He lifted his hand, encouraging me to leave. “Go. Party it up.”
I needed to stay here and convince Ty he was wrong about us, that I couldn’t imagine ever being tired of him, but my phone still rang in my hand, Eden’s face on the display. I had promised my cousins one last girls’ night before the wedding and didn’t want to let them down.
“I should take this,” I said as I stood to go. “But we’re not done here.”
I did my best Ty Hardy impression, echoing the assertive voice he used with the horses. That at least brought a whisper of a smile to his face.
“Call me if you get into the sangria and need a ride home.”
I leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. I could see him warring with himself again, battling back all the desire that flashed in his eyes, until at last, I couldn’t be sure it had been there at all.
“I’ll see you later.”
“Goodbye, June.”
The ominous tone to that simple phrase sent a shiver up my spine as I walked away.
THIRTY
june
“I know we said casual,but damn, girl.”
Eliza gave me a pointed once-over, taking in my dirty jeans and grungy old T-shirt. I hadn’t had enough time to go to my pop’s to change, so I’d met my cousins at The Broken Hammer in my mucking clothes. In retrospect, that might have been a bad call.
The others dressed casual in the sense none of them wore a skirt or pearls, but they still looked ready for a night on the town. I looked like the only thing I was ready for was a shower, my hair mostly still in a bun, my makeup nonexistent. I had at least slipped into The Hammer’s restroom to freshen up a bit, but judging by Eliza’s upturned nose, it hadn’t done much good.
“I had to come straight from Ty’s.” I pulled up a chair between Harper and Eliza. Eden already had a beer poured for me and passed it over.
“You were at Ty’s?” Eliza’s scorn disappeared as she leaned on the table between us, eager for gossip. “What are you not telling us?”
Only Eden knew about what had been going on with Ty and all the time we’d spent together these last weeks. Even then, I’d glossed over just how intimate I had become with him in favor of detailing how intimate I had become with manure. The manure required a lot less explanation.
“We had a bet,” I said simply, taking a sip of beer. “He thought I couldn’t handle his chores around his ranch, so I said I could do them for two weeks.”
Eliza leaned closer, a devilish look in her eyes. “And what did you get if you won?”
“A ride on one of his horses.”
Her eyebrows darted even farther up her forehead. “And what did he get if he won?”
“Me out of his hair.”
Her expression fell. “Snore. I thought you’d at least ask for a ride onhim. Save a horse, ride a cowboy, that’s my motto.”
“That’s not your motto,” Eden said.
“He has broken ribs,” Harper put in. “Sexual favors are pretty unlikely right now.”
“The man’s not dead, though, right?” Eliza flashed a comical wink. She loved to get in a good cheeky remark, but lately, I’d begun to suspect it was all for show. Her sauciness protected her tender heart, not all that different from how my grump protected his with his dismissive attitude.
“It hurts for him to even breathe hard, I think he’ll be out of commission for a while.”
Our kisses had seemed to bring him almost as much pain as pleasure. In the barn after my ride, he’d been passionate, sure, but controlled and careful. What would really be wild? Ty Hardynotbeing completely in control of himself—but I wasn’t sure he would ever let me see that side of him.
“I know that look,” Eliza said. “You’re wishing you’d chosen a ride on the rancher for that bet.”
I couldn’t stop my smile. “Maybe.”
