Chapter Five #2
But yet, here I was, staring at the man who looked softer, more aware, and even a little defeated compared to the one I’d seen in the videos. There was no way I could’ve been that harsh now.
“I just mean that I assumed you were another lost cowboy looking for some answers in the stars. We get a lot of those around here. Never did it cross my mind that Stetson Walker would be playing a set at our small-town get together, let alone wandering out under the stars by himself, instead of, you know, signing autographs somewhere.” I chuckled, hoping he’d pick up on my sarcasm.
I twirled the ruby ring on my finger, shifting my weight to the left, but in doing so, my leg just barely brushed his. The denim of his jeans on my bare thigh sent a chill racing down my back.
The feeling caught me off guard.
“Did you want one? An autograph, I mean,” he asked, his own sarcasm almost as thick as his Southern drawl, giving me a bit of relief from the tension in my chest.
“Hilarious,” I mocked. “No, I don’t want your autograph. I’m just saying you weren’t who I expected to be talking to, that’s all.”
The silence was so comfortable that I hadn’t even realized how long we’d been standing there until Stetson’s voice, low and calmer than before, spoke up.
“Ever cross your mind that maybe that’s all I am…”
We didn’t look at each other, both of us keeping our gaze on the massive animal in front of us. Horses were always my calm, they were soft despite their size, and just being around them felt like coming home after being away for months.
“Maybe that’s all you are what?” I paused, running back through what I’d said.
“A lost cowboy?” I questioned, peering in his direction with wide eyes.
“Ha. Says the man who just finished a world tour and has landed countless awards in the last few years. You’re definitely not giving”—I raised my hands for air quotes—“lost cowboy vibes.”
Thunder clouds invaded the blue in his eyes, forcing them to fall a shade darker as he crossed his arms over his chest, almost like he was trying to stop something inside of him from escaping. I tried to grasp what it was, but before I could, his demeanor shifted.
His tongue traced his bottom lip, and I couldn’t help but watch. “You’re not really givin’ me a chance here, now are ya? I thought you Southern girls were supposed to be sweet as peaches or something like that.”
“That’s Georgia; we’re in Tennessee. Very different,” I confirmed. “Wait a minute, aren’t you from Tennessee?” I questioned with a raised eyebrow.
“And here I thought you didn’t know anything about me.” He grinned, rotating his body around until his back rested on the metal bars of the stall.
Feeling sassy and almost like I needed to defend myself, I positioned myself in front of him. “I know a lot about you,” I said, resting my arms across my chest.
“Nah. I’m talking facts, not things you’ve seen on social media,” he huffed. “Actually, when was the last time you saw anything new about me in the media at all? Good or bad.”
I racked my brain, trying to remember the latest escapade I’d seen involving him, but shockingly came up empty-handed as all the videos and articles I’d been referring to weren’t recent at all…
“I guess you’re right,” I admitted, feeling the crease in between my eyebrows deepening.
“What was that?” He smirked, holding his hand to his ear and leaning closer, shrinking the distance between us.
“Ha. Ha,” I grumbled. “Hilarious.”
He took another step closer.
“Yes, I’m from a small town just south of Nashville, and yet there ain’t any woman like you where I’m from. That’s for damn sure.”
“Oh?” I inquired, lifting my head to meet his gaze because he stood only a few inches away from me. “And what’s that supposed to mean?” I nervously pushed my sticky hair behind my ear, feeling a few stragglers sticking to the side of my face from the humidity.
The music from the party must’ve been switched from a live band to a playlist because it had gotten substantially louder, drifting into the space around us. Tim McGraw’s version of “When the Stars Go Blue” started playing.
“Wouldn’t you love to know.”
The words left his mouth, but our gazes never went anywhere. The silence between us grew even louder.
I wanted to say something, to break the silence that felt too comfortable for two strangers that had only just met, but every time I went to speak, nothing came out.
Stetson’s voice cut in. “Wanna dance?”
My eyes widened and the beat of my heart tripled, forcing my eyes to look anywhere but at him, almost like I wasn’t sure if he was asking me or the other nonexistent girl in the room.
“Uh, sure,” I mumbled, even though I didn’t think I was sure at all.
It felt wrong. Almost like I was doing something I shouldn’t be doing—let alone deserved to be doing—but I couldn’t fight the pull in the bottom of my belly, shuffling my feet closer to the very handsome but very perplexing man in front of me.
He extended his hand and I hesitated before eagerly reaching for him, my body feeling airy as I awaited his touch. He swiftly pulled me close enough that my feet fell inside of his and our bodies melted together.
I wasn’t quite sure what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this.
The tension I’d been holding released when I exhaled, but only until his mouth mushed into my ear, the hair of his mustache dancing on my skin rocketing my senses into overdrive. “Everything isn’t always as it seems.”
His words invited my eyes to close, lingering through the air.
I went to respond but was interrupted before I had the chance to.
“Scar, there you are. Oh. Holy shit—” Maggie’s jaw was practically on the floor.
I’d never moved so fast, yanking myself away from Stetson in record time. It was like I was a teenager again and my parents had caught me breaking the rules.