Page 32 of One Wild Texas Night
Stefanie laughed. “Oh my. Tell him thank you for that lovely thought.”
“Are you here with someone? May I ask who?”
“Sure, you can always ask. I came with Billy, and I think it will be the last time. I don’t know why, but I just don’t have the knack for finding the right guy. We argued all the way here...” She waved her hand. “But enough about that.”
“I’m sorry, Stef.”
“Not to worry, girlfriend. I’m not giving up hope.” In an obvious attempt to deflect the conversation from her love life—or lack thereof—she said, “Well, like I said on the phone, I can always find a place for you to stay, Claire, with me or in a vacant house, so let me know if you need a place. Although if I were staying with Jake, I think I’d just settle in until the last inch of your ranch is fixed and ready.”
Claire laughed. “I’ll remember your advice. If the two of us fell wildly in love, though, there wouldn’t be a future with that old feud. If it were like Regina, I wouldn’t want that, either.”
Stefanie frowned. “I think you’re right. Like Romeo and Juliet.”
Claire laughed. “That’s a first. Later, I’ll tell Jake that you called us Romeo and Juliet.” She hoped their story wouldn’t be as tragic, but she was sure Jake would find the humor in it. “By the way, how’s your family?”
“Everyone’s good. I’m an aunt again, and that’s so much fun.”
Claire smiled at a story her friend related, then when they were about to part, she said, “I hope you have a good time tonight.”
“I hope you have a good time, too. Jake seems nice. I hope your brothers know nothing about him.”
“When they see me with him, I think they’ll know better than to interfere. They may be rotten to some people, guys mostly, but they’ve never been rotten to me.”
“Oh, here Billy comes, looking for me. I’ll go so you don’t have to talk to him and have him ask you why you’re here with a Reed. He might not have noticed yet, but he’s friends with some of the Reeds. Let’s do lunch when you can,” she said over her shoulder, and Claire nodded, watching Stefanie’s black hair swing as she walked away.
“Claire?”
She turned to see one of the men involved with the arena and smiled at him. “Brink. This is a nice party, and I’m so glad a new arena will be built.”
“I am, too. I almost didn’t recognize you. You look great,” he said. “Was that your house I saw on the news?”
“There were several houses on the news, but yes, the fire went across my ranch and my home is gone,” she said, turning as another rancher joined them. She glanced across the room as she talked and saw Jake looking at her as he stood in a group of people, laughing at something someone said, but his eyes were on her, and she felt a tingle just from their exchanged glances. It was another twenty minutes of conversation before a hand touched her elbow and she looked up at Jake.
“Sorry to interrupt,” he said, greeting the men standing around her. After he had shaken hands with each one, he looked down at Claire. “It’s about time for this to start. If you gentlemen will excuse us, they’re asking everyone to find their places.”
He held her arm lightly as they moved away from the group. “I know where our places are. We’re at the head table. I see Stefanie found you. So have half the guys in the room. You drew a crowd.”
She smiled. “Friendly people. Ranchers. I’m a rancher.”
“That isn’t why you had eight guys standing around talking to you,” he said, and she smiled.
“They’ve asked some of us to find our places because then everyone will,” he told her. “So let’s find our seats so we will get to eat dinner and get this shindig over with so I can take you home with me and see what’s under your red dress.”
“Sounds like a deal to me,” she said, smiling at him and anxious for the time when she could return to his place and be alone with him.
As they reached the head table, two tall men and a woman were waiting. Jake greeted them and turned to her. “I want all of you to meet my ranch neighbor Claire Blake. Claire, these are my cousins, who have also helped with the building of the new arena in Fort Worth after the old one burned. This is Wade Sterling and his new wife, Ava Sterling.”
Smiling, Claire greeted the Sterlings.
“I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m glad you two have a truce,” Wade said.
“I’m glad, too,” she said, smiling in return.
“And this is another cousin, Luke Grayson.”
“I’m glad to meet you, Luke.”
“I agree with everyone else—a truce is good between neighbors. It’s nice to meet you. I have heard about you, too.”
