Outside, Toby and Wes started to laugh about something. Jane climbed out of the truck and walked over to the sidewalk to meet them.
“Ready for some cornhole and wings?” Toby asked her with a tempting raise of his eyebrows.
“Can’t wait.” She gave the place a scrutinizing once-over. It actually looked inviting and chic.
“We were just talking about how she needs to get out more.” Wes held open the door for them, and Jane shot him a look on her way in.
“What?” Her brother rested a patronizing hand on her shoulder. “Once in a while you need to let your hair down, have a little fun. Don’t you think, Tobster?”
“Definitely.” The man nodded. “Luckily, fun is my specialty. I’m here to help.”
“I don’t need help.” Especially from him.
Jane scooted past them both and stepped into the main dining area. Even she had to admit it looked like a fun place. The concrete floors were polished and shiny, the walls were covered in corrugated metal, and the space was big enough to have lawn games spread around the interior. Cornhole, of course. But also ladder ball and a giant-sized Connect 4, and bowling pins.
“Great find.” Wes led the way to the bar in the center of the room.
“I don’t see anyone we know here.” At the café this morning, she’d vaguely recognized pretty much everyone in the room.
“That’s the nice part about this place.” Toby ushered her in front of him as they maneuvered around tables. “It’s new. You know how a lot of the old-timers around here don’t trust new places.”
Oh, yes. She knew. Back in the day, most new establishments were out of business within six months.
“So far most of the customers are river rats and hikers and thrill seekers who are staying in the area. It’s a great place to come and relax,” Toby said, the last part dropped to a whisper only she could hear.
Right. Like she’d ever be able to relax being this close to Toby. Something about him felt so unpredictable, so hard to nail down. He was a total show-off, and yet he still drove the same truck he’d had in high school. He clearly liked to be the center of attention, but at the café earlier that morning, he’d downplayed Beth and Ethan’s gratitude for helping renovate their restaurant.
“We’ll take three of your best beers,” Wes said to the bartender.
“Oh, not for me, thanks,” Jane called politely. “I don’t drink much—”
“Hair down, sis.” Her brother held up three fingers to the bartender with a definitive nod.
“Fine. One beer.” God knew she couldn’t have more than that—especially at this altitude.
“Three Once in a Blue Spruces,” the bartender said, sliding over their glasses. “It’s one of our most popular—traditional Belgian-style spiced with bitters and sweet orange peel.” Jane had no idea what any of that meant, but she took her glass and thanked the man.
“Should we get a table?” Toby scanned the restaurant.
“Actually, you two find a table.” Wes had locked his gaze on a group of women playing pool in the opposite corner. “I’ll join you in a few.”
A few hours or minutes? Jane didn’t have to ask. This was her brother after all. He’d been successfully hitting on women since seventh grade. It had always been a big joke in their family, but now she could’ve killed him. He’d practically begged her to come here so they could spend time together and he was already ditching her. Worse yet, he was ditching her with Toby. And beer. Lethal combination.
“How about this one?” Toby led her to a quiet table near the windows with a view of the mountains.
“Sure.” Jane wished her body could take a hint from her calm tone of voice and chill the heck out. Geez, her knees had softened, and her palms had gotten clammy, and warmth seemed to be creeping up her neck.
Toby sat against the wall, leaving the chair across from him for her. She settled into it, nearly spilling her beer, and corralled a nervous smile. “This is a nice place.” If she did go out on a regular basis, she might come to some low-key neighborhood joint like this. With friends like Beth. Not with a dangerous cowboy.
“I’m glad you like it.” Toby took a drink of his beer and then set down his glass, his gaze intensifying. “I meant what I said earlier. I would’ve asked you to that winter dance if I would’ve thought you’d say yes.”
Jane gazed across the table at him, all but shaking her head as she sipped her beer. Maybe her seventeen-year-old self would’ve been tempted, but he didn’t need to know that. “Well, you were right. I would’ve said no.”
Toby’s head titled like he was trying to figure her out. “Wes made it sound like you were upset.”
“Oh, I was upset all right.” Jane propped her chin on her hand and continued staring at him, the beer bringing a surge of boldness. “I was upset that I let you add me to the lengthy list of girls you kissed.” Jane sipped more beer. “But like I said, it was years ago. I’m over it.” Surprisingly as she looked across the table at Toby, she realized it was true. She was over it. Sure, it had been a surprise to see him again, but she wasn’t awkward and insecure anymore. She didn’t need any validation from him.
The longer he stared at her, the more his slow smile spread until it fully reached the corners of his eyes. “Well, if you were upset…if I hurt your feelings, I’m sorry.”
Damn those eyes. So convincing. But she wasn’t falling for it.
“I did kiss a lot of girls.” He said it like a confession. “But only one of them stuck with me.”
What a line. Jane sat back and crossed her arms, letting her body language speak for her.
“I’m serious.” His eyes went all puppy dog again. “There was always something about you. You were…” He paused as though he couldn’t find the right word.
What was this? Toby Garrett was struggling to flirt? Jane watched his eyes shift.
“You were special,” he finally finished. “My friends gave me hell after you said you didn’t like me. So, I moved on. But I should’ve talked to you. I knew the whole kiss thing embarrassed you and I should’ve made sure you were okay. I’m sorry.”
Jane lifted her beer for another sip. She couldn’t decide what was crazier—that Toby Garrett was sitting here apologizing to her or that she was actually starting to believe him.
“Anyway, I get why you don’t like me, but I hope you’ll let me make it up to you,” the man finished while Jane sucked down the last sip of her beer.
Oops. Had she really drained the whole glass? “Toby…” Tingles spread up her back, settling in over her shoulders. “You don’t have to make it up to me. In fact, I’d really appreciate it if we could forget the whole thing ever happened.” It would be a huge plus if she could forget how his lips had felt against hers, warm and firm, and…whew, it was hot in here.
“Okay. I just wanted you to know I didn’t mean to embarrass you,” Toby said. He looked at her empty glass and then back at her. “How’d you like the beer?”
“It was really good.” For the life of her she couldn’t remember why she rarely drank. It made reality seem much softer, lighter. It made sitting across from this man easier. “In fact, I think I’ll get another one.”
“I can get it for you.” Before she could move, Toby pushed to his feet. She watched him walk away, her head turning to follow him. Oh, no. No, no, no. She swung her head back to stare straight ahead. Straight. Ahead. Rule number one: do not look at his butt in those jeans.
The noise around her seemed to pick up some as the place got more crowded. Toby came back with her beer and set it in front of her. “Sorry that took so long. There was a big rush.”
“No problem.” There were no problems. All was right in the world. A comforting warmth swirled low in her stomach bringing contentment along with it. Her brother was still over on the other side of the room, making new friends, but who cared? He’d be proud of her. She shook her hair until it fell back over her shoulders. Yes, letting her hair down. It actually felt kind of nice.
> Toby sat back down across from her. He looked nice. Smelled nice too. Now that they had that awkward conversation out of the way, they could move on.
“What?” He tilted his head and glanced around as though trying to figure out what she was looking at.
She shouldn’t be looking at him so closely. She shouldn’t be looking at him at all. They should do less looking and less touching. They should get up and away from this table. “You know something…I’ve never actually played cornhole.”
The confession widened his eyes. “Never? You’re serious?”
“I’m serious,” she whispered then lifted her glass. Somehow the beer was already half gone.
“You want to try it?” He stood as though he’d been as antsy to get up from the table as she had. “I could teach you.”
“Okay.” Hands pressed into the tabletop, she stood, her knees a tad wobbly. Making sure to look steadier than she felt, she started to walk away.
“Don’t forget your beer.” Toby brought the glass along, holding his beer in the other hand.
“Right.” Jane took the glass from him and dodged tables all the way to one of the cornhole setups.
“Okay.” Toby set his beer on a nearby table before grabbing a few beanbags. “Basically, you want to throw the bag and try to get it through that hole.” He pointed to the wooden platform about ten feet away.
“Got it.” Jane took the beanbag from him and set down her beer. For a second, she tried to judge the distance from the platform, but the slight blur in her vision made it tricky. “Hmm. Okay.” She closed one eye, then the other.
“Are you trying to calculate the distance in that big brain of yours or something?” Toby teased next to her. “Sometimes it’s best just to go for it. Don’t overthink it.”
“Right.” Go for it. She wound up and chucked the beanbag at the wooden platform. Surprisingly it hit the surface and slid up, eventually falling through the hole in the middle.
“Nice shot.” Toby held up his hand for a high five. She made a move to slap his hand, but her foot caught on a chair leg and sent her stumbling.
The cowboy caught her in his arms and righted her footing. Jane turned and suddenly his face came so close, those amazing lips stopping mere inches from hers. A breath sliced through her lungs and some wild instinct gave her a push. Don’t overthink it.
“Excuse me,” someone interrupted before she pressed her lips to his. Jane turned her head toward the voice.
A woman about her age stood a foot away from them. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but aren’t you Toby Garrett?”
It took him a good five seconds to answer. “Uh. Yeah.”
Jane backed herself out of his arms, embarrassment heating her cheeks.
“I thought that was you! We’re huge rodeo fans.” The woman frantically waved some of her friends over. “We were hoping we could get a picture with you. Oh! And could you sign our drink coasters?”
Toby’s distracted gaze drifted back to Jane. “I’m not sure now is a good time—”
“It’s a great time.” Jane smiled at the group of women encircling Toby. In fact, their timing couldn’t have been better.
Chapter Nine
Just one more picture!” The woman who’d introduced herself as Taven slung her arm around Toby. There’d already been so many pictures with the cell phone cameras flashing in his face, he was seeing spots. Once again, he smiled and posed.
“Here.” Another woman shoved a cardboard drink coaster into his hands. “Can you sign this one for my sister? Her name’s Jessica.”
“Sure.” Toby took the pen someone else handed him and scrawled his signature across it before handing it back. “All right, ladies. I should get back to my…” He almost said date, but that wouldn’t be accurate. “Friend.” At least it had seemed Jane had warmed up to him. He could’ve sworn she’d been considering kissing him again too, before they’d gotten swarmed.
“Thanks again,” Taven called waving. “Good luck with the injury!”
“Thanks.” He turned to head to the table he’d shared with Jane, but she wasn’t there. In fact…he scanned the restaurant. She didn’t seem to be anywhere.
“I think I saw the woman you were with leave,” one of Taven’s friends called helpfully. “She went out the front door probably ten minutes ago.”
Great. “Thanks.”
Sidestepping the crowd, Toby hurried outside and scanned the parking lot. No sign of Jane. He jogged to the sidewalk and turned onto Main Street. Only a few people walked along the storefronts. Since the shops were already closed for the day, the streets were mostly deserted. Jane must’ve gone the other way. He reversed course and nearly ran into Wes as the man walked out the doors.
“I heard someone say Jane left.” Her brother eyed him with amusement. “I walk away for two minutes and you lose my sister?”
“We got ambushed.” Toby moved past him so he could see down the other side of the street. “But I should’ve refused to do the pictures.” He should’ve ignored everyone else and focused on Jane. She’d always hated to be the center of attention. No wonder she’d walked out on him. Eight years ago and just now.
“She’s around here somewhere.” Wes walked alongside him. “Why’d she run off anyway?”
“I’m not exactly sure.” He decided not to share his guess. “She couldn’t have gotten far.” She didn’t have a car, so she had to be somewhere on foot.
They walked down the block, but even the residential side of town seemed quiet and empty.
“We’re not gonna find her walking around.” Wes pulled him back in the direction of the brewery. “Let’s get in my truck. We can cover more ground.”
“I guess.” He squinted, searching the sidewalks across the street, frustration boiling up. He had to talk to her. When he’d sat across the table and apologized to her, the truth of his words had hit him. Jane had stuck with him. All these years. She was special. He couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment he’d met Aubrey or any other girl he’d kissed, but he clearly remembered the first moment he’d met Jane.
His family had just moved to Silverado Lake and he’d walked into a brand-new third-grade classroom, still staggering under the enormity of what he’d lost. The teacher had assigned him a seat next to Jane. He still remembered the way she’d looked at him, with a friendly curiosity. When the class started, they’d had to work a math problem together, and they must’ve argued for ten minutes about the best way to get the answer. Jane seemed to challenge everything he said, and it had distracted him from everything else that had been going on his life. She’d made him feel more normal than he’d felt since before his brother had died.
Toby followed Wes back to the brewery’s parking lot. “She has to be here somewhere.” She definitely couldn’t walk all the way to the ranch. Maybe she’d gone to Beth and Ethan’s place.
They climbed into Wes’s truck and took a left. “Maybe she’s walking back to the ranch,” her brother suggested.
“That would be a long walk.” Though Toby wouldn’t put it past her. He’d seen how stubborn she could be. “Remember that competition we did sophomore year for charity?”
Wes started to laugh.
The school had done a weekend competition to see who could stay awake the longest, and each of the contestants had gotten sponsors. Most people had dropped out within the first twenty-four hours, but not Jane, and that had meant Toby couldn’t either. He couldn’t fall asleep and let her outdo him. Thirty-two hours into the competition, he couldn’t stay awake anymore. He’d fallen asleep face-first in the burrito he’d been eating for dinner.
“You two were always going at it in school.” Wes cruised through town on the route they would take back to the ranch, but there was no sign of Jane. “I think she always liked you if you want to know the truth.”
“She said she didn’t.” But he was beginning to wonder.
“Of course she said she didn’t.” Wes shook his head as though he couldn’t believe Toby didn’t get it
. “She changed after our dad died. We all did. But Jane…she took it the hardest. She didn’t want to do anything. She was already shy, but it was like she stopped caring about putting herself out there.” Wes pulled up to the stoplight and looked at him. “It’s hard to understand unless you’ve been through it, but none of us came out unscathed.”
He understood that better than Wes knew. Only instead of pulling away from everything, he’d constantly looked for distractions. “I should’ve treated her more carefully back then.” He’d been too immature, always worried about his reputation, of what people thought of him. His girlfriends had been more of a status symbol than anything else. If he was honest that was every relationship he’d ever had. But it wasn’t like that with Jane. When he’d kissed her all those years ago, it had simply been because he’d felt drawn to her. And he’d felt that way again in the bar tonight.
“It’s probably a good thing you didn’t date her.” Wes nodded and started driving when the light turned green. “I might’ve had to kick your ass and then we wouldn’t have been friends.”
“That would’ve been fair.” Jane was the kind of woman who deserved more, who needed more than a superficial relationship. She was smart, sure, but she also had this depth that spooked him and intrigued him at the same time.
“Let’s go by Beth’s.” Toby turned both their attention back to the mission. It had been a good twenty minutes since Jane had run out of the brewery and they hadn’t seen her on the streets.
“Roger that.” Wes made an abrupt turn onto a side street and Toby gave him directions from there. When they pulled up though, the house was dark and neither Ethan nor Beth’s cars were parked out front.
“Where else would she go?” Wes let the truck idle next to the curb. “I don’t get why she’s hiding anyway.”
Hiding. Now he felt like an idiot. One thing Toby knew about Jane was that when she wanted to hide, she always found a book. “Go to the library.” Better yet… “Why don’t you go back and hang out with your friends at the brewery? I’ll head to the library in my truck.” Then he could see Jane alone, without her brother razzing her about what had happened.
First Kiss with a Cowboy: Includes a bonus novella Page 7