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<\/a>I sat down, put my hat on the chair beside me, and smiled, sort of. Maybe it was more of a thin greeting than a genuine smile because my stomach was twisted like snarled tumbleweed. She always did that to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kelli wasn\u2019t smiling back. My face fell to its usual shape, and I folded my hands on the table. \u201cDid you order something?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She gave a single nod. \u201cA taco salad. You?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I lifted a shoulder. \u201cThe usual.\u201d When she didn\u2019t look like she understood, I clarified, \u201cSteak.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI should have guessed. Is that all you ever eat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI ate chicken once.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She shook her head, rolling her eyes. \u201cBetter watch out, or the waitress is going to give your dinner to Austen over there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I looked back at the table I\u2019d just left. Dusty was energetically sketching out something on a napkin, and Austen was leaning over it, nodding and pointing to Dusty\u2019s figures. \u201cI think she can tell us apart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShouldn\u2019t be too hard. He smiles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI smile.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo, you don\u2019t. Here, proof.\u201d She held up her phone and swiped to the camera, turning it to face me so I could see a picture of my glowering mug.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cVery funny. Only an idiot smiles all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She put her phone away. \u201cAh, that\u2019s right. You said I\u2019m the idiot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo, I\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo, no, that\u2019s what you said. You said I was an idiot if I didn\u2019t take your money, wasn\u2019t that it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not how I meant it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She crossed her arms. \u201cWhat did you mean, then? Because it sure sounded to me like you said\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFair enough. Okay, maybe I said that, but I just meant you\u2019d be a fool to turn down the opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo, I\u2019m a fool and an idiot. Got it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I groaned. \u201cWhy do you always have to twist what I say? Can\u2019t we just talk like normal people?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kelli tilted her head. \u201cThat depends, cowboy. Are you going to grow some manners?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat kind of manners are you looking for? The kind that try to warn someone who\u2019s doing their darndest to get themselves hurt? Or did you just want me to say nice things I don\u2019t mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIs there an option C? The kind where you say what you mean in a nice way and then leave people to make their own decisions?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I drummed my fingers on the table, staring down at those soulful, dark eyes that snapped with fire. Heaven have mercy, but if she softened just a little\u2026 I\u2019d take her out to my truck, and we\u2019d have the kind of talk that messed up her lipstick and ruined my shirt collar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow about we start over?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those perfectly curved eyebrows lifted, and she shrugged.
\u201cFine. What do you want to talk about? The weather? Politics? Food?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I started to answer, but the waitress came up behind me with both plates. I hadn\u2019t decided how long I would sit there, but that sealed it. I\u2019d stay until we were done eating, and then I\u2019d take my hat and go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She dug into her taco salad, and I carved off a bit of my steak. There had to be something we could talk about without fighting\u2026 something, something\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I swallowed my first bite, and inspiration struck. \u201cThe Coffee Wagon seems to be doing well for you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She gazed up at me through those thick lashes, and I was glad I hadn\u2019t taken another bite yet. I\u2019d choke on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPretty well. I\u2019m planning to hire two more people, so I don\u2019t have to cover so many shifts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat must be satisfying.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her lips tightened as she chewed, and she nodded. Good, this was going well. She hadn\u2019t even cussed at me yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo, what will you do with the extra time?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She swallowed. \u201cI thought I\u2019d become a coffee tycoon and buy up every coffee shop this side of the Divide.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That was ambitious, even if it was an obvious exaggeration. How serious was she? \u201cYou\u2019re planning to expand?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNah, just kidding,\u201d she said, waving her hand. \u201cI\u2019m keeping it simple. Sell some coffee and donuts in the morning, and then spend the afternoons riding my horse.\u201d She slipped her fork in her mouth and gave me a look that was somewhere between \u201cBite me,\u201d and \u201cCome over here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I gulped, and my knife shook. \u201cUh\u2026 yeah\u2026 about the horse\u2026\u201d
Manners, she said. Whatever that was supposed to mean. Maybe I\u2019d play her game for a bit. After all, I\u2019d tried everything else with her over the years and always gotten shot down. \u201cSo\u2026 how\u2019s it going? Do you like her?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe\u2019s an angel doll. A very fast angel.\u201d Her expression clouded, but then she gave me that dangerous smile again. \u201cI just adore her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, that\u2019s\u2026 that\u2019s good.\u201d I sliced off a bit of my steak and chewed it carefully. \u201cWhere do you ride her, if you don\u2019t mind me asking?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh, around. Lots of places,\u201d she said, but she was looking off to the corner of the room when she said it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLiar. You don\u2019t have anywhere to go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her eyes snapped back to me. \u201cYou know, not everyone has the luxury of all these facilities in their backyard. Some of us have to drive all over the country looking for something dry and available and\u2026 and hopefully, not creepy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I didn\u2019t miss the shudder she gave, and right then, I could have wrung Cody\u2019s neck. If Daniel Benton had said something slimy to her, so help me, I\u2019d snap him like a twig. There was only one option at this point, and she wasn\u2019t going to like it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t have to drive all over the country.\u201d I looked down, concentrating on my steak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She didn\u2019t answer right away. When I risked looking back up, her eyes were black, glittering slits, and she was puckering her lips. \u201cDon\u2019t you do it, cowboy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDo what?\u201d I asked innocently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She pointed at my chest. \u201cDon\u2019t you dare me. You know it\u2019s not fair.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDare you to what? All I said was that you don\u2019t have to go around hunting for arenas to ride in. You could just wait for spring.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not what you meant, Marshall Walker. You\u2019re trying to manipulate me into asking to come to your place, but I\u2019d rather get frostbite than ride with you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I took a deliberate bite of my steak. \u201cOuch,\u201d I said, with my mouth full.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd I\u2019ll tell you another thing. I\u2019m not looking for help from over-bearing cowboys, so you can just take all your know-it-all and stuff it somewhere useful, like the fertilizer wagon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was trying so hard not to crack a smile, but darn it, she was adorable when she was telling me off. \u201cYou\u2019re making an awful lot of assumptions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI have an awful lot of history to work from.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I washed down the last of my steak with my drink, then set the glass on the table and met her eyes dead level. I don\u2019t think I smirked, but I might have. \u201cAnd what does this history tell you I\u2019m up to?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her chin dimpled like it always did when she was trying to bite her tongue. It never worked, because she always sassed me afterward, but the fact that she kept trying made me smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019re trying to rub my nose in it, that\u2019s what. You\u2019re just waiting to say \u2018I told you so,\u2019 and I have news for you. I\u2019m not interested in this little ego game anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGood.\u201d I leaned back and rested my arm over the chair beside me. \u201cNeither am I.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She blinked and looked at me sideways. \u201cI\u2019m\u2026 I\u2019m not sure what to say to that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSay you\u2019ll come over tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot unless you tell me why.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I shrugged. \u201cOkay, sure. Maybe I don\u2019t want you hauling off to some crap arena with bad footing and laming your horse. Folks\u2019ll start talking like it\u2019s the horse\u2019s fault, poor breeding or whatever, and that\u2019s bad for business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She shook her head and snorted, then sipped some of her water. \u201cYou\u2019re a lousy liar.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNever trust a good one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlright, fine.\u201d She set her glass down. \u201cOne time. I still have the trailer, so I can be there at two. Will that work?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know. Were you expecting me to show up, or did you plan to just ride alone?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDoesn\u2019t Cody use the arena all day?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot on a Sunday in the winter, sweetheart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her teeth flashed savagely, and she poked her finger at me again. \u201cI\u2019ve told you before, don\u2019t call me that!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I held my hands up in surrender, chuckling a little. \u201cFine, whatever. How about this? I don\u2019t call you \u2018sweetheart,\u2019 and you don\u2019t call me \u2018cowboy.\u2019 Maybe we won\u2019t come out all covered in claw marks after spending an hour together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo that means I\u2019ll have to put up with you when I come?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I grinned. Might as well issue that dare she said would be so unfair. I needed all the help I could get. \u201cUnless you\u2019re not up for that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh, no.\u201d She laced her fingers and set her chin on them, giving me a sweet-as-honey smile. \u201cHow am I going to make you eat your words if you aren\u2019t there to watch?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I winked\u2014that always annoyed her\u2014and collected my hat. \u201cTill tomorrow\u2026 darlin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She threw her napkin at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Best date ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n