Chapter 27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
“You better thank me,”
Wendy shot Hallie an incredulous look. The way she’d said that with a hint of a snicker stirred some curiosity. “Why? Because you finally wore me down enough to get me on this date? I told you before we left that I still wasn’t sure I’m ready for this.”
Her friend waved a flippant hand through the air and tugged on Wendy a little harder. “No. You’re going to thank me because I convinced Jacob to bring your blind date to the rodeo.”
“And that’s something to be grateful for…
because…” Wendy drawled. “A blind date is a blind date. I’m going to meet this person and we’ll do the usual awkward first date conversations.
Then we’ll try to keep talking until one or both of us realizes we’re not really suited for each other.
Then he’ll see some friends and say goodbye, leaving me to—”
Hallie groaned. “You’re so cynical. What if this guy is perfect for you? What if you get one look at him and you realize that he’s the one?”
Wendy snorted.
“I’m serious!” Hallie laughed, pulling Wendy to a stop and facing her. “I think it’s time you get yourself out there. You stay cooped up all day in that shop which isn’t the worst thing, but Serenity even thinks it’d be good for you to find someone who can make you smile.”
Someone like Tripp.
That thought entered Wendy’s mind far too quickly and she blushed. Thankfully the heat of the afternoon and the speed at which they’d been rushing through the rodeo grounds covered up her embarrassment.
Hallie had both of her hands on Wendy’s shoulders. She gave her a gentle shake. “Think about it. Everyone needs someone. Serenity was it for you for a while. Now that she’s married, you’re not spending as much time with her. And you duck out every time I invite you out to something I plan.”
Like that bonfire.
Wendy chewed on the inside of her cheek and glanced away.
Hallie wasn’t exactly aware of how often Tripp had managed to drag Wendy out of her home.
Sure, she knew they’d spent some time together and she’d started to suspect that something ran deeper.
And of course, she knew now that Tripp had worked his magic on her and she’d crashed hard when it didn’t work out.
But even now, she didn’t have all the details.
Like how Tripp had listened to what interested her and chosen to take her out to estate sales and other antique shops.
He knew she enjoyed riding horses and managed to make time for her to visit so they could go riding together.
And he even knew she wasn’t into the fancy restaurants in town but preferred a good old-fashioned cheeseburger.
She released a sad laugh to herself.
And the tea. She’d never forget how he’d make sure to bring his special sweet, iced tea to any gathering she’d been to.
Wendy’s heart cracked wide open.
She’d been pushing all her memories aside so she could attempt to get over him and it wasn’t working. Now was not the time to go on a date with some stranger. There would be no getting Tripp out of her system.
Tugging backward didn’t make any difference.
Hallie was either in her own little world or she wasn’t going to let Wendy bail this time.
And where would Wendy go? She couldn’t exactly take off running through a crowd of cowboys and not look like a complete lunatic.
Breathe.
It’s a superficial date. It’s not like she’d come face to face with Tripp here and have to explain herself. It’s not like she’d have to witness him on a date with another girl. Even if she did, she’d be with someone else.
The turmoil in her stomach grew to excessive levels.
Her breathing quickened and dizziness accosted her. Steps slowed.
“Wendy?”
At some point, they’d come to a stop. They were in the middle of a slew of food trucks. Wendy blinked as she glanced around the area. But then Hallie’s concerned face came into view.
“Are you okay?” She pressed a hand to Wendy’s forehead. “Are you sick?”
“Maybe just a little overheated.” It was a lie. She wasn’t even breaking a sweat yet.
Hallie’s brows furrowed and she searched Wendy’s face—probably for signs of a lie.
Several passersby glanced at them with concern as well and Wendy shifted.
It was moments like this one where she hated herself for allowing Tripp to get past her defenses like he had.
To be fair, he had experience doing so. She shouldn’t be surprised.
But things had felt… different. In her heart, she’d believed that he cared for her and it was only a matter of time before Wendy was brave enough to tell him that they should just end the pretenses. That she’d been wrong to keep pushing him away.
She’d made the biggest mistake of her life.
Not in falling for him.
But in keeping him at arms’ length.
Hallie glanced over her shoulder. “Look, they serve tea at that food truck. You like it, right? Tripp said—”
“No.” Wendy’s response was a strangled cry. “It’s fine. I don’t need tea.”
Hallie’s frown deepened. “But—”
“Water? Can we just get some water?” Wendy would never be able to explain that the tea Tripp brought was special. Hallie wouldn’t understand what exactly it had meant to her heart. It was just a drink for heaven’s sake.
Her friend still stared at her like she was worried something would happen to her.
The frown between her brows remained even as she offered a small smile and nodded.
“Yeah, sure. I’ll get you some water and then we have to hurry.
Jacob is up soon.” Her eyes brightened just talking about him.
“He’s trying the bareback event for the first time today and I told him I’d come to watch. ”
“Bareback? Like riding a horse without a saddle? How does he stay on?” There was no way to hide the fact that Wendy didn’t know much about the rodeo.
She’d lived in the area and come to the fairgrounds plenty, but she hadn’t been interested in the competitive events that everyone flocked to. The food and music were enough for her.
“There’s this handle thing that they put on the horses. It’s like holding a suitcase and that’s all the rider gets.” Hallie tossed the explanation over her shoulder as she hurried toward the nearest food truck for a bottle of water.
Wendy glanced around the immediate area and sighed. This was a bad idea. She didn’t want to be here.
Okay, maybe that wasn’t entirely true. She would have been happy to be here if she were here with someone else. Someone she’d managed to give her heart to before she’d even realized what she was doing.
Dang it all!
The entrance to the rodeo grounds wouldn’t be too hard to get to if there weren’t so many people milling around. If she took off running right now, Hallie wouldn’t go chasing after her, would she? Hallie didn’t like drawing that kind of attention and she’d probably look a little crazy.
Scratch that, they’d both look crazy.
But at this point, Wendy didn’t care. Right about now, she was more than tempted to just call Tripp up and tell him to meet her somewhere so they could talk. There were only two things holding her back.
The first was that she didn’t know what she’d say. She didn’t know if she could put her feelings into words without sounding desperate. And Tripp was the kind of guy who didn’t do serious, so why would he want some girl desperate to ask him to be just that?
The second reason was that she was terrified about the official rejection.
Right now, she could pretend that nothing had come between them. Nothing about their agreed upon friendship had changed. Not technically, anyway. She could call him up and make some excuse, and they’d fall right back into the status quo.
Her heart would die a little if she did that, but at least she could still squeeze out a little more time with him before he found someone worth fighting for.
Wendy wrapped her arms around her stomach, suddenly queasy. She didn’t like thinking about him with anyone else.
And that was the truth of it.
This whole thing happened because she was a stubborn coward.
“Here.” Hallie thrust a plastic water bottle in front of her. It was dripping as if it’d been pulled from a cooler. “Drink up. I can’t have you getting heatstroke before your date. This is going to be good for you.”
Wendy stared at the bottle, not allowing herself to meet Hallie’s eyes. Hallie might be well aware that Wendy wasn’t ready for this date, but she wasn’t a bad friend. If Wendy told her outright that she needed to back out, Hallie would let her.
Unfortunately, Wendy wasn’t that kind of person. She’d made a commitment. She would follow through with the date if it was the last thing she did.
“Okay,” Wendy finally said with a fresh wave of determination. “Let’s get this over with.”
Hallie bit back a smile. “It’s not like you’re expected to fall in love with the guy. This is just so you can dip your toes back into the dating scene. It’s supposed to be fun.”
“Yeah,” she sighed. “I know.” Straightening her shoulders, she nodded. “Now, let’s go watch your boyfriend compete.”
Hallie rolled her eyes. “He’s not my boyfriend.”
“Yet,” Wendy laughed. It felt good to release some of that pent up tension in her chest. This would be okay.
They arrived at the arena and Hallie immediately dragged Wendy over to where Brent was standing with a couple other cowboys getting ready for their turns.
A man she didn’t recognize was climbing into a tight enclosure where a horse was sandwiched between the bars.
The cowboy looked sure of himself even though the horse was restless.
“You’re not competing, are you?” Hallie said with a surprised and yet nervous sort of energy.
Wendy dragged her attention over to who she was speaking to.
Brent shrugged. “I might.”
“Your mother would skin you alive. And your dad would kill you.” Hallie shook her head. “Uncle Judd would totally bring you back from the dead to do it all over again.”
Some of the other men around Brent chuckled and Brent’s expression went dark. “I’m an adult, Hallie. My parents have no say in the matter.”
Wendy’s eyes bounced to Hallie to see her happy expression falter. She cleared her throat. “No one knows overprotective parents like me, Brent.”
“Yeah, well I’m not going to let them dictate what I do with my life. They can’t keep me from this if that’s the path I want to take.”
Wendy swallowed thickly. She’d been aware that Tripp’s parents didn’t approve of Brent’s interest in the rodeo, but that was it. She wondered if Tripp supported his brother or if there was tension there, too.
Brent cut her a look then turned away as if he didn’t think she was worthy of joining in on this conversation.
A sound blared and the horse was released.
The group turned their attention to the cowboy in the arena as he held on for dear life.
The crowd roared. Time slowed. Wendy’s heart hammered as she watched the abuse a man’s body experienced by just trying to stay seated.
She could understand the fears Tripp’s parents experienced in just imagining their child going through that.
“There are other events, though, right? Ones that aren’t as dangerous?” Wendy voiced the question without thinking.
Brent was the only one who seemed to notice that she spoke.
His eyes slid in her direction and he nodded.
“Sure. There are several. Granted, every time a man gets in the saddle could be his last. You can’t control a horse’s reaction to their environment even if they’re the best trained one out there. Accidents happen. People fall.”
“I suppose I never thought of it that way,” Wendy mused.
Brent’s attention unnerved her. He continued staring at her like he expected something.
Was she aware of the lengths she’d gone to in order to avoid his brother?
Probably. And he likely hated her for it.
This family was as close as they came. He wouldn’t approve of the way she’d treated Tripp, and she wouldn’t be surprised if he’d told his brother to just walk away.
Why did that bother her so much?
Because she wanted a future with Tripp.
She blew out a breath, feeling more stuck than ever. Wendy should have never agreed to this blind date. She felt like a hypocrite. How could she track down Tripp and tell him she didn’t like seeing him with someone else when she was prepared to spend time with another.
At that very moment, a flicker of something familiar appeared in the corner of her eye.
The hairs on the back of her neck lifted and she didn’t have to turn her head to know exactly who had arrived to their little group.
Tripp.
Shoot, shoot, shoot! She couldn’t do this. Her blind date would be here any second and she couldn’t be standing next to Tripp when they were introduced. Her thoughts were a flicker of chaos in her mind. All she knew was that she needed to get out of there.
Regroup.
Figure out how to tell Hallie that she couldn’t follow through with the date because she needed to have a very important conversation with Tripp, first.
She wasn’t ready.
This was a mess of her own making, and the only way out was to leave.
Wendy reached out and tugged on Hallie’s shirt. “Hey, I’m gonna…” She grappled with an excuse. Any excuse. “I need to go to the bathroom.” She blurted the statement and took off, vaguely aware of someone calling her name.