by Cindy Kirk
“Adrianna.” She heard Lexi’s voice ring out a welcome the second they stepped onto the back patio.
She turned and saw the pretty brunette and another good friend, July Wahl, standing next to a large urn of multicolored mums.
Adrianna lightly touched Tripp’s arm, distracting him from his conversation with Jim.
“If you need me, I’ll be over chatting with July and Lexi.” She gestured with her head toward the two women.
“Jim wants to introduce me to a couple of guys, then I’ll join you,” Tripp assured her.
“No worries.” Adrianna smiled up at him. “I’ll be fine.”
As she walked away she heard Jim murmur something about how lucky he was to be with someone so understanding. She didn’t hear Tripp’s reply but it scarcely mattered.
Adrianna wasn’t with Tripp.
He knew it.
She knew it.
And as soon as Tripp had a chance to tell him, Jim Ferris would know it, too.
Chapter Five
“I love your shirt,” July gushed when Adrianna drew close. “The color makes your eyes look incredibly green.”
“I like yours, too.” Adrianna recognized the striped Galao pullover from the Anthropologie catalog. She shifted her gaze to Lexi. As expected, the social worker known for her fashion acumen had eschewed denim and worn khakis, pairing the tan-colored pants with a black scalloped lace top. “And you look gorgeous as ever, Mrs. Delacourt.”
Lexi rolled her eyes. “Thank you, Ms. Lee. Actually, I think we all look pretty hot this evening.”
“I’d say we’re easily the sexiest women here,” July drawled.
“That’s because we’re the only women here under sixty,” Adrianna said with a little laugh.
“True.” Lexi grinned and took a sip of what looked like a margarita on the rocks, salt encircling the rim of the glass.
Adrianna gazed at the drink. “What is that?”
“A Crazy Coyote Margarita,” July answered first. “I just finished one. Very tasty.”
“They’re certainly not skimping on the alcohol.” Lexi made a face. “Oh, my, this could go straight to my head.”
“Lightweight,” July teased. “Seemed fine to me.”
“What’s the difference between that and a regular margarita?” Adrianna asked, willing to admit her ignorance. She’d never been much of a drinker.
“I had the same question,” July admitted. “The bartender said they use Coyote Gold margarita mix, which tells me absolutely nothing.”
“May I get you something to drink, miss?” A young man dressed in black and obviously part of the catering staff stopped beside her.
“I’ll have a Crazy Coyote Margarita,” Adrianna told him.
“Good choice,” July said approvingly.
Lexi took another sip, her lips twisting slightly upward. “If you want to live dangerously.”
Adrianna thought about telling Lexi she already was...by being here with Tripp.
“So, you and Tripp came together,” Lexi said as if she’d read her mind. Her friend was trying to act casual, but the spark of interest in her eyes gave her away.
“As friends only.” Adrianna’s gaze drifted to the fire pit where a hog lay skewered on a rotisserie spit, roasting as it rotated. She grimaced and quickly pulled her gaze away. “I think I’m going to become a vegetarian.”
July’s sea-green eyes lit with interest. “Seriously? Since when?”
“Since she saw the hog over there, you goof.” Lexi smiled good-naturedly, but the look in her eyes said she wasn’t fooled by the abrupt change in conversation.
July didn’t even look in the direction of the fire pit. Instead she turned her body toward Adrianna just as the young man from the catering company returned with her drink order.
“Here you go, ma’am.” He handed the chilled glass edged in salt to her with a flourish. “One Crazy Coyote Margarita.”
“Ah, thank you.” Adrianna closed her fingers around the glass. She waited until the college-aged boy was out of earshot before she turned to her friends. “Did you hear that? He called me ‘ma’am.’”
“Well, you are almost thirty.” Lexi managed to keep a remarkably straight face. “That’s when the downward slide begins. Isn’t that right, July?”
“Speak for yourself, Lex.” July offered up an impish smile. “I haven’t hit that milestone yet.”
“What milestone?”
Tripp must have sneaked up while they were talking because suddenly he stood beside her.
“The big three-zero.” July glanced pointedly in her direction. “The catering guy called Adrianna ‘ma’am.’”
Tripp looked surprised. “Did you recently turn thirty?”
He doesn’t even know my birthday. The fact illustrated just how little they were connected. A pang stabbed Adrianna’s heart and she took a sip of her drink, immediately noticing Lexi had been right. The bartender was being very generous with the tequila.
“I’ll turn thirty at the end of the month,” Adrianna informed Tripp when she realized he was waiting for a reply. “September 28. Mark it on your calendar.”
The ridiculousness of her response caused Adrianna to take another drink. Tripp didn’t care when her birthday was; he’d only asked to be polite. And she doubted he’d be keeping track.
“I’ve made a mental note of it,” he said.
“Made a mental note of what?” Winn sauntered up, a bottle of beer hanging loosely from his fingers.
“Adrianna’s birthday,” July informed him.
Winn’s eyes widened in surprise. His disbelieving gaze settled on Tripp. “You didn’t know your girlfriend’s birthday?”
“She’s not—” July began but stopped when Lexi elbowed her.
“I knew it was at the end of this month.” Tripp shrugged. “I wasn’t sure of the exact date.”
A smile tugged at Winn’s lips as he shook his head. “No excuse.”
Adrianna drained her glass like a college student on spring break. Considering she had very little in her stomach, it wasn’t a smart move. Of course, neither was falling in love with a man who didn’t want her. For some odd reason, at the moment, the thought seemed more amusing than sad. Adrianna smiled. “I agree with you, Winn.”
Surprise filled Winn’s eyes. “You do?”
“I bet you’re not the kind of man to forget a woman’s birthday.” Feeling uncharacteristically reckless, Adrianna slipped her hand around his arm and gazed up at him, batting her heavily mascaraed lashes.
“If you’re asking if I’d ever forget your birthday,” Winn said gallantly, “the answer is no.”
Adrianna let her gaze linger. Winn Ferris was a handsome man. His white shirt was the perfect foil for his dark hair. Even dressed simply in black jeans and a white shirt, he managed to look...elegant.
“Would you like another Crazy Coyote, ma’am?” The boy—er, waiter—asked, taking her empty glass.
Even though common sense told Adrianna to wait until she’d eaten before imbibing more alcohol, she wasn’t on call this weekend and Tripp was driving.
Winn glanced at her and smiled.
It was all the encouragement she needed. “I’d love another.”
“Do you think that’s wise, Anna?” Tripp’s voice sounded in her ear.
“She’s a big girl, Randall.” Winn patted her hand in a proprietary gesture. “I’m sure she can make up her own mind.”
“Anna,” Tripp said softly but with a degree of urgency.
She met his gaze. As his baby blues sucked her in she saw confusion and something that startled her. The man who didn’t know her birthday appeared to be genuinely worried. About her.
Anna wished she could tell Tripp that he needn’t be conc
erned. Though she’d been blinded by a handsome face in college, she was older now. And hopefully wiser.
“There’s someone I’d like you to meet.” Tripp’s gaze never left her face. “If you have a moment.”
“I think—” Winn began, but Adrianna surprised herself by closing his lips with her fingers.
“I need to go.” She slipped her hand out from around Winn’s arm and turned toward Tripp. “I love meeting new people.”
“Since when?” July muttered and Lexi shushed her.
With a relieved smile Tripp took her arm. She strolled across the patio with him, swearing she could smell a hint of fall in the warm night air. When he pulled her around the corner of the house and stopped, Adrianna glanced around. They were alone. “Who did you want me to meet?”
He gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Me.”
The tequila must have affected Adrianna more than she’d realized because what he said made no sense. “Pardon?”
“I wanted you to be with me, not Winn.” His gaze searched hers. “Are you angry?”
Adrianna pushed her hair back from her face with the back of her hand. “Not angry,” she admitted. “Confused.”
“Why confused?” He gave his head a slight shake when the waiter rounded the corner of the house, margarita in hand. The young man immediately turned on his heel.
“We both know you don’t want me.” Then because that sounded so plaintive, she added, “Of course I don’t want you either. Other than as a friend, of course.”
“Of course,” he murmured.
Now, Winn was another story. The look in his eyes said he wanted to be a whole lot more than friends.
A sudden thought hit her. “Does Jim Ferris now know that you and I are simply friends?”
That would certainly explain why Winn was being so bold, causing Tripp to overreact.
Tripp shook his head. “I haven’t had the chance to speak privately with him yet. But I will,” he hastily added.
“Make sure you do.” Adrianna wasn’t sure what kind of game Tripp was playing. She just knew it was time for it to come to an end. “Tonight.”
* * *
Tripp was surprised to see his parents walk through the door just as everyone was sitting down to eat. He’d been over to see his dad earlier in the day, but the older man hadn’t been feeling well and his mother thought they might skip the barbecue.
Even though his last round of chemo had been almost a month ago, the family was still waiting for him to bounce back. Tonight his dad actually looked...better. Certainly better than he had last week and much better than he had this morning.
He and Adrianna had been about to join their friends at one of the many tables set up for the event. But when Tripp saw his parents, he touched Adrianna’s arm. “My parents just arrived.”
“Oh.” She inclined her head. “Shall we sit with them?”
Tripp searched her eyes to make sure the offer was sincere. Because he’d come with Adrianna, his first loyalty was to her. But he knew how much it would mean for his parents to share the meal with them. “You don’t mind?”
“Not at all.” Adrianna turned toward their friends. “Tripp’s folks decided to come after all, and we promised to sit with them.”
As expected, their friends understood.
Tripp’s mother’s face lit up when she saw them approach. His father’s lips lifted in a slow smile.
“You look pretty this evening,” his dad said to Adrianna.
“Thank you, Mr. Randall,” Adrianna said, blushing prettily.
Frank lifted a brow. “Are we going to have to go through this each time we see each other?”
“Frank,” Adrianna said, gazing at his father through lowered lashes. “How nice to see you again.”
Was Anna flirting with his dad?
His father chuckled.
Yep, and his dad was loving every minute of it.
Tripp cast a sideways glance at his mother and found her watching the exchange, a tremulous smile on her lips.
“I wasn’t sure you’d be here,” his mother said to him. “I know Jim Ferris isn’t one of your favorite people—”
“Kathy.” His father spoke sharply, though in an equally low tone. “Jim is our host.”
His mother’s cheeks turned a bright pink and an uncomfortable silence descended over the foursome.
“I see a table for four over there,” Adrianna said.
“Are you inviting us to eat with you?” his mother asked, obviously not wanting to read anything into her comment.
“Only if you want to,” Adrianna said quickly.
“Yes, Mother,” Tripp said, almost at the same time. “We’d like you and Dad to eat with us.”
“Offer accepted.” His father sounded almost jovial. “It’ll give me a chance to get to know this little lady better.”
His dad smiled warmly at Adrianna and Tripp realized he must make it clear to his parents that he and the pretty midwife were just friends. But not now.
He wanted them to enjoy the evening. And he didn’t feel like answering their questions as to why he wasn’t interested in Adrianna.
Conversation flowed easily over dinner and for a normally shy person, Adrianna talked a great deal. Although his parents were very adept in social settings, his suspicions were that Anna’s talkativeness had more to do with a second Crazy Coyote Margarita that the waiter brought her than his parents’ natural friendliness.
His mother continued to smile warmly at Adrianna, which worried Tripp. But she’d been doing that all through dinner. The two women had bonded over their inability to eat anything cooked with an intact face.
Then she’d asked Adrianna about her work. His mother’s eyes shone when Adrianna had gushed about how much she loved delivering babies.
But when his mother lifted a brow and a gleam filled her eye, Tripp shifted uneasily in his seat.
“I assume you want children of your own?” his mother asked.
“I do,” Adrianna said without hesitation. “But I need to find a husband first.”
When his mother’s gaze slid pointedly to him, Tripp realized he should have seen it coming.
He ignored the look she shot him and stabbed the last piece of pork on his plate. “Did I tell you that our emergency department received another honor?”
“Honey—” his mom’s tone turned chiding “—can’t you forget about work for one evening?”
He resisted the urge to point out that she and Adrianna had been talking about her “work” for the past ten minutes.
“Your mother is right.”
Tripp couldn’t believe his father was agreeing with his mom. Frank had been a businessman as well as a rancher for most of his life. He understood that events such as tonight’s barbecue were as much about business as socializing.
“We appreciate the fact that you’re encouraging Tripp to get out more,” Frank said to Adrianna.
Whoa, what had his father said? Tripp had been the one to invite Adrianna to this event, not the other way around.
“He can be somewhat of a workaholic.” Adrianna cast him a teasing glance and motioned for the server to bring her another Crazy Coyote.
“Are those good?” his mother asked.
“Delicious,” Adrianna pronounced.
“I’ll have one, too,” his mother told the server.
Tripp resisted the urge to groan.
His father settled back in his chair, looking amused. “So you enjoy being with my son.”
“I do.” Adrianna focused on his dad, her green eyes glowing. “Tripp, well, you just never know what’s going to come out of his mouth.”
“What?” Tripp sputtered.
“Oh, honey—” his mother patted his arms “—she’
s teasing you.”
The server returned far too quickly with drinks for his mother and Adrianna. Tripp wondered if the guy would take a bribe not to come around again.
“Look at that full moon,” his father said.
Tripp stared at his dad. Talking about the moon? Had his dad been drinking, too?
“A beautiful night for a walk.” His mother gave a decisive nod. “Don’t you agree?”
When his father didn’t respond, Tripp stepped in. It would be good for his parents to take a short walk. “I agree.”
“You and Adrianna must take advantage of it.”
Tripp stared unblinking at his dad even as he realized he’d walked right into that one and had only himself to blame. His father’s hopeful expression made it difficult to deny him anything. Even a walk in the moonlight with a woman he considered only a friend.
“Perhaps Adrianna isn’t into walking.” Tripp scrambled for an excuse. “She’s wearing heels.”
“Pssh. Kitten ones.” Adrianna rose to her feet and stretched, her top pulling tight against her breasts. “I could run a marathon in these.”
She reached over and picked up her half-finished margarita glass.
Tripp plucked it from her fingers and placed it back on the table.
She cocked her head.
He held out his hand. “Ready?”
She smiled and something in his heart stirred. He told himself it was only because she was so beautiful. Any man would be likewise affected.
Adrianna placed her hand in his and they strolled toward the back of the property. He forced himself to drop her hand when they stopped on the way to speak with a couple of members of the board of trustees. Thankfully, Adrianna’s alcohol intake didn’t seem to impair her ability to converse intelligently.
Still, he was relieved when they left the guests behind and made their way to a split-rail fence overlooking a meadow. The moon cast a golden glow over the ranchland stretched out before them as far as the eye could see.
Placing her arms on the upper rail, Adrianna leaned forward and sighed. “I love Jackson Hole. I don’t know why anyone ever leaves here.”
