back.
Then he offered, “Hang around another day, dollface, take you to my barn, show you my beauties.”
I was going to hang around another day. Definitely. Absolutely. I didn’t care if Casey’s blooming love went up in a fiery ball of flame and he was desperate to beam out of Mustang to another galaxy. I was sticking around because I was going to see Gray’s “beauties”.
“I’d like that.”
He smiled again.
“I’ve never ridden a horse,” I shared and his brows went up.
“Seriously?” he asked.
I shook my head.
“Then we’ll get you up on one.”
Oh no.
That was when I shook my head. “That’s okay. Just seeing them would be nice.”
“No way, Ivey. You haven’t lived unless you’ve been on the back of a horse.”
“I –” I started but he leaned further in.
“You ride with me. You don’t like the feel of it, you’re safe, you don’t have to control anything. I got it. You like it and want to give it a shot; we’ll get you up on one alone. Your call, honey, but you gotta let me give this to you and you gotta let yourself have it. You do, swear to Christ, you’ll never regret it.”
I ride with him.
I was stuck there. Riding on the back of a horse with Gray.
“Okay,” I agreed and earned another smile.
I smiled back.
Then suddenly I felt the mood at our table change. It was swift, palpable and I would know why when a presence hit the end of the table and a woman’s catty voice sounded.
“Same Gray, big spender. VFW on a first date.”
My eyes were on Gray and I saw his eyes turn stone-cold as his jaw went rock hard and he turned his head and looked up.
I did too.
She was pretty, not beautiful, pretty. Very pretty.
But she thought she was God’s gift. It was clear as day.
“Cecily,” Gray muttered not in a welcoming way and I got the feeling he intended to say more but she beat him to it.
Her eyes came to me. “Know you’re new in town and every girl in town knows so, fair’s fair, you should too, this is where he takes all of us.”
“Goodness me,” a woman down the table muttered.
I stared.
“I should believe this, it’s you, but I still don’t believe this,” Gray ground out but I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t tear my eyes off her as her venomous gaze swung to Gray.
“We’re girls. We don’t play games like you boys do.” She looked back at me. “Do we, sweetie?”
I knew. That venomous look, I knew.
She had him. She lost him. She wanted him back. She knew that wasn’t going to happen, mainly because she was a screaming bitch. If she could do this and convince herself it was okay, she could do a lot of things and think she could convince who she was doing them to, namely, at some point in the probably not-so-distant past, Gray, then she’d lose the person she was doing them to.
Namely…Gray.
Her dark, arched eyebrows shot up and she asked, “Do you speak?” She looked to Gray. “Is she mute?”
I didn’t know if Gray intended to answer and this was because I was still looking at her when I did.
“I speak though I try not to when I don’t have anything nice to say and I’m afraid I’ve been struggling the last few seconds trying to find something nice to say.”
Her eyes shot back to me and narrowed.
For some reason beyond me, I didn’t shut up.
“I don’t know, I mean, I do, since you’ve made it clear you don’t but there are some of us girls who think a steak dinner in a family place where the money goes to charity and the waiter went to school with your Dad who’s passed away is a pretty darned nice first date. It’s too bad you don’t.” My head tilted ever so slightly toward Gray and I finished, my point very thinly veiled, “ Really too bad.”
“Charming,” she hissed, not smart enough to keep Gray, not dumb enough to miss my point.
“Funny, that’s what I was thinking,” I said softly.
She clamped her teeth shut.
“Have you eaten?” I asked when she didn’t mosey on her way then didn’t
Then he offered, “Hang around another day, dollface, take you to my barn, show you my beauties.”
I was going to hang around another day. Definitely. Absolutely. I didn’t care if Casey’s blooming love went up in a fiery ball of flame and he was desperate to beam out of Mustang to another galaxy. I was sticking around because I was going to see Gray’s “beauties”.
“I’d like that.”
He smiled again.
“I’ve never ridden a horse,” I shared and his brows went up.
“Seriously?” he asked.
I shook my head.
“Then we’ll get you up on one.”
Oh no.
That was when I shook my head. “That’s okay. Just seeing them would be nice.”
“No way, Ivey. You haven’t lived unless you’ve been on the back of a horse.”
“I –” I started but he leaned further in.
“You ride with me. You don’t like the feel of it, you’re safe, you don’t have to control anything. I got it. You like it and want to give it a shot; we’ll get you up on one alone. Your call, honey, but you gotta let me give this to you and you gotta let yourself have it. You do, swear to Christ, you’ll never regret it.”
I ride with him.
I was stuck there. Riding on the back of a horse with Gray.
“Okay,” I agreed and earned another smile.
I smiled back.
Then suddenly I felt the mood at our table change. It was swift, palpable and I would know why when a presence hit the end of the table and a woman’s catty voice sounded.
“Same Gray, big spender. VFW on a first date.”
My eyes were on Gray and I saw his eyes turn stone-cold as his jaw went rock hard and he turned his head and looked up.
I did too.
She was pretty, not beautiful, pretty. Very pretty.
But she thought she was God’s gift. It was clear as day.
“Cecily,” Gray muttered not in a welcoming way and I got the feeling he intended to say more but she beat him to it.
Her eyes came to me. “Know you’re new in town and every girl in town knows so, fair’s fair, you should too, this is where he takes all of us.”
“Goodness me,” a woman down the table muttered.
I stared.
“I should believe this, it’s you, but I still don’t believe this,” Gray ground out but I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t tear my eyes off her as her venomous gaze swung to Gray.
“We’re girls. We don’t play games like you boys do.” She looked back at me. “Do we, sweetie?”
I knew. That venomous look, I knew.
She had him. She lost him. She wanted him back. She knew that wasn’t going to happen, mainly because she was a screaming bitch. If she could do this and convince herself it was okay, she could do a lot of things and think she could convince who she was doing them to, namely, at some point in the probably not-so-distant past, Gray, then she’d lose the person she was doing them to.
Namely…Gray.
Her dark, arched eyebrows shot up and she asked, “Do you speak?” She looked to Gray. “Is she mute?”
I didn’t know if Gray intended to answer and this was because I was still looking at her when I did.
“I speak though I try not to when I don’t have anything nice to say and I’m afraid I’ve been struggling the last few seconds trying to find something nice to say.”
Her eyes shot back to me and narrowed.
For some reason beyond me, I didn’t shut up.
“I don’t know, I mean, I do, since you’ve made it clear you don’t but there are some of us girls who think a steak dinner in a family place where the money goes to charity and the waiter went to school with your Dad who’s passed away is a pretty darned nice first date. It’s too bad you don’t.” My head tilted ever so slightly toward Gray and I finished, my point very thinly veiled, “ Really too bad.”
“Charming,” she hissed, not smart enough to keep Gray, not dumb enough to miss my point.
“Funny, that’s what I was thinking,” I said softly.
She clamped her teeth shut.
“Have you eaten?” I asked when she didn’t mosey on her way then didn’t
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