“If we were dating for real, that seems like a thing we’d do together. Unless they’re eloping?”
“They’re tying the knot at Ruby Gulch, our family’s ranch.” He turns toward the mountains, their outline like a jagged cutout against the pale blue sky.
“Oh! You already have someone,” I blurt as the idea hits me like a bucket of cold water.
He swallows hard, his eyes on the road.
“Forget it.” I wave my hand, like I can wave away my stupidity. Of course he already has a date. Why wouldn’t he?
“I don’t.” He rubs his neck. “And it would actually save my bacon if you wanted to extend this fake dating thing and be my somebody. Otherwise my brothers will skewer me.”
The relief that hums inside me is like a boost of confidence, so I push my luck. “Hmm, I kind of relish the idea of watching this brotherly love in action.”
He flashes me a stern glance.
“Let’s see how good of a kisser you are first,” I say, unable to hide my grin. “If you pass the test tonight, I’ll consider being your somebody for this wedding.”
He rubs the back of his neck again, but his eyes flash with a competitive gleam, like he’s looking forward to the challenge.
My heartbeat taps down, down, to the base of my core, bringing heat and the beginning of an ache. A craving.
“Is Ruby Gulch where those pictures of the cows and the prairie were taken?” I ask.
“Yep. It’s where I grew up.”
This makes me want to ask when he was adopted. Did he have another life before he became a Rumsey? But we’re getting close to the country club and I have more pertinent questions.
“Tell me your childhood crush,” I say.
He balks. “Good lord. Why?”
Laughter bursts out of me so fast I cover my mouth to keep from spitting all over his dash. “I feel like it’s something I should know.”
“I honestly don’t think I had one.”
“Liar.” I cross my arms.
“Seriously. I didn’t have the patience to crush on someone I couldn’t have. If I was into a girl, I talked to her. If she was into me, then....” He shrugs.
“Then what?”
He rubs his knuckles under his chin. “Let’s just say a concept like dating wasn’t on my radar back then.”
“You were a manslut?”
“I had a lot of wild oats to sow.”
“Okay, Casanova.” I roll my eyes, but it’s impossible not to pine just a little bit for him as a teenage sex machine. God, he must have broken so many hearts.
Annaleise’s warning flashes in my mind but I shake it off.
“Who was your childhood crush?” he asks, drawing me back to the truck.
“Colt Michaels. He was the reason why I became a lifeguard.” I give him a glance. “He was the, er, one in charge of the training.”
“In other words, your boss?”
I scrunch my eyes shut while heat crawls up my neck. “I shouldn’t have told you.”
