“Yeah. It runs great.” He started the engine and backed out of the parking space while he clicked in his seatbelt.
“I would’ve thought you’d bought a new one by now.” Especially with the notoriety he’d gained in the rodeo world. Not that she’d followed his career that closely. She’d seen something about prizes he’d won when he’d gotten a lot of congratulations from mutual acquaintances on Instagram.
“Nah.” He kept his eyes focused on the road, carefully navigating the rutted driveway. “No reason to buy a new truck. I can’t seem to part with this one. Maybe because it was my first car. I saved up and bought it myself.”
“I thought your parents bought it for you.” She hadn’t meant to sound so surprised, but she’d assumed his parents had given it to him as a gift. They were one of the wealthier families in town, and they liked people to know it.
“Why would you think that?” He turned to look at her, amusement playing on his lips. He had to know why. His dad was a doctor who commuted to Denver. They owned one of the largest acreages in town and threw their money around every chance they got.
She decided to be diplomatic. “Your parents could’ve afforded to buy you a truck.”
“Believe it or not my parents didn’t make everything easy for me.” He turned his eyes back to the road. “We weren’t the perfect family by a long stretch.” Before she could ask him what that meant, he flicked on the radio to a country station.
“So, do you like living in California?” he asked, turning onto the highway that led to town.
The quick change of subject caught her off guard. “I guess. I mean, the ocean’s nice.” She didn’t like the crowds or the cost of everything. “I liked teaching there.” She couldn’t claim to have much of a life outside the university and her own imagination. Really, she could live anywhere as long as she could teach and spend her free time writing.
“You’re a professor now, huh?” Toby pulled the truck to a stop at the one stoplight in town. A family crossed the street in front of them, waving. Toby waved back, flashing a smile. The man obviously still knew how to turn on the charm.
Jane tried to focus. “Uh. Well, I was an adjunct, but the university doesn’t have a spot for me in the fall so they didn’t renew my contract.”
“Still. That’s pretty impressive.” He eased the truck forward through the intersection going five miles under the twenty-mile-per-hour speed limit. “Not all that surprising though. I always knew you’d be a big deal.”
Jane had to snap her mouth shut so her jaw didn’t hit the floor. “You did?” Toby Garrett always thought she would be a big deal? She almost laughed. Yeah, right. He couldn’t charm her that easily. “Whatever.”
“No, seriously,” he said, his grin fading. “Back in high school, you were…different.”
Different. It was the same word her mom had always used to describe her. Her mother had been so sure something was wrong with her. She’d worried that Jane was too withdrawn. The opposite of everything her mom had been at Jane’s age. She’d even asked the doctor about it once. Jane seems…different than most of her peers. The doctor had told her mother that everyone had different personalities and there was nothing wrong with that, but that didn’t dissuade her mother from obsessively reading parenting articles and encouraging Jane to be more social.
Toby braked at a stop sign and looked over at her. “I meant that as a compliment in case that wasn’t clear.” His eyes held her gaze.
It definitely hadn’t been clear because Toby didn’t compliment her. He’d teased her, but he’d never complimented her. They’d bickered back and forth in more than one classroom debate, but that had been the extent of their interactions. Jane didn’t even know what to say.
“You were different because you were so much smarter than everyone else. And you didn’t seem to get into all the drama and the stupid superficial things most of the girls cared about. That’s a good thing.”
Suddenly the vents felt like they were pouring out heat. “You were smart too.” And attractive. And charming. He’d pretty much had it all. Still did, apparently.
“I was never as smart as you. I only pretended to be.” Toby slid that heart-stopping grin her way. And her heart did. It stopped. She pinched the palm of her hand to get it going again. This was classic Toby. Flirting, saying whatever he had to in order to win people over. That happened to be his strength. Never mind they had this whole history he obviously wasn’t about to bring up. She wasn’t about to fall under his spell again. “Well I’m glad you can finally admit it.” She shot him her own smirk. “You were definitely never as smart as me.” Liar. He was every bit as smart as her, but she’d never let him know she thought so.
Toby laughed. “I still beat you on our AP history final.”
She was about to remind him it had only been by a half percentage point, but they drove past the library and she gasped. “What happened?” The old square brick building had been replaced with a much larger structure. “I just went to the library when I was here over Thanksgiving last year!” And now it was gone?
“They rebuilt it this spring.” Toby slowed the truck as they rolled past. “What do you think?”
“It’s beautiful.” The stone and columns and arched windows made it look like a palace. The sight made her smile. They’d taken one of her favorite places and made it even better. She’d spent so much time in the library—finding a quiet corner to cozy up with a book. Especially after her father had passed away. The librarian had finally added a beanbag chair to her favorite spot. “That must’ve cost them a fortune.” It was easily the nicest building on Main Street now.
“Some anonymous donor funded it.” He seemed to admire the entrance as they drove past.
“That had to have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.” Back when she was in school, no one had cared much about the library. It had been quiet and deserted—a true escape.
Toby simply shrugged. “Maybe. At any rate, it’s a heck of a lot better than it was when we were in school. Remember how many times they had to evacuate because the electricity used to short out?”
The memory made her smile. “At least once a week it seemed.”
“Well they’re not going to have to worry about that anytime soon,” he said, and she couldn’t help noticing the smile playing across his face. As a writer she’d made sure to build her people observation skills, and she thought she detected a hint of pride lurking behind that smile.
“So, no one knows who donated the money?”
“Nope.” He kept his eyes steady on the road. “It’s a mystery.”
Uh-huh. She’d always been good at solving mysteries, and her instincts told her Toby had had something to do with the transformation. “Hard to keep anything a mystery in this town,” she commented, still watching him. His eyes always gave him away. How did he not know that by now?
“Ethan and Beth gave the café a face-lift too.”
If that wasn’t an intentional change of subject, she didn’t know what was, but she let it go. She shouldn’t care one way or another if Toby had been involved in rebuilding the library. His involvement definitely shouldn’t create the warm stirring sensation she suddenly felt low in her belly.
The cowboy pulled the truck in front of the small storefront café that anchored one side of Main Street.
“Wow.” The library definitely wasn’t the only thing that had changed. She climbed out of his truck admiring the work Ethan and Beth had put into the café over the last several months.
“A lot of things have changed in Silverado Lake since we were kids.”
“People have changed too,” Toby said as he held open the café’s door.
The words made her pause. Had he changed? She wasn’t convinced.
Jane stepped inside the restaurant and Beth darted out from behind the long counter. “Janie! Oh my God!” Her friend flew across the room. “You’re here!”
“You bet I’m here. You’re getting married.” She returned her fri
end’s hug.
“You let your hair grow longer.” Beth pulled back to inspect her. “It looks absolutely gorgeous!”
“And you got yours cut.” She admired her friend’s cropped stylish black hair, which was held back with a colorful scarf. “I love what you’ve done with this place.”
Jane looked around. They’d taken the old rundown café Beth’s uncle had owned and made it look more like a bistro with sleek concrete floors and local artisan crafts hung on the light gray walls. She’d heard about it in Beth’s emails, but it was another thing to see all of their hard work.
“Toby came in for a weekend to help Ethan do the renovations last February.” Her friend gave Toby a grateful look. “It saved us a ton of money.”
“It was nothing.” Deflecting the praise, the man sauntered away and slid onto the bench of an empty booth near the windows.
Jane watched him go. So, he was improving things at the ranch, likely donated money to completely rebuild the library, and he’d helped Ethan build Beth’s dream café. It seemed Toby really would be lining up for sainthood soon.
“Are things okay with you two?” Beth whispered, looking as concerned as the rest of the locals in the café. “I should’ve warned you that you’d have to spend time with Toby, but I didn’t want to freak you out before you got here.”
“Things are fine.” How many times would she have to say that over the next month? She would make sure things were fine. She was a grown woman now. She could handle Toby. “That whole kiss fiasco feels like it happened a hundred years ago.” Okay, maybe not a hundred, but being back in Silverado Lake was going to require some serious exaggeration. “You don’t need to worry about me. I’m here to help you.”
“Thank God for that.” Her friend led her to the booth Toby had chosen. Jane hesitated before sliding in next to him. No big deal. Their shoulders were touching but it was no big deal.
“Thank you both so much for coming.” Beth slumped over the table as though she was ready to fall asleep. “Things have been crazy with opening the café, and I haven’t had much time to solidify the details for all the fun parties and events I promised my family.”
“Like I said, I’m here to help.” Jane sat at an awkward angle so her shoulder would stop brushing Toby’s. “Anything I can do to make this all less stressful for you, let me know.” She had two objectives in Silverado Lake—help her friend have the best wedding ever and write her damn book.
Beth signaled to the waitress. “A round of coffee, please!” The young girl nodded and hurried away. “Okay,” her friend said as though getting down to business. “The first thing I need is for you two to figure out what we should do at the wedding shower I promised my grandmother we’d have.”
Ethan approached with a tray of coffees and set them down before he slid in next to Beth. They really did make the cutest couple. Beth with her sassy black hair and colorful scarf, Ethan with his friendly face and cropped dark hair that matched his thick eyelashes. His flannel and skinny jeans even seemed to complement Beth’s adorable red maxi dress.
“What did I miss?” Ethan asked, threading an arm around his future wife.
“I was just telling them about the wedding shower,” Beth grumbled.
“Ah yes. Grandma’s party.” He pointed at Toby across the table. “Everything had better be perfect for Grandma B.”
Over the years, Jane had heard plenty of stories about Grandma B. Bernadette came from Southern money and she never let anyone forget it. According to Beth, nothing had ever been good enough for the woman. Growing up, Beth had only had to endure her presence once a year when her parents dragged her to Georgia for a visit, but she’d still managed to try to run her granddaughter’s life from a distance.
“Not to worry. We’ve got this under control.” Toby nudged Jane. “Right?”
“Sure.” She did her best to remain as casual as Toby, even with the anxiety rising. If she moved any farther away from him, she’d fall right onto the floor. “When were you thinking you wanted to have the party?”
Beth’s mouth pulled into an apologetic frown. “Grandma gets in tomorrow and she’s expecting it to be tomorrow night. I didn’t even want to have a wedding shower, but she insisted we do something for the family and friends who are traveling all the way out here early. I promised her we’d do something right after she got here but I haven’t even had time to think about it.”
“No problem,” Toby said at the same time Jane said, “Tomorrow night?”
“I know it’s last minute. It’s just been crazy around here.” Her friend picked up her coffee mug and took a long sip like it had the power to save her. “You know how I am when I’m stressed. I can’t seem to get anything done.”
Ethan rubbed his hand up and down Beth’s arm. “Not like you didn’t have anything else to worry about.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek tenderly. “Don’t worry about it, babe. Toby and Jane can handle this. They’ve always been resourceful. They’ll figure it out.”
“Uh—” Before Jane could offer practical insight on what it took to pull a party together, Toby cut her off. “We can figure it out. We’ll do it at the ranch in the old barn no one uses anymore.”
“Um, what?” He wanted to hold a classy wedding shower in the old barn? Jane was thinking something elegant with flowers and wine. Had he already forgotten about their conversation earlier?
“I’m sure the local Italian restaurant can cater it,” he went on before Jane could speak up.
“That sounds perfect.” Beth lurched over the table to hug Jane. “I knew you could pull it off!”
“We haven’t pulled anything off yet—”
“Beth!” The young waitress who’d taken their coffee order came running over. “There’s an emergency in the kitchen!”
Before she could say more, both Beth and Ethan were on their feet. “We’ll be back,” her friend called as the two of them jogged away.
“How can you look so calm right now?” Jane asked Toby. “We have one day to plan a huge party. What about decor? Music?” They’d have to gather the supplies they could find locally, not to mention make guest lists and invitations. “And the old barn? Seriously?” That’s where her mother had always stored the ATVs and maintenance equipment.
“It’s rustic, but it’s a stunning building.” Toby sipped his coffee donning a thoughtful expression. “Your mother emptied it out a few months ago and I’ve been cleaning it up. It won’t take much more to get it in shape.”
Jane almost laughed. Typical Toby. He never hesitated to take on a project or challenge, but he didn’t exactly think through the details either.
“We’ll work together. It’ll be great.”
That playful smile of his would not convince her so easily. “But—”
“Sorry.” Beth rushed over. “One of our line cooks got burned. I have to step in and cook while Ethan takes him to the clinic.”
“It’s fine. We’ve got this,” Toby assured her.
“Okay. Thank you.” She started to walk away. “My parents gave me a credit card for all the wedding expenses. I’ll bring it over to the ranch later tonight. I’m so excited about the shower!”
“Me too!” Jane forced out a smile. They had no choice but to do a barn party. She highly doubted they’d be able to find another venue on such short notice. “Don’t worry about a thing! Leave it all to us.” She tried to crush the sudden anxiety with another gulp of coffee. The way Toby kept looking at her, the way he acted like they were part of some unstoppable team was freaking her out. Just how much time would she and Toby have to spend together over the next month?
The cowboy turned to face her, lifting his mug to his lips. He had very kissable lips if memory served. Soft and firm at the same time and delicious.
Good God, quit analyzing the man’s lips. This wasn’t one of her romance novels. She took another sip of her coffee.
“So how would you feel about a mechanical bull at the party?” Toby asked.
She almost sp
it out her drink. “A mechanical bull. At a wedding shower?”
“Yeah. I know a guy.” Toby set down his mug. “Instead of Italian food, maybe we should go with barbecue. I could get it for a pretty good price.”
“Barbecue and a mechanical bull.” She squinted at him.
“What?” Her lack of enthusiasm seemed to confuse him. “I think everyone would love some entertainment.”
Jane propped her chin on her fist going for an amused glare. “Let me guess. You’ll be the entertainment? Big bad bull rider taking on the mechanical bull?” Toby had never exactly minded being the center of everyone’s attention.
“You can have a turn too.” There was that smirk again. The one that teased and baited.
“I won’t be taking a turn because there isn’t going to be a mechanical bull at my best friend’s wedding shower.” That was as bad as cornhole and wings. “I can ask Louise to design a tapas menu. Maybe her staff would have time to cook for us. And I can pick up some different wines from the vineyard so we can do a tasting party.”
Toby glared back at her, his smirk gaining momentum. “I have a proposition.”
Somehow, he made that sound naughty enough that she squirmed.
“How about we divide and conquer?” The devious raise of his eyebrows hooked her. “You handle the food and wine and I’ll handle the entertainment.”
Divide and conquer. That sounded much better than arguing with him about every little detail.
Jane raised her coffee mug to her lips as though taking her time with the decision. Toby watched her, smirk still in place.
“Fine,” she said. “You have a deal. Just make sure the entertainment is something Beth will enjoy.”
“Of course.” Toby’s smirk turned into a full-fledged grin. “In case you’ve forgotten, entertainment is one of my specialties.”
First Kiss with a Cowboy: Includes a bonus novella Page 5