to keeping her emotions bottled up inside. She’d never realized how much she depended on Janie being in her life until she wasn’t there.
“And to top it all off, I had my worst practice in ages today. If I ride like that in Denver, I can kiss the Finals goodbye.”
“One bad practice doesn’t spell doom.”
“No, but it tells me I need to focus more.” She paused, hating the next words before they formed. “I don’t think now is the best time for me to be splitting my attention.”
“Before you finish by canceling our date, let me ask you this—if we don’t go out, will all the other things bothering you disappear?”
“No.”
“So you’ll be left with negative things to distract you instead of something fun.”
She hadn’t thought of it that way. Still, he was a distraction, albeit a very fine-looking one.
“I can’t do anything about what’s going on with Dad and Jesse.”
“But you can avoid me.”
“Will, don’t make this harder than it is.”
“If it’s hard, sounds like you don’t want to do it.”
Of course, she didn’t. She leaned forward, propped her elbow on the desk, and dropped her forehead into her palm.
“I’ll make you a deal,” he said. “One dinner. And if you still want me to back off afterward, I will. No pressure, no arguments.”
It was a kind offer so typical of him, but the idea of him walking away made her heart ache.
“Okay.”
“I’ll pick you up at six.”
When he hung up, probably to avoid her possibly changing her mind yet again, she eyed the clock. Three hours until she got to look into Will’s eyes again. If she could go back and tell her teenage self that Will Jackson would one day have this kind of effect on her, she wouldn’t have believed it.
Her energy renewed, she got more work done in the next hour and a half than she had the entire rest of the day put together. When she shut down the computer, she let thoughts of work, of racing times, of the simmering anger inhabiting her family fade away and went to her room to get ready for her date.
Nothing was going to stop her. Not her brothers, not her own second-guessing. Will was right. She wanted this. And it thrilled her that he evidently did, too.
W ILL FOUGHT THE KIND of jitters he hadn’t experienced in years as he drove up the long ranch road leading to Elly’s house. Considering how easy it’d been to be with her on the trail ride and during the barn dance, the sudden attack of the nerves surprised him. They yanked him back to the days when he’d not had the confidence to approach her with more than casual friendship. Maybe the nerves had made an appearance because he knew how close she’d been to canceling this date, that she still might, and remembered how hard it was to hear her say no to his advances.
When the house came into view, he straightened and told the anxiety to get lost. He had no room for it in his life anymore. Elly had probably dated a lot of confident guys—there weren’t a lot of wusses on the rodeo circuit—and he didn’t want to pale in comparison.
Anticipation accompanied him to the front door along with the big bouquet in his right hand. But when Elly opened the door, whatever he’d been planning to say took a bullet train right out of his mind.
She wore a bright pink top, gray slacks that seemed to shine when she moved, and her long, blond hair fell loose around her shoulders. He couldn’t recall ever seeing it down, and no wonder. Any man within view of her would cease being able to function normally.
“Hey, lose your voice on the way over?” she asked.
“You look beautiful.”
Her cheeks pinkened, and he smiled that his words had done that.
“Thanks.”
Another cog turned in his brain, and he lifted the bouquet of every kind of red flower the florist had been able to pull together. “For you.”
“Oh, they’re beautiful. Red is my favorite color.”
“I know.” Perhaps that was too telling, but he didn’t care.
“You
“And to top it all off, I had my worst practice in ages today. If I ride like that in Denver, I can kiss the Finals goodbye.”
“One bad practice doesn’t spell doom.”
“No, but it tells me I need to focus more.” She paused, hating the next words before they formed. “I don’t think now is the best time for me to be splitting my attention.”
“Before you finish by canceling our date, let me ask you this—if we don’t go out, will all the other things bothering you disappear?”
“No.”
“So you’ll be left with negative things to distract you instead of something fun.”
She hadn’t thought of it that way. Still, he was a distraction, albeit a very fine-looking one.
“I can’t do anything about what’s going on with Dad and Jesse.”
“But you can avoid me.”
“Will, don’t make this harder than it is.”
“If it’s hard, sounds like you don’t want to do it.”
Of course, she didn’t. She leaned forward, propped her elbow on the desk, and dropped her forehead into her palm.
“I’ll make you a deal,” he said. “One dinner. And if you still want me to back off afterward, I will. No pressure, no arguments.”
It was a kind offer so typical of him, but the idea of him walking away made her heart ache.
“Okay.”
“I’ll pick you up at six.”
When he hung up, probably to avoid her possibly changing her mind yet again, she eyed the clock. Three hours until she got to look into Will’s eyes again. If she could go back and tell her teenage self that Will Jackson would one day have this kind of effect on her, she wouldn’t have believed it.
Her energy renewed, she got more work done in the next hour and a half than she had the entire rest of the day put together. When she shut down the computer, she let thoughts of work, of racing times, of the simmering anger inhabiting her family fade away and went to her room to get ready for her date.
Nothing was going to stop her. Not her brothers, not her own second-guessing. Will was right. She wanted this. And it thrilled her that he evidently did, too.
W ILL FOUGHT THE KIND of jitters he hadn’t experienced in years as he drove up the long ranch road leading to Elly’s house. Considering how easy it’d been to be with her on the trail ride and during the barn dance, the sudden attack of the nerves surprised him. They yanked him back to the days when he’d not had the confidence to approach her with more than casual friendship. Maybe the nerves had made an appearance because he knew how close she’d been to canceling this date, that she still might, and remembered how hard it was to hear her say no to his advances.
When the house came into view, he straightened and told the anxiety to get lost. He had no room for it in his life anymore. Elly had probably dated a lot of confident guys—there weren’t a lot of wusses on the rodeo circuit—and he didn’t want to pale in comparison.
Anticipation accompanied him to the front door along with the big bouquet in his right hand. But when Elly opened the door, whatever he’d been planning to say took a bullet train right out of his mind.
She wore a bright pink top, gray slacks that seemed to shine when she moved, and her long, blond hair fell loose around her shoulders. He couldn’t recall ever seeing it down, and no wonder. Any man within view of her would cease being able to function normally.
“Hey, lose your voice on the way over?” she asked.
“You look beautiful.”
Her cheeks pinkened, and he smiled that his words had done that.
“Thanks.”
Another cog turned in his brain, and he lifted the bouquet of every kind of red flower the florist had been able to pull together. “For you.”
“Oh, they’re beautiful. Red is my favorite color.”
“I know.” Perhaps that was too telling, but he didn’t care.
“You
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