. It’s just...well, I’m not getting any younger. I really appreciate how you’ve helped me out, but I’m ready to find someone for real.”
If only the man she’d already found felt the same way.
“Take your time, and be careful. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
He couldn’t know how much his words touched her heart, how much she’d love to place her palm against his cheek and tell him how he’d come to mean a great deal to her. Instead, she smiled a little and said, “Thanks.”
“I brought you the sculpture you requested.”
The abrupt change in subject caught her off guard, and it took a moment for her brain to switch gears. “Oh. Great.”
He nodded toward the door. “Come on.”
She followed him out onto the sidewalk and gasped when she saw the six-foot-tall metal sculpture made to look like a bouquet of flowers. Her thoughts went back to the day they’d gone to the rodeo, how she’d teasingly asked him if bouquets delivered to her door were going to be part of the fake-dating scenario. Had he remembered that? And if so, could this beautiful metal bouquet mean anything other than she’d asked for a sculpture and he’d happened to have this one on hand?
“It’s beautiful.” She ran her fingertips along one of the petals. “I don’t remember seeing it before.”
“Probably because I made it last night.”
Her attention shot to him. “You made this in one night?”
He shrugged. “Couldn’t sleep.”
She turned her attention back to the sculpture, noting all the amazing detail considering it was basically made of old junk.
“You like it?”
“I love it. I’ll be sad when it sells. I mean, happy for you, of course, but sad to see it go.”
“It’s not for sale.”
Her heart skipped a beat as she turned her gaze back to Cole. “But you have to make money on your sculptures.”
“I will, hopefully, but this one is a gift.”
She shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
“Can’t a guy give a friend a gift?”
“Sure, but this is too much.”
“If it makes you feel better, having it sitting here in front of your shop might draw some business for me.”
She thought about it for a moment, finally accepting the amazing gift because it could be great publicity for his fledgling artistic endeavors.
“Thank you. It’s...” She swallowed against sudden tears she simply couldn’t show him. “It’s the most wonderful gift anyone has ever given me.”
“Good. Now I don’t feel so bad asking for a favor.”
She laughed. “Oh, so not so much a gift as payment, huh?”
“No, it’s yours no matter if you grant the favor or not.”
Devon turned toward him and crossed her arms. “Okay, out with it.”
“I need a partner for the Canoe Fest on Saturday.”
“You signed up without a partner?”
“Correction, my mom signed the two of us up. I just found out about it over breakfast this morning.”
Devon knew that if she was going to begin distancing her heart from this man, she should say no. The idea of riding around the lake with him in a canoe was a bad idea, even if it was to raise money for a good cause, helping people struggling to pay medical bills while promoting exercise as a health benefit.
She must have hesitated too long in responding because Cole said, “Come on, what do you say to one last fake date before you find Mr. Right?”
“Sure.” She forced the single word out before the lump rising in her throat could prevent it. “The anniversary celebration will be over by then, so it’ll be nice to have a day away from the shop.”
And one last outing with Cole before she nixed their pretend romance.
* * *
SEVERAL TIMES ON the way home, Cole found himself gripping his steering wheel much harder than necessary. It shouldn’t matter to him that Devon was looking to start the dating game for real, but it did. He tried telling himself that it was because, as he’d claimed, he was concerned about the kind of men she’d meet, that they’d treat her well. But a voice that refused to be silenced kept telling him to stop lying to himself. He liked Devon, more than he should. If he’d known his traitorous feelings would head in this direction, he never would have offered to help her out with her mom, at least not by pretending to date her.
When he reached the ranch, he pulled through one of the gates into the pasture and headed toward a small cluster of trees. He pulled up and shoved the truck into Park and got out to deposit a salt lick for the cattle on the ground.
The task occupied his thoughts only for the short time it took to complete. As he slid into the driver’s seat again to head for the next drop point, those thoughts went right back to Devon and the situation he’d gotten himself into.
He was already second-guessing the wisdom of letting his mom convince him to honor the commitment she’d made on his and Devon’s behalf for the Canoe Fest. Sure, he liked the idea of canoeing around the lake with Devon. They always had a good time when they were together. But if his feelings were changing, best to just make a clean break, especially if she was looking for that happily-ever-after he no longer believed in. He didn’t want her thinking that by his hanging out with her too much there was more between them than friendship. He couldn’t allow there to be. Twice burned and all that.
When he exited the pasture an hour later and drove toward the house, his thoughts veered away from Devon when he saw the familiar pickup truck sitting next to his mom’s car.
As soon as he parked, his younger brother came sauntering out of the barn with their mom.
“Well, look what the cat dragged in,” Cole said as he pulled Cooper into a quick shoulder bump and slap on the back.
“Had to come see if what Mom has been telling me is true. Big bro done gone and became a sculptor.” Cooper grinned like he found the whole thing funny, just the type of reaction Cole had honestly feared from anyone who knew him. It was a big leap, and an unexpected one, from bull rider to artist. Devon’s glowing praise had made him forget that concern.
“One word and I’ll dunk you in a stock tank.”
“You’ll try,” Cooper said with a grin that made him popular with the ladies and always proved a pain in the butt for Cole.
“Come on, you two,” their mom said as she hooked one of her arms around Cole’s and the other around Cooper’s and led them toward the house. “I don’t get to have both of my boys home at the same time often, so you’re going to behave and make this old lady happy.”
They both gave her a grudging “Yes, ma’am” as they had when they were kids. But as they entered the house and the three of them went about pouring glasses of lemonade and sitting at the kitchen table, Cole relaxed some. It was nice to see his brother, even if he didn’t say it. Though he’d admit to himself that it stung a bit, as well, knowing that Cooper was still living the life that Cole had had to leave behind.
“So, Mom tells me you’re dating Devon Newberry. Didn’t see that one coming,” Cooper said.
Cole slowly turned his head toward his mom and gave her the stink eye. “Did she also happen to mention that Devon and I are just friends, that we’re putting on a show so her pushy mother will l
eave her alone?”
“Pretend dating? Yeah, right.”
Cole shifted his attention back to Cooper. “Yeah, right.”
Cooper lifted his hands, palms out. “Okay. Don’t be so touchy.”
Cole knew he was likely revealing too much of his changing feelings toward Devon, so he needed to change the topic.
“What about you? Who’s the latest woman on Cooper Davis’s arm?”
“In between at the moment. Got to focus on riding.”
That pang hit square in Cole’s gut again, but he acted as if it didn’t bother him. Seemed he was getting good at pretending lately.
For the rest of the day, Cole and Cooper caught up on each other’s lives as they worked together around the ranch repairing a water pump and doctoring a few head of cattle that had contracted pink eye before it spread. Despite how much he missed riding bulls himself, Cole was glad to hear Cooper was doing so well. Of course he knew that since he kept track of his brother’s results, but it was good to hear it from the man himself.
After dinner, Cole left his brother joking with their mom in the kitchen and made his way out to the barn. He hadn’t intended to work on a sculpture, but he found himself picking up a piece of metal and determining where and how to add it to the horse work in progress.
“You know I was just giving you a hard time earlier, right?” Cooper said as he ambled down the center aisle of the barn.
“About what? There’s so much to choose from.”
Cooper pointed toward the sculpture. “It’s damn good.”
Cole snorted, waiting for the inevitable punch line.
Cooper propped his arms along the outside of the stall where Cole was working. “I couldn’t picture it when Mom told me, but I’m impressed.”
“You’re not feeding me a line right now?”
“Nope, for once I’m dead serious.”
Cole looked back at the piece he’d put countless hours into. “Thanks.”
“Doesn’t mean I’m not going to tease the fire out of you about Devon.”
His brother just couldn’t help himself.
“Believe what you want, but my view on relationships hasn’t changed.”
COWBOY TAKES A WIFE, THE Page 10