Chapter Five
Carly casually glanced around the high school football stadium.
It was packed, but that had a lot to do with the home team being on a winning streak.
When she’d called Amy the day before to ask what her plans were for that Friday night, Amy had joked that she was going to live it up as one did in a small town and go watch the local football team.
When she mentioned that Remi and Shane were also going, Carly decided to join the family festivities.
Though she may have had alternative reasons for wanting to be there.
“Who are you looking for?” Amy asked.
Carly tried not to look like a kid stealing from the cookie jar as she quickly said, “No one!”
Remi turned where she sat on the bleacher in the row below. She eyed her knowingly. “You’re looking for Mr. Hot and Sweaty.”
“Who?” Amy asked. Her gaze narrowed on Carly. “You didn’t tell me there was a guy.”
“That’s because there isn’t one,” Carly insisted.
“Oh, there’s a guy,” Remi said. “And the way they looked at each other…” Remi fanned herself. “I’d say love is in the air.”
Carly gave her cousin a dry look. “You got all that from an apology pie?”
“I’m so lost right now,” Amy complained before looking at their cousin. “Since she’s being tightlipped about it, I’ll need you to fill me in.”
“Ugh,” Carly muttered. She palmed her face, hiding her eyes as Remi gave Amy an exaggerated account of what happened.
“And then Carly practically jumped him,” Remi continued.
“I did not!” she said.
“You wanted to.”
Thankfully, her cousin caught sight of her fiancé, and her voice trailed off as she took in her own man.
Shane carried a tray full of snacks from the concession stand.
Amy’s husband, Josh, followed behind, carrying a container of drinks.
Remi catcalled Shane, whose face lit up at the sight of her.
He and Josh made their way up the stands toward them.
Amy lightly elbowed Carly. “Tell me your version.”
Carly lifted a shoulder. “There really isn’t much to tell.
I ran into this guy and his son the other day on the trails.
We spoke for a second, and then I realized I was trespassing, so I got out of Dodge.
I was a little rude during our encounter, so I took him an apple pie to apologize. That’s all that happened.”
“And you think he’s attractive.”
“She may have mentioned ocean-colored eyes,” Remi said. “I believe that was a direct quote.”
“Hey!” Carly lightly tapped her cousin’s backside with her foot.
“Are we talking about the guy Carly thinks is hot?” Shane said as he sat next to Remi, brushing his lips against her temples.
“Oh for Pete’s sake.” Carly looked up to the sky. “You make me sound like a schoolgirl with a crush.”
“We’re just giving you a hard time. It’s really sweet,” Remi said, taking the food off the tray Shane had, then passing a bucket of popcorn to Amy. “We’re really excited to see you having a life outside of the rodeo. Maybe this is an opportunity to put down some roots?”
“What! There are no roots to put down with this guy. I—” Carly’s mouth dropped as the man in question approached where she was sitting. He was walking behind a woman with three girls, a boy, and Grayson.
“Hello, Mayor!” Josh called out.
The woman looked up, waving to them. “Hello! It’s good to see you all. Thanks for coming out to support our boys.”
“They’re going to go all the way this year!” Shane said before grumbling under his breath, “They better. I’ve got twenty dollars on it.”
Remi gave her fiancé a mock glare. “That money could have gone toward the wedding.”
Shane wiggled his brows at her. “Don’t worry. I took it out of the bachelor party fund.”
Carly only half listened to their exchange, her focus locked on Jesse.
He was dressed casually in a light gray sweatshirt that shaped him and worn jeans that looked soft to the touch.
He was just as handsome as she remembered.
More so under the lights of the stadium.
He hadn’t noticed her yet. He was staring at the team on the field where they were warming up, a frown on his handsome face.
Amy noticed her staring and cranked her head to look at Jesse. “Is that him? Please tell me that’s him. He’s delicious.”
“Um, hi, remember me?” Josh teased.
“Of course, and obviously he’s not as handsome as you,” Amy assured, kissing her husband on the cheek. She turned back to Carly. “But is that him?”
Carly’s face heated. Her family didn’t know the meaning of the word subtle. “Yes, and please lower your voice. The stadium announcer isn’t as loud as you.”
“That’s Grayson Abernathy’s brother,” Shane remarked, joining the conversation. “He and his kid recently moved to town, but he’s a bit of a loner.”
“Is he married?” Remi asked.
“Don’t know,” Shane replied. “All I heard was that he moved in with his brother and he’s building himself a house on the other side of the Abernathy ranch.”
Carly’s heart thumped at that. What was Jesse’s story? There hadn’t been a wife riding with them the other day, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t one. Maybe she hadn’t moved to town yet because she was closing up their house back from wherever they used to live.
Embarrassment made Carly wince. What his wife must have thought of her if she found out Carly had brought her husband a pie. Carly had been so focused on not being a bad neighbor that she hadn’t given a thought to the fact that he might be married.
She closed her eyes. That’d be all she needed—for the news to pick up that storyline… After ugly breakup with Fletch Alistair, Carly Hawkins sets eyes on married man.
“Are you worried about Oscar’s mom?” Remi asked as if reading her thoughts.
“No… I mean, it doesn’t matter. It’s not like I’m about to date the man or something.”
Amy cocked her head, her eyes squinting. “I don’t see a wedding ring.”
Carly quirked an eyebrow. “How many ranchers do you know who wear wedding rings? It’s a bit of a hazard, isn’t it? Last thing they need is for the ring to get caught on equipment or they get ring avulsion because some steer ripped it off their finger.”
“If you’re worried about it, just ask the man,” Amy replied.
“What if they had a horrible breakup?” Carly said. “That’ll be a great way to sour any potential romance. Or worse. What if she died or something? I don’t want to bring up any bad memories.”
“Maybe he’s a criminal on the run,” Remi joked. “And he has a woman in every city. Oscar’s mom could be one of many women he left behind.”
Carly gave her a sardonic look. “Thanks for that.”
“You need to stop reading those dark romances you’ve gotten into lately,” Amy told their cousin as she reached for a handful of popcorn.
Carly’s face scrunched. “When did you start reading dark romance?”
“I needed something to distract myself from all the wedding chaos. Faith suggested a particular book, and I’ve been down a rabbit hole ever since,” Remi explained, mentioning Amy and Carly’s sister.
She gave Amy a sly smile. “I’m happy to loan you a few books if you need something to spice up your life.
Trust me, Shane loves some of the ideas I discovered in these stories. ”
“My life is spicy enough, thank you very much,” Amy replied.
“Amen to that,” Josh said. He picked up her hand and kissed the back of it, making Amy blush.
Thankfully the whistle blew announcing the start of the game.
“Later,” she mumbled. But she knew she wouldn’t. Because as much as she found Jesse Abernathy attractive, there was no way that man was single.
* * *
The crowd around Jesse went wild as Tenacity High’s football team scored another touchdown.
He didn’t notice the score. He was too busy watching Oscar.
His son stood off to the side of the rest of the team, holding water bottles ready to hand out if anyone asked.
No one did. Either the boys on the team were too engrossed in the game or they were too busy flirting with the cheerleaders.
Coach Finn finally called out to Oscar, and his son hurried over to the man.
“You breathing over there?” Grayson joked.
Jesse turned to see Grayson and JenniLynn staring at him. JenniLynn’s youngest daughter, Hallie, bounced on her lap while her other daughters, Lila and Sasha, played on the bench next to her. Grayson’s son, Adam, was the only one watching the game.
“Yeah, everything’s fine,” Jesse answered.
“Finn’s keeping an eye on him,” JenniLynn assured him.
Sure enough, the coach said something close to Oscar’s ear before patting him on the back.
Jesse wasn’t sure what the exchange was about, but Oscar perked up, his shoulders straightening before he pointed toward the field.
His son looked happy in that moment, and the strain in Jesse’s shoulders loosened.
He glanced at the scoreboard and realized it was almost halftime. He could understand the excitement in the air. The home team was crushing it.
Jesse leaned back on his palms and glanced around. He straightened when he noticed Carly Hawkins in the section over. He’d been so focused on making sure Oscar was okay that he hadn’t even realized the woman who’d been taking up most of his brain cells since he met her was right near him.
As if feeling his eyes on her, Carly glanced over.
Her eyes widened when she realized he was staring.
His hand seemed to raise of its own accord and started to wave at her like a lunatic before he forced it back down.
She smiled before turning to listen to the woman who was speaking adamantly beside her.
“Uncle Jesse, you’re being super cringe,” JenniLynn’s oldest daughter, Lila, said.
Jesse winced. “Yeah, I know.”
He forced himself to watch the marching band, who was now on the field since it was officially halftime.
The instruments were bright and shiny under the stadium lights, distracting the attendees from how awful they sounded.
Oscar had gone off to the locker room with the rest of the team.
Jesse couldn’t resist looking at Carly again.
The woman in front of her was turned almost fully around, talking fast. Carly shook her head, her lips pursing.
“Isn’t that the woman who gave you a pie the other day?” Grayson asked.
“Yeah,” Jesse muttered.
“Oh! That’s the Hawkins sister. She just moved here,” JenniLynn said. “I think her name is Caroline. No, Cassidy. No—”
“Carly,” Jesse corrected.
“That’s right.” JenniLynn leaned over to get a better look at the group across the way. “She’s beautiful. Are you planning on giving her heart-eyes from a distance all night, or are you going to do something about it?”
“What?” Jesse jerked his gaze back to his family. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
JenniLynn gave him a no-nonsense look.
“We’re saying go ask the woman out,” Grayson said. He gave Jesse a shove. “Go on.”
“What? Now?” Jesse said, low-key panicking.
He’d been planning what he’d say to Carly if he ever ran into her again.
Something smooth that would immediately have her falling head over heels for him.
Because while his brain couldn’t let go of what she did for a living, his heart was reminding him of something else—that he still had one.
He knew that for a fact because every time he thought of the woman lately, the organ beat harder in his chest. It was unfortunate that he couldn’t think of a single pickup line he’d had memorized.
“Go on,” JenniLynn encouraged, “before someone else gets to her first.”
Jesse’s gaze shot back to Carly. Sure enough, there were about four cowboys surrounding her, eyeing her up.
Oh hell no.
Jesse jumped to his feet and made his way through the crowd. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of the woman.
Carly wasn’t wearing her cowgirl hat tonight. Her long brown hair was piled into a bun on top of her head with loose strands framing her face. Under the stadium lighting, he could pick out coppery undertones. He was half tempted to reach out and trace them with his fingers.
“Hi, Jesse,” Carly said when he continued to stand there like a man whose brain left the building.
“Hi,” he practically shouted, inwardly wincing when her family turned to stare at him with varying looks of disbelief, amusement, and judgment—the latter especially on the faces of the women. “I, um, I noticed you and thought I should do the neighborly thing and say hello.”
She smiled, and he was struck dumb again. “I appreciate that. How was the pie?”
“It was great. Thank you again for it.”
She nodded, and he scrambled to think of something else to say. The whistle blew, indicating the game was back on. And thank God for that.
“Well…” he said. Without another word he turned around and scurried back to his section of the bleachers.
JenniLynn and Grayson both looked like they were about to burst out laughing.
“So…” Grayson finally said. “How’d it go?”
“Shut up,” Jesse grumbled. He almost wished a tornado would appear so he could have a reason to scurry away.
When the game finally came to a merciful end, he trailed after his family as they made their way out of the stadium.
He’d told Oscar that they’d wait for him at the entrance.
Because it was just that kind of night, he and Carly met at the end of the bleachers.
He’d done his best not to look at her for the rest of the game, but it’d been almost painful to resist. The few times he’d risked looking at her, he could see the females in her family laughing and giving her a hard time about something.
He almost hoped, and dreaded, that their conversation was about him.
Her expression warmed upon seeing him, and despite how things had gone earlier, he was in front of her before he knew it.
“Listen,” he said. “Sorry about earlier. I’m not usually so—”
“Lost for words?” She smirked. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Yeah, I mean…” To hell with it. “Would you like to go out with me sometime? I clearly need practice communicating with people. Other than my teenage son.”
“And you want me to teach you?” She laughed. The sound was like music to his ears. “Well, that’s a pickup line that I haven’t heard before. Well played.”
The corner of his mouth tilted up. It wasn’t the one of the many pickup lines he’d practiced all week, but he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. “Soooo…is that a yes?”
“Yes, that sounds nice,” she replied. “Here, hand me your phone.”
As he watched her add her name to his list of contacts, a movement caught his eye.
He looked over and saw one of the football players hand his water jug to Oscar, who dropped it, spilling water all over his shoes.
The football player joined his friends, not noticing their waterboy or the mess.
Oscar stared at his feet and started to clench and unclench his hands—a sign he was starting to stim.
“Here you go,” Carly said, handing the phone back to him. “I’m looking forward to—”
“Great. I’ll call you,” Jesse said. He hurried for the exit so he could get to his son before Oscar had a meltdown. He missed the hurt expression on Carly’s face as he left.