“Why would I when we can walk together?”
Why indeed?
Would this count as a date? Until Carter and I decided on the wedding, we were still technically engaged. I shouldn’t be seeing anyone, least of all his father. But the evening had all the markings of a date I’d always wanted. A courteous gentleman who thought waiting for me was worth it. Who walked me to his car instead of leaving me to get there by myself.
“Is the drive-in usually full?” I asked as we walked to his truck. Gray was so close to me our arms brushed against each other. He kept stealing glances at me. Something in the careful way he treated me, like I was precious and meant to be cherished, both thrilled and scared me. Why had Carter never treated me like that?
If he only knew how much his father showed how lacking he was as a partner. I wouldn’t have known all these things hadn’t he run off to the Caribbean. I would have been fine with how he treated me and accepted it as normal.
“It does more so on the weekend. It shouldn’t be too overcrowded. Do you not like crowds?”
“Not really. I can usually fit in anywhere, but to be honest, I prefer a smaller gathering.”
“So why the two hundred people for the wedding?”
“Carter’s idea. Do we even know two hundred people? Beats me.” He was supposed to send me a list of those two hundred guests, but as with everything else, he had yet to deliver. “If I had to choose, fifty people seem good enough. Just our closest friends and relatives. Much more cost-effective too.”
“If money’s the only object, don’t worry about it, Ozzie. I promised I’d take care of the wedding, didn’t I?” Gray stopped at a new-looking, shiny silver Chevy truck and opened the passenger door.
“What’s this? Is this your truck?”
“It is. You didn’t expect me to take you out in the work truck, did ya?” He grinned. “How am I supposed to impress you if I did that?”
He wanted to impress me? “Gray—”
“Get in, Ozzie. I’m just teasing you. I own more than one vehicle. That day I picked you up, I used one of the working trucks because I had to grab some goods for the ranch on the way back.”
“Oh.” Silly me. Of course a man as wealthy as Gray would own several cars. He was so down to earth and such a hard worker that I often forgot he had more than enough money to live comfortably.
I climbed into the truck. What the hell was I doing? I had no idea, but the look in Gray’s eyes before he shut the door sent shivers through me. The way he made me feel. The way he treated me. The way he gave me his undivided attention.
Carter was out having a blast in the Caribbean. If he wasn’t even bothered about being discreet, why should I restrain myself when our wedding was obviously never going to happen?
14
GRAY
Something was different about Ozzie. On the drive to Lawson’s, I kept glancing at him to figure it out, but all that did was make me hyperaware of him, of how close he was to me and how delicious he smelled. The delicate blend of freshly bloomed jasmine flowers with a hint of vanilla undercurrent was so refreshing from sweaty bodies, stinking animals, and warm hay. That must be the reason I had such a powerful urge to pull off to the side of the road and bury my face into Ozzie’s armpits.
I bet he smells good there too.
Since he came to Bristlecone Springs, I’d never seen him this at ease—not just with me but with his body as well. He was dressed nicely this evening in more form-fitting clothes that showed off his sexy curves. Normally, he carried tension in his shoulders and the groove between his eyebrows, but he was so relaxed he even leaned into me. He would casually touch my thigh, though he didn’t seem to notice doing it, while he chatted about his life back in Washington, DC.
Most of his stories were pre-Carter. He mentioned several friends, but he hadn’t spoken to one since coming here. Hell, were their names even on the wedding guest list?
“What happened to your friends?” I asked when he inhaled deeply.
“Friends?”
“Yeah. Betty, Parker, and Mac. You’ve been talking an awful lot about them.”
“Oh. We kind of drifted apart.”
“Sounds like you miss them.”
“I do. We just moved in different circles once I started living with Carter. Betty got married and moved away. Parker found a new roommate, and Mac—we had an argument.”
Shit.
