Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Where was she going?
Tripp knew all too well that he couldn’t hide his interest in Wendy. Reese had already made an off-hand comment on the fact that they’d danced with each other to more than one song tonight. He was sure more people had noticed, but he didn’t care.
Tonight was all about their truce. He could be charming and nice to a girl at this party and not have to make excuses for it. Everyone here knew that he didn’t do serious, anyway. Who cared what they thought?
Wendy slipped around the side of the house and Tripp interrupted the woman speaking to him. “It’s been great chatting about this. Do you have a card, or can I get it from your husband?”
“I don’t have one on me,” Serena frowned. “I’m not sure Jonathan does either. But Reese has his number. Give him a call and I’m sure we can set up a meeting if you’re truly interested.”
Tripp nodded. “Thanks. Yes, I’m very interested.” He held out his hand and shook Serena’s hand. “We’ll talk soon.”
Without another thought, Tripp hurried in the direction that Wendy had taken. She’d come here with him. Did she think she could just leave without telling him? Did she think she could call a rideshare? Over his dead body.
He burst from the backyard and came to a stumbling stop when he caught sight of her. Bathed in moonlight, the flecks of glitter twinkled as she walked toward a corral with three horses inside. Tripp watched with fascination. From here, he could tell she’d removed her shoes.
Away from the crowd of people, she seemed more relaxed, as if being around large groups was taxing on her. How had he not noticed that before? There was something in the way she held herself that was different when she thought she was alone.
Slowly, he strode toward her, careful not to make any sound. He didn’t want to startle her, but he also didn’t want to alert her to his presence in case she was also trying to escape him. That notion irritated him even now. He wasn’t a bad guy. Why couldn’t she just like him? Even a little bit.
Tripp stopped when Wendy tossed her shoes to the side and climbed between two poles to enter the space where the horses were grazing.
She inched closer to a chestnut mare, her hand outstretched.
Soft words he couldn’t decipher spilled from her lips like a babbling brook.
It was a soothing sound, and he wasn’t at all surprised that the mare moved in her direction.
Wendy pressed her palm to the horse’s nose and continued speaking to her. Fascinating. Wendy had a way with animals. Who knew?
The more he watched her the more something shifted. He wasn’t blind. From their first encounter, he’d noticed her. He’d watched the way she was with other people—the people she loved. It was the little things.
This woman, despite all of the trouble she caused him, had a heart of gold.
She paid attention to what was important to her friends.
She found joy in the simplistic pieces of the world that no one looked at twice evidenced in her love of the old and rundown.
She’d do anything for her friends, even dress up and attend parties where she wasn’t comfortable in her own skin.
Maybe he was crazy. Maybe he wanted to be someone she looked at with awe. He wanted those large blue eyes to see something in him worth saving. Because the more he had paid attention to her, the more he realized he’d have to be better. He’d have to earn that affection, that loyalty he craved.
Tripp took another step toward her and she stiffened. The horse tossed her head and Wendy shot a look over her shoulder. Her muscles remained tense as she returned her focus to the horse.
“What do you want, Tripp?” The irritation mingled with something else he couldn’t put his finger on. Regardless, he flinched.
“I came to check on you.”
She scoffed.
Apparently, she had no interest in elaborating how she felt about his statement. And he wasn’t sure he wanted to know.
Tripp closed the distance between himself and the corral. He folded his arms atop the cool metal and rested his chin there. “Her name is Nugget. She’s new.”
Wendy didn’t turn to face him, but she whispered, “She’s beautiful.”
“She is.” He didn’t add that the horse didn’t hold a candle to the woman admiring her. That would have been too much. He continued watching them for a moment before he murmured, “You don’t like crowds, do you?”
Her laugh was quiet and almost surprised. “You noticed, that, huh?”
“Yeah.”
She peeked at him briefly but with her face cast in shadow, he couldn’t tell how she was feeling.
“I can be in large groups, but it takes me a while to warm up to them. And even then, my social battery can get depleted. I’m really more of a homebody.
I’m just more comfortable curled up with a good book or binging a television show than I am with my friends.
Don’t get me wrong. I love them to death.
I just…” Her voice trailed off and she shrugged.
“It’s nice not having to wonder if I’m saying the right things all the time. ”
Tripp nodded. He could see the appeal in her words, though he preferred to be social. He craved the excitement it stirred. Or at least he used to.
He shifted, ducking beneath a bar as he entered the corral and came up next to the horse. “You go riding often?”
Wendy shook her head. “I don’t have access to a horse.”
“Your best friends are associated with one of the larger ranches in Rocky Ridge.”
She wrinkled her nose, but it wasn’t out of disgust. He’d seen this reaction a handful of times.
It was the expression she made when she was trying to come up with the right words to say.
Without looking at him in the eye, she said, “This is a business. They’re working.
I can’t just show up here and ask to go riding. ”
“Why not?”
That caught her attention and she stared at him with surprise. “You’re kidding, right?”
He lifted a shoulder. “You’re friends. Maybe you couldn’t just show up. But it’s not like you couldn’t set up a time and hang out.” Then again with what she’d just said, maybe she wouldn’t want to be out and about.
“Yeah, maybe.”
Leaning closer to her, he smirked. “Animals are less judgmental than humans. If you really want to get out of here and go for a ride, you can always ask me and that means less people.” He wasn’t sure, but he could have sworn there was a hint of a smile. But then it faded just as quickly.
“I would bet that you say that to all the girls you take out.”
His spine straightened. They’d gone from borderline flirtatious to her pointing out his dating life. Where had that come from. “Actually, I’ve never brought a girl back here to go riding. The girls I’ve taken out aren’t exactly the type to appreciate… dust and dirt.”
She made a disgruntled sound. “Of course not.”
He grinned, not interested in taking offense at her tone. With a laugh, he asked, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Wendy gave him a pointed look. “I saw the woman you were talking to at the party. She’s definitely not the kind of woman to get on a horse and ride into the sunset.”
Initially, he frowned. He didn’t know who Wendy could possibly be talking about. He hadn’t been flirting with anyone… that thought faded and he laughed as realization dawned on him. Tripp folded his arms. “Are you jealous?”
Wendy’s jaw went slack. It might have been the moonlight, or maybe she’d actually paled at his words. There was no covering up her reaction even though she gave it a valiant effort. “What? No!”
“Yes, you are. You were watching me talk to Serena.”
She shook her head vehemently and turned her full attention painfully toward the horse. “I wasn’t.”
“Yes, you were. And you were jealous. Just admit it, sweetheart, and maybe I’ll take you out on a ride just the two of us and Nugget here.”
She chewed on her lip. There was a slim chance that she’d take him up on his offer. He should have known better than to believe she’d humble herself enough to openly admit her jealousy. Wendy remained rigid and silent.
He blew out another chuckle. “Okay, don’t admit it. I’ll still take you riding.”
Her eyes darted to meet his as if to gauge whether he was being serious.
“And I’ll give you one better. Serena is married.
” He could see the cogs in her mind working—preparing to spew something hateful but he put an end to it.
“And I was talking to her because I’m taking what you said to heart.
She and her husband run an equine specialty training center. They have a dentistry program.”
Wendy’s eyes widened. “Really? You’re going to do it then?” If the awe in her voice wasn’t enough to bring him to his knees, her open excitement for him would have.
He shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “I’ll be looking into it. But yeah, if it works out, I’ll probably go forward with it.”
She grinned widely at him, and dang her whole face lit up. “That’s amazing. I bet you’ll be amazing.”
In truth, he understood Wendy wouldn’t know that for certain, but her unwavering support was something he hadn’t expected.
And boy, he craved it more than he’d thought possible.
He looked down at his feet and kicked at some dirt with the toe of his boot.
He’d never shared his feelings this deeply with another person.
Not even his brother. There was just something about Wendy that made him want to share a little more with her.
The quiet settled between them again, hanging there, waiting for one of them to say something more. Laughter drew Wendy’s attention to his back. Someone was leaving the party. Her expression tightened. Did she want to leave? Or was he reading a desire to stay?