Mia nodded, wondering if he’d tell her the details. What job had gotten Vanessa excited enough to leave him? What had she said when she’d done it? And something else that was a little less personal. “How long ago was this?”
“Little over three years ago.” He moved back to the bench, sitting closer this time. “You and I barely know each other, but …” He let the word drift off, and a swirl of tantalizing sparks flittered between them. Mia pulled in a deep breath, basking in it for a moment.
Hunter cleared his throat. “I guess there’s a lot of doubt rising in my head about the possibilities between us. Which is stupid, because I don’t even know if you’re interested.” He stood up again, began to pace across the slatted wood. Back and forth. Back and—
“I am,” she admitted.
He stopped, looked at her over one shoulder.
It felt like every cell in her body had broken into dance.
A small smile spread over his face—music to the dancing within her—as a spark of interest flared in his green eyes. “I’ve got an idea.”
“Okay,” she said cautiously.
“I know it’s late, but do you wanna go someplace?”
“Right now?”
“Right now,” he said with a nod.
She glanced down at her bare feet. “Do I need shoes?”
“Unless you’d like me to carry you, which I wouldn’t mind, actually.”
She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and laughed. “I’ll go grab some shoes.”
Mia felt very much like a teenager, carefree and reckless, as they headed down the dirt road. Stars—the kind she’d only seen while camping in the mountains—decorated the dark sky, the vast view enhancing the moment. Alone time between them—in small doses—had proven powerful so far. And now, with the rest of the world sleeping, their possibilities were as endless as the stars.
“Your turn,” Hunter said. “What’s your story?”
She blinked a few times, taken off guard by his question. “Like, my dating story?”
He nodded.
Mia glanced out the window, eying the ranch house as they passed. She didn’t have a whole lot to share, but what she did have was fairly personal. Did she dare open up to him about it?
“C’mon, now,” Hunter urged. “I shared with you.”
She nodded. Yes, he had, but that didn’t stop the immense dread that pooled into her blood. “Okay,” she said. “Let’s see … I dated a few guys in high school, but I didn’t get serious with anyone until college. His name’s Daniel. We didn’t get married, but we were close. We looked at rings, talked about dates, but …” Ugh, was there a rewind button someplace? Not only did Mia wish she could undo her past with Daniel, she wanted to rewind the last few seconds and not open her mouth about him.
“But what?” Hunter prompted.
“Well,” she said, “I met his parents.”
Hunter chuckled out loud. “That bad, huh?”
“It’s not how it sounds. He took me to their place. They had a catering service come in, provide a five-course meal, and just as they bring out the soup, his mother says, ‘Daniel tells me you dropped out of school to pursue some homemade TV show.’”
Hunter groaned. “That’s horrible.”
“Very,” she agreed. “As you can imagine, that was a seriously long night. But it was an important one, because it gave me the chance to see what my future might have looked like had we actually gotten married: grim. Not just because his parents were snobs, but because Daniel didn’t do a thing about it. In fact, when I confronted him on the way home—after a seriously hellish night—he started asking questions of his own. Saying that maybe his mom had a point. And did I really expect to introduce myself at parties as someone who runs some low-budget home internet show?”
“Ouch. What a creep.”
Mia was sure that a lot of people might echo that sentiment, but she couldn’t help but enjoy the fact that Hunter was the one who’d said it.
“So that was the beginning of the end?” he asked.
She nodded, her gaze stuck on the dimly lit dashboard. “Exactly.” She could leave it there. Hunter seemed satisfied enough. But she’d come this far, might as well get to the crux of it. To the dark spot in the corner of her heart. “A lot of people in the public eye say they’d like to meet someone who doesn’t know who they are or what they do. I’m far from famous, so it’s probably a dumb comparison, but I’m starting to think along the opposite lines. I don’t want to waste my time with someone like Daniel. Or anyone who feels the way my dad does where it comes to the vlog.”
“That makes sense,” Hunter said. “They should respect what you do.”
“It goes deeper than that. My dad used to say that no guy would want a woman who was funnier than he was. That comedy was more of a guy thing. So I couldn’t tell if he hated the vlog because he thought it was a foolish business choice, or if he hated it because it showed too much of my personality.”
He flinched like the words had teeth. “You don’t think he likes your personality?”
Saying it hadn’t felt good; hearing it felt even worse. Mia shrugged. “I’m totally myself while I film. So having my dad belittle the show or discourage me from putting it out there … it’s hurtful. When I filmed for Kyle, it was some praiseworthy thing in his mind, since I was trying to keep his spirits up during the treatments. He’d tell friends, family, coworkers. But once I started putting things out there on my own, in an attempt to make a living at it, he was ashamed.
“It made me want to hide that side of me. You know, when I was on a date or talking to a guy … I’d bite back any humorous remark or snarky comment. I’d just shut my mouth and let him make the jokes, and then laugh when he rose to the occasion with some half-witted line.” Her words dripped with resentment; even Mia could see that. “The stupid thing is, I actually thought he’d be proud of me and what I was doing. I wanted that from Daniel, too. I know it’s lame, but part of me wants Daniel to regret it, you know?”
Hunter laughed, surprising her. “Oh, I know. I want Vanessa to regret it, too. Even still. I don’t want her back, but I want her to want me back.”
“Exactly!” Mia felt the same for the most part. A damaged part of her kind of did want Daniel back, but it had more to do with gaining something she’d lost, something she cared for at the time. Not that she cared for him a whole lot now. The fact was, he wasn’t the most admirable person.
“Have you dated anyone since?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“Huh.” Hunter slowed as he steered down a long, wide road, rolled down his window at a set of sliding gates, and reached into his pocket. He opened his wallet, pulled out a card, and scanned it over a small box out the driver’s side. The metal gates pulled apart, allowing them to drive onto the property.
“Is this the fairgrounds?” she asked, wondering what they could possibly be doing there.
“Yes. Would you be surprised to hear I’ve worked here on occasion?”
Her eyes widened. “Yes, actually. No, wait. You’ve competed, right? In the rodeo?”
“Yeah, but besides that.” When she remained quiet, he elaborated. “I’ve done some announcing at the local rodeos.”
“You’re kidding.”
His grin was a stampede over her heart. “Nope. Not the finals or anything. I just fill in on the local ones from time to time.”
“Huh.” Why did this somehow add to Hunter’s attraction? She was a sucker for cowboys, and she hadn’t even known it.
“Anyway,” he said, “I thought it’d be fun to show you around a little bit. While we’re off camera, that is.”
“I’d love that.” Things suddenly made more sense to her: the way Hunter had seemed so natural while explaining the sprinkler repair. Many people choked up as soon as the camera’s record button flashed red, requiring several takes for each scene. But it turned out he’d had a turn or two of being center stage. At least with that husky voice of his.
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He pulled to a stop, the headlights illuminating parts of a large arena. “I’ll get your door for you.”
Her first instinct was to tell him not to bother, but she quickly changed her mind. No need to stop people from doing a kind deed. Especially when a man wanted to act like a gentleman.
Guided by the light of his phone screen, he led her to a small building where he used a key to open an electric box. With the click of a few circuits, the area glowed to life. Bright blue bars surrounded the entire corral, displaying banners advertising things like jeans and drinks and even a country store she’d visited the other day. The dirt center was like a promise of what would come. Hopes. Dreams. Possibilities for those who competed.
“Awesome,” she breathed.
He chuckled under his breath. “Yep. Come here.” He used another key to enter a small building. Concessions, she realized as Hunter flicked on a light.
An array of candy, chips, and nuts was stored in bins beneath a large counter top. The selling window was closed, of course, but Mia could see where it opened. She imagined a busy day at the rodeo where parents and kids alike loaded up on goodies. The idea charmed her, reminded her of the time she’d come as a little girl.
“What would you like?” he asked, removing his wallet from his pocket once more. He pulled out a stack of ones, and glanced up at her.
“Really? You’re just going to leave some money here for them?”
He nodded. “I know the lady who runs this. She won’t mind a bit.”
“Okay.” A bag of spicy Cheetos stood out to her then, so she grabbed that and a bar of chocolate.
Hunter grabbed a few treats of his own, along with two bottles of water. He counted out the bills, tucked them beneath an old-fashioned register, and nodded for the door. “Would you mind twisting that lock?”
“Not at all.”
Tall lights buzzed as she followed him over the matted dirt past a set of pens. “What do you call these things? Where the rider waits on their animal before going out there?”
“A bucking chute,” he said. “And this up here is the announcer’s stand.” Hunter led her up a set of stairs to a small, white box set up off the ground.
He surprised her by walking to the front of the structure, leaning into the window, and placing his things on a countertop just inside. He proceeded to climb in through it before turning to her. “My lady.” Now standing inside the box, Hunter held his hand out to her. “I could open the door for you if you’d like, but that’d just be boring.”
Mia grinned, reached in to set her treats on the counter, and then took his hand. This side of the building—the one facing the arena—had the top half of the structure cut right out, revealing a complete view of the action.
Hunter dragged a barstool over to her once she was in, and Mia lowered herself onto it, keeping her eyes pasted on the sight. He sank down next to her, propping his boots on a metal bar under the counter.
She grinned. “So this is where the announcer magic happens, huh? Do you have to talk fast and loud the whole time? Keep everyone interested in the action?”
Hunter laughed and shook his head. “I guess. Ever been to a rodeo?”
“Yes,” she said. “My grandpa brought us when we were young. In fact, my grandma was alive during the time, so we came with both of them. It was awesome.”
“Yeah,” he mumbled. “The first one I ever went to was with my dad. We were in Texas, so there were plenty around. Big ones, too. I think part of the reason I liked it so much was because we were actually spending time together, which was rare. Think he bought season tickets that summer, probably something my mom forced on him. But he didn’t seem bothered at first that I’d taken such an interest. My mom even decorated my room in western stuff. Painted a big barn door on one of my walls. Placed silhouettes of horses along the other. She even mounted a used rope next to the window.”
“That sounds darling.” Mia envisioned doing a similar theme with her own son one day, if she had a boy that liked that kind of thing. She couldn’t help but hope that she would.
“I remember thinking we’d go to the rodeos every year from that point on, but when the next year came around, Dad was already trying to get me involved in other things. It was like he thought rodeo was beneath me or something. Not civilized enough, maybe. I don’t know.”
Mia considered that. “Hmm. So you liked it so much in the beginning because of him, then ended up pursuing it despite your father and his wishes.”
“Basically.” He tore open his packet of Skittles and tossed a few in his mouth.
Dang, he was intriguing. Mia reached for one of the water bottles on the counter and twisted the lid off. “So are you going to show me what you’ve got?” she asked after taking a drink.
“Sure.” He gave her a brief rundown of how it worked. Each rider had a number. Each bull had a name. And both rider and bull came with a history. An interesting tidbit about the bull. A possible record broken by the rider.
Mia cracked open her snacks while he described the procedure, watching as he dug into a box of equipment to pull out a tabletop microphone.
“This is for effect,” he said. “You’ll just have to imagine that it’s hooked up to the sound system.”
Her eyes went wide with anticipation. She liked the way he looked with that mic up to his grinning lips. He was at home.
Hunter ran a hand through that gorgeous hair of his, tousling the dark, wavy strands, then scooted the barstool back and shot to a stand. “Next up we have number fifty-three, Nathan Littleton, riding a real arm jerker, Mad Dog Morris. Nate recently had shoulder surgery, which kept him from competing last year, but now he’s in tip-top shape and ready to rock this rodeo! Let’s hear a big cheer for Nathan Littleton.”
Mia stood to her feet and threw her hands over her head as she cheered. “Wow,” she said, grinning over at him. “That was impressive. You’re good.”
He flashed her a grin, but then his face turned serious. “Uh-oh. We’ve got a new contestant in the ring tonight, folks. Ms. Daisy Lou Mia from MyChannel’s hit vlogging show, Try My Life. Despite adamant warnings from myself and everyone else who knows her, she’s determined to ride our meanest, toughest, roughest bull of the pack, Jack Hammer.”
Mia tipped her head back and laughed out loud. Thank heavens she wasn’t as foolish as that.
“Now she might not stay on, and she might even come away maimed, but let’s go ahead and give her a warm country welcome all the same, folks. On your feet, let’s hear it for Daisy Lou!” He belted the name, dragging it on as if he’d announced the name of a world champ.
Mia cheered like Elvis had just entered the arena. She reached over and took the mic from Hunter and put it up to her lips. “The bull is loose, Daisy’s holding on. Holding on. Still holding on. I’ve never seen any woman hold on this long, folks. Five seconds more and she hits the world record. Give her a cheer, everyone. Four. Three. Two. One. A new world record, by the one and only Daisy Lou Mia!”
This time Hunter cheered, a wide smile on his face. “That’s my girl!” He wrapped his arms around her, lifted her off the ground, and spun in place. “Can’t believe you beat a world record.”
She chuckled. “Me neither.”
Hunter placed her back on her feet and took a step back. His eyes met hers, their depths carrying enough heat to light the entire arena ablaze.
It felt as if her heart had climbed onto a wild bull now, the rapid bucking causing her breath to catch. Adrenaline rushed through her limbs in a hot, continuous wave, infusing her with anticipation. Bliss.
This was no hurried encounter in a hidden nook as the ranch hands pursued them. This was a moment all their own. And Mia planned to enjoy each part.
The slow glance over Hunter’s lips as he licked them.
The feel of his strong hand around her hip.
The unhurried lead-in was enticing. Exciting. And more than she could have imagined. She basked in the rapture of it as Hunter lowered his he
ad.
“Mia,” he murmured.
A whimper was all she could muster in response. That, and the acceptance of him as he pressed his mouth to hers in a slow, warm kiss. And then another. Mmm. The coaxing movement of his lips, the alluring touch of his tongue. Even better than she remembered. Better than any kiss she’d ever had, in fact.
She and Hunter had been born in different places; they’d spent their lives apart up to now, but this—this was the very connection people sought. And when they found it, they didn’t let go.
Who could’ve guessed her night would end up like this? Rocks thrown at her window. And now a kiss from the man who’d owned her thoughts since they’d first met, for better or worse.
Hunter cradled her face as he ended the kiss, one last series of tempting touches and Skittle-sweet tastes. He brought the back of her hand to his lips next, kissed it, then slid his fingers through hers. “Thanks for coming with me tonight.”
“Thanks for inviting me.”
“Having you do this with me, with no cameras rolling … It means a lot.”
Mia nodded, realizing that—after having a woman leave him for what he deemed a similar profession—something like this would mean a lot. “I really enjoyed it too. Now let’s go sit out on the bleachers and take in the stars.”
He grinned. Perhaps it was only in Mia’s mind, but she detected a hint of regret in that grin.
Hunter leaned in, his expression softening before he gave her a quick peck on the lips. “Sounds good.”
Chapter 13
“Hey, guys, and welcome to Day 5 of our special week-long Montana ranch adventure. I’m here again with one of my favorite people in all the world, my Grandpa Reynolds. Tell these lovely folks what we’re going to do today, Gramps.” Mia grinned over at him, glad she had the hat to keep the sun out of her eyes. Hunter’s hat this time, and boy, did she like the idea of that. It felt like the high school equivalent of wearing a guy’s letterman jacket.
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