Chapter Nine
We walk into Ryse my lips are sealed.”
We stand there in loaded silence. Neither of us knowing what to say to the other.
It’s weird. When we’re in the arena, we’re like combatants, and I have plenty to say when he’s battling me and resisting my instruction.
But now, with him standing in the backyard, his knees and hands covered in black potting soil from him spending the afternoon indulging my grandfather, I can’t find my words.
“So, Cabe told me Harleigh is coming home tonight,” he finally says, breaking the awkwardness.
“Yep. Shelby and I are leaving in about an hour to pick her up in Jackson Hole.”
“He also said that you guys are going out dancing after dinner.”
“We are. We need to get Matty out of the house, so Imma Jean and Grandma can start preparations for tomorrow’s surprise party.”
He nods.
“Plus, Harleigh just finished exams, and she wants to go blow off some steam.”
“Is she even old enough?” he asks.
I shake my head. “Nah, she’s only twenty—well, almost twenty—but the doorman down at The Soused Cow knows us, and he’ll let her in. Plus, she has a fake ID she uses at school.”
“Sounds … illegal,” he says, and I burst out laughing.
“It is, but we’ve been sneaking into the Cow since we were all in high school.”
He grins. “Fun place?”
“Good drinks. Good music. Good people,” I say.
He looks at me expectantly, and I let out a breath.
“You wanna come with us?”
“You want me to come?”
My heart stutters, just for a second, before I manage a half smile. “Don’t flatter yourself, cowboy.”
“You’re the one out here staring.”
I blink, caught, and hate the warmth that floods my cheeks. “You’re delusional.”
“Maybe.” He grins wider, eyes glinting beneath the shadow of his cap. “But you’re still staring.”
I roll my eyes, forcing myself to look away, though the image of him—sunlight sliding over ink and sweat—burns behind my eyelids.
God help me, this man is going to be trouble.
“Whatever,” I mumble.
He chuckles. “I’m just teasing. Cabe invited me to come along,” he says. “I just wanted to make sure it was okay with you. I don’t want to impose on your plans.”
I bring my eyes back to him. “I’m good with it,” I say a little too quickly. “I mean, Cabe and Caison are always outnumbered. I’m sure they’ll appreciate having another guy in the mix.”
“That’s what Cabe said.”
Grandpa returns with two small bushels of greens. “Here you go, sweetheart.”
“Thanks,” I say, taking them from his gloved hands.
He turns to Bryce. “You ready to learn how to prune cucumber and squash plants, son?”
“Yes, sir,” Bryce says.
Grandpa begins walking toward the back row of the garden, and Bryce gives me a wink and follows. Before I turn to go back inside, I overhear Grandpa spilling knowledge.
“Well, first, you have to inspect the lower leaves, and if they have a powdery mildew on them, you need to cut ’em back.”
I watch them until they’re both hunched down over a row of leafy green plants.
As I return to the house, I can’t help but think that the plan for a night of easy fun may have just taken a left turn.