Glen grabbed the plastic bin of spent syringes. Troy checked to make sure they didn’t leave any garbage lying around that the cows could eat by accident, or even on purpose, as cows weren’t all that smart about what they chewed on.
Grady, who had been in charge of cutting the cows from the herd and bringing them into the corral, dismounted from his horse and looped the reins over her head to lead her back to the barn.
“Good work today, boys.” Glen smacked his gloved hands together. “We’d better get showered and dressed before the ladies come looking for us.”
Grady grinned.
Troy didn’t want to know what he was thinking about Ronnie. Some thoughts a man should keep to himself.
Troy wanted to hurry home, and yet he didn’t want to at the same time. He’d blabbered on last night, talking to the bathroom door like some lovesick kid. He could only imagine what Chloe must think of him. Which was why he didn’t want to go home.
On the other hand, he hadn’t seen Chloe and had felt slightly off his game all day long because he kept wondering what she was thinking. He wanted to know if he’d smoothed things over between them or if she was still upset. He worried over it so much that he’d been dumb enough to get stepped on by a cow. He’d be able to dance at his sister’s wedding, but his foot had swollen inside his boot.
As if he could read Troy’s thoughts, Grady asked, “Did you get things sorted with Chloe last night?”
“Sure.” Grady’s dog, Sugar, trotted over. She was a border collie with one black eye and one white and a whole lot of gray fur. When they were younger, Sugar helped with the cows. Now she stayed in the heated barn, keeping an eye on the horses and alerting the house to skunks in the yard. He rubbed her head and scratched behind her ears.
“I guess it’s easy when you’re not actually dating,” Grady said, probably hoping Troy would accidentally slip up and agree.
Troy headed to the tack room to get the dog a rawhide bone. “Ronnie told me about your dumb bet.”
Grady grinned as he loosened the cinch on Goldie’s saddle.
“You two are getting married tomorrow. Shouldn’t you have more interesting things to talk about than my love life?” He opened the door and reached in to grab a bone off the shelf. They’d stored dog bones there for as long as he could remember.
Grady slid the saddle off the horse’s back and walked it over to the saddle stand. “We’ve got lots of things to talk about, but we’re trying to be good until the wedding night.”
Troy put his hands over his ears. “La la la la la.”
Grady laughed. “Don’t be like that. You’re next.”
“Next?”
“Yeah, just wait until you and Chloe are this close—it’s hard, man.”
Troy handed the bone to Sugar. “I don’t see that being a problem.”
“Because you’re not really going to marry her?”
Troy leveled him with a look. “You’re not winning this bet.”
“So, you really like her?”
“Duh.” Troy rolled his eyes. If anyone would see through his deception, it would be the guy who had known him since he could walk. He had to play it cool.
Grady leaned his arm over Goldie’s back and just stared at him. The tension built, and a small trickle of sweat ran down Troy’s back.
Finally, when Troy thought his brain would burst, Grady pushed off the horse and shook his head. “I don’t know. Something doesn’t sit right. You guys don’t act like you’re in love.”
“Unless we’ve been sneaking around behind your back for the last eight months,” Troy countered. “You should cancel your stupid bet. You’re not going to win.”
“Number one, you’re not that good at sneaking around. I’ve sneaked with you before, and I know all your tricks.”
“Dude, I have never in my life sneaked with you like I would sneak with a woman.”
“True, but you’re not that imaginative, so I’m feeling pretty confident that I have your number on this one.” He took off the saddle pad and set it over the top of the saddle on the stand. Then, he grabbed a towel and began rubbing the sweat off his horse. The barn was heated, but putting her up wet could give her a chill. “Number two, you don’t act like a man who found his soul mate. You’re too levelheaded.”
“Maybe that’s how I roll.”
“You mean how you fail at a relationship.”
“Hey. I don’t fail at anything.”
Grady finished wiping down the horse and led her to her stall. “You failed with Amy. There was no magic.”
“I was a teenage boy. We don’t have magic.”
“What about Carol?”
Troy blinked at the mention of the woman he’d dated a few years ago. He’d forgotten about her. Totally and completely forgotten she existed. If they’d run into one another on the street, he’d not even feel social pressure to say hello. “Carol wasn’t the one for me, obviously. So I wouldn’t call that a failure.”
“She said you loved the company more than her. Fail.”
“Well, if a woman doesn’t capture my attention more than a cracked serpentine belt, what can I say?”
“And Chloe is fine coming in second to the company?”
Troy wondered, for just a moment, if she would be. “I haven’t thought once about the company since we got here.”
“No way.”
“It’s true.” Troy shut the tack room door to keep Sugar from finding the bones on her own. He was as surprised as Grady about the revelation. “I can hardly believe it.”
“Huh.” Grady grunted.
“So, you ready to cancel that bet?”
Grady looked him over. “You know what? I think I’ll keep it.”
“You’re a jerk. I can’t believe you’re my best friend.” Troy shoved him hard.
Grady shoved him right back, but Troy grabbed on and used his momentum to pull them both into the barn wall. The impact shook the shovels, rakes, and pitchforks hanging from nails. They tussled for a moment, like they had when they were teenagers. It felt good to get some of his frustrations out. Frustrations at Grady for being pigheaded, and at Chloe for, well, for being a girl. She was much too pretty and feminine and … tempting.
He wasn’t ready for Grady’s swing and ended up taking a punch to the gut. He doubled over, gasping and holding on to Grady’s arm so he couldn’t pull back and deliver another blow. “Jerk,” he gasped out and started towards the house. He’d left his keys on the kitchen counter so he didn’t lose them out in the snow and mud.
Grady followed. “Wuss.”
Troy laughed. Rubbing his stomach, he stood tall. “That was a cheap shot.”
“Naw, you weren’t in the game.”
Troy tripped him, and Grady stumbled but kept his balance.
Turning backwards, Troy shadow-boxed. “Who’s not in the game now?”
They chased each other around the yard and then through the sliding back door. Once inside, all shenanigans stopped. They knew better than to roughhouse in Jan’s kitchen. She’d smacked their backsides with wooden spoons all through high school, chasing them outside to play even as teenagers. It didn’t hurt so much as made them pay attention. Looking back, Troy thought maybe Jan Owens pulled her punches because she was usually smiling at them when she swatted.
“I’m headed out. I’ll see you at the party.”
Grady was already halfway down the hall. “See ya.”
Troy climbed in his truck. He’d have to amp up the affection with Chloe if they were going to make people believe that they were really engaged. He adjusted in his seat. The idea of being closer to her, having her hair tickle his cheek, was not an unpleasant one. With a new sense of urgency to see her, he pressed on the gas.
Chapter 15
Chloe
The welcome party was for all the wedding guests. She and Troy had talked a little as they got ready to go, like Troy was testing the waters. He needn’t worry. Any anger she’d had over the whole Amy incident was long g
one. Being apart from him had allowed her to get some of her thoughts straight. That kiss had done a number on her head. She’d been kissed before, by some pretty skilled men, but never had one made the whole world disappear like Troy’s kiss had.
He got her door for her and she climbed into the truck, feeling like she was back on solid ground with him and with her place in the wedding scheme of things.
Candace said the welcome party was casual attire, which was great because Chloe had only brought two nice dresses: the one she’d worn to the rehearsal dinner the night before, and the one she had for the actual wedding ceremony. She’d changed back into the leggings and sweater dress she’d had on earlier, after having showered off the grease and garage smell from helping Brian. He’d been happy to explain everything he was doing and why. She was sure she could change a ball bearing on her own now. Which was one of those skills she hoped she’d never have to put into practice but was glad she had.
The more time she spent with Troy’s family, the more she liked them. She and Troy’s dad had an interesting conversation about an old car he was restoring. He’d promised to show it to her before she went home on Sunday, and she was really looking forward to it.
But what really got her was that she believed her dad would fit in here too. When she was little and riding sidecar for the long haul, she’d promised herself that no matter what family she acquired through marriage, they’d have to take her dad too. The Martins would do that in a heartbeat. They were the perfect in-laws.
And she was a phony.
Maybe there was some way to stay friends with the Martins even after she and Troy broke up. He hardly came home anyway, so it wouldn’t matter if she was here, right?
She scowled. Right. Because that’s how breakups worked.
Troy wore a green polo shirt and a pair of new jeans. He still had a tag on his thigh that clearly displayed the size: 32x36. Her eyes kept going to that tag as they did a dance between their rooms and the shared bathroom, always trying to be out of one another’s way., She wondered if she should tell him about it or just ignore the fact that it was there. Right now, he was sitting on it, so it wasn’t like she could say, “Hey, there’s a tag on your butt and I noticed it right off the bat, but …”
Troy slid his hand down the steering wheel and gripped the bottom. “So listen. Grady was all up in my grill about us not really being engaged.”
Chloe turned so she was facing him better. She hadn’t gotten to know Grady any more than she would have a professional acquaintance. And she hadn’t tried to do more because he was engaged and it was almost like he had his arm stretched out, keeping her away. She got that. Engaged guys were all about their ladies. It was cool. “He’s onto us, huh?”
“I don’t know why he’s so worried about our relationship status. He’s getting married. He should have tons to think about.”
“Please. The groom just has to show up.”
“We picked the tuxes.”
Chloe lifted an eyebrow. “Your mom told me she and Ronnie went back and changed the order after you guys showed her pictures.”
“What?!” He leaned forward and stared at her, his mouth hanging open.
She glanced from him to the road and then did it again. They were drifting into a snowbank. “Ah!” She pointed.
He righted them just in time. “I can’t believe her.”
“From what your dad says, she has an eye for detail.”
It was his turn to lift his eyebrows. “When did you talk to my dad?”
“I went to the shop with him to work on Eli’s truck.”
“What?!” Thankfully there were no snow banks this time because he surely would have stranded them.
She laughed loudly. “He invited me.” She thought back. Had he? Or had she invited herself? Either way, she was pretty sure he’d enjoyed her company. “He’s a great teacher. I can see why you’re such a good mechanic.”
Troy shook his head. “You’re full of surprises.”
She laughed. “And don’t you forget it.” She glanced out the window, realizing that she was flirting with Troy. She was flirting with Troy and no one was around to see it. She just liked flirting with him.
She touched her finger to the cold window. It was this place. Snow Valley was magical and full of romance. Everywhere she looked was a view you could fall in love with and fall in love to. The drive from the Martins’ to the church was full of big fields full of snow. Huge, motorized sprinklers, emptied and shut off for the winter, coated in icicles. And the way the sun bounced off the snow was dazzling.
When she looked back, Troy was rubbing his hand across the back of his neck, a sure sign that he had something on his mind he wasn’t keen on sharing.
She sighed. “You might as well tell me what you’re thinking.”
He grinned ruefully. “How’d you know I was thinking something?”
“I just did. Come on, I’m a big girl. I can take it.”
“Let me explain.” He flipped on his blinker to turn in to the church parking lot, where the welcome party was being held. There weren’t that many gathering places in a town this small, so the church had to do double duty. “No. There is too much. Let me sum up.”
Chloe covered her mouth and giggled. “Shoot.”
“Okay, Grady thinks we’re faking this. He’s right, but I don’t want him to think he’s right. So, I think we need to step up our game and make him sweat.”
She rolled that around mentally as he parked the truck. “You want us to act more engaged?”
“Yes.” He flashed a grin.
She narrowed her eyes. “Are you inviting me to the supply closet?”
His mouth dropped open and she was glad they were safe and sound in a parking spot. If the shock and embarrassment on his face was any indication, he would have rolled the truck. “No. I. You. No.” He yanked the keys out. “I was thinking, like, holding hands. Putting my arm around you. That sort of thing.”
Something inside Chloe wilted. She hadn’t really thought he wanted to kiss her again but she’d hoped he did. Because she wanted to kiss him. And one-sided kissing was no fun at all. He wasn’t rejecting her outright, but his words and reaction stung as if he had. “Oh. Sure. We can do that.”
He lifted a palm. “Are you sure? I don’t want you to do anything you’re not comfortable with.”
“Oh, now you say that. Where was I don’t want to make you uncomfortable when you were kissing me under the mistletoe last night?” She’d lowered her voice to imitate him.
“That just sort of happened.”
She decided to let him off the hook. After all, it took two of them to create all that steam. And it wasn’t like she hadn’t enjoyed the kiss. She had. A lot. Like, a lot a lot. So much so that she’d relived it several times since then, each time her stomach flipped. “Well, if I can live through that, I’m pretty sure I can live through holding your hand.”
“Thanks,” he snapped at the same time he opened the truck door and dropped to the ground. Chloe took in the surroundings. Several vans lined up, letting family members out. The drivers were also taking people into Billings tonight for dinner at an Italian restaurant. Chloe and Troy wouldn’t be joining them because of the bachelor and bachelorette parties.
He made his way around the truck and opened her door. “Can we start now?” He offered his hand.
“Sure.” She took it and slid from the truck. Her boot hit the ice and slipped out from under her. She grabbed on to Troy’s shoulders—his wonderfully broad shoulders—to keep from sliding under the truck. Troy’s arm went around her back, and their breath mingled in a cloud in the air. Their eyes met, and time seemed to slow down. Chloe no longer felt the weight of her body as his hand brushed her hair over her shoulder.
“You okay?”
She nodded, unable to come up with words. He smelled just-showered good and his jaw was smooth. She reached up to touch it and ended up smashing her mitten across his face—totally killing the mood. “You had, um,
shaving cream or something on your cheek.”
He righted her and let go, swiping at his face. “Did I get it?”
“Yep.” She pulled off her glove. “But. Um …” She turned him around by the shoulders and pinched the top of the size tag, which happened to be on the back of his thigh.
He yelped and jumped away from her, leaving the tag in her hand. She held it up to show him that she wasn’t trying to group his backside. He snatched it away from her, his cheeks pink. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” She checked her grin.
“You could have just told me,” he scolded as he crumbled up the tag and put it in the garbage on the side of the truck door. He slammed the door shut.
“But then I wouldn’t have been able to hear you scream like a little girl.” She gave him her best innocent look.
A challenge glinted in his eye. He bit the end of his glove and pulled his hand free and then tucked his glove under his arm. With a wink, he stepped closer. “I do not scream like a little girl.”
She took a step back, her heart rate kicking up. “I beg to differ.”
He stepped even closer. “But I’ll bet I can make you squeal.”
She was suddenly on alert. Putting both her hands up, she narrowed her eyes. “Troy—don’t you dare.”
“What?” He faked innocence. “Me?” Without so much as a warning call, he lunged for her, grabbing her around the middle and pinning her back to his chest. He leaned over and buried his chin in the crook of her neck, tickling her into a fit of giggles.
“Stop,” she gasped and laughed. “I’m ticklish.”
He would have let her go if she’d sounded at all serious. It wasn’t like she felt threatened by his hold on her. In fact, she quite enjoyed having his strong arms hold her tight. And his breath on her neck did funny things to her knees; they could hardly hold her up.
He nuzzled deeper. “I know.”
She laughed and writhed. “I can’t—” Pant, pant. “—breathe.”
Lucy McConnell's Snow Valley Box Set Page 61
