“Nothing.”
She waited.
“I can’t figure her out,” he admitted. “She shows up looking like a completely different person, and half the guys there are drooling over her as if they’d never seen her before. And she’s smiling at them and flirting with them. Bobby Ray even asked her out on a date—and she said yes.”
“Does that bother you?”
“No,” he lied. “Why would it bother me? She can date whoever she wants.”
“Then why are you yelling at me?”
“I’m not yelling,” he denied.
But when Katie lifted her head, he knew that his annoyance had been reflected in his volume.
“And what do you mean—she looked like a different person?” his sister pressed.
He set the puppies down again and picked up his daughter, rubbing her back until her eyes drifted shut again.
“Her hair,” he finally responded to Bella’s question in a quieter tone. “And her face. And her clothes.”
“Could you be a little more specific?” she suggested, not even attempting to hide her amusement.
“She was wearing a skirt,” he muttered, unable to banish the image of those endlessly long, shapely legs from his mind.
“A skirt?” Bella feigned shock. “I didn’t know those were legal in Montana.”
“A short skirt,” he clarified.
She gasped. “Maybe we should call the sheriff.”
“I’m glad you think this is funny,” he said, though he wasn’t glad at all.
“I don’t think the situation is funny. I think your extreme response to the situation is funny.”
He scowled at that.
“Fallon’s decision to alter her appearance a little isn’t cause for concern,” she said gently. “And you need to realize that not all change is bad.”
“She’s going out with Bobby Ray,” he said again, for some reason unable to get past that fact. “They’ve been friends since high school, and suddenly she’s going on a date with him tomorrow night.”
“No relationship is stagnant,” Bella pointed out to him.
“But dating a friend—” He shook his head. “It seems to me an easy way to ruin a friendship.”
“I guess that’s why Fallon’s going out with Bobby Ray and not with you,” she said, pinning him with a look. “Because you wouldn’t ever cross that line, would you?”
Chapter Ten
“I thought he was exaggerating,” Bella said, her gaze skimming over her friend, from the top of her head to her toes and back again. “When Jamie came home last night, babbling about your hair and face and clothes, I actually thought he was making a big deal out of nothing.”
“And now?” Fallon asked, wanting her friend’s honest opinion of her makeover.
“Now I think I owe him an apology,” Bella said.
“But what do you think of my new look?” she prompted.
“I think you look fabulous. Not that you don’t usually look fabulous—because you do,” her friend hastened to clarify. “But this is a very different look.”
“Good. I wanted something different.”
“But...why?” Bella asked.
“Because I’m tired of looking the same—and of everyone else looking at me the same way.”
“Everyone else?” her friend queried. “Or someone in particular?”
Fallon had always wondered if her friend suspected that she had deeper feelings for Jamie than friendship, but if she did, she’d never voiced those suspicions aloud. So maybe this was a hint to Fallon that she could finally confide the truth to her friend. But before she could figure out how to say the words, Bella spoke again.
“Because I heard that Bobby Ray Ellis asked you out on a date.”
She was surprised by her friend’s remark. Not just the fact that Bella was somehow aware of her plans but the obvious enthusiasm in her tone. Almost as if she was steering Fallon toward Bobby Ray—and away from Jamie.
Was her friend trying to subtly warn her that the single dad was a bad bet? Or was Fallon reading too much into a simple comment?
“So...is it true?” Bella asked.
“It’s true,” Fallon confirmed. “We’re going to see National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation tonight.”
Her friend made a face. “At the high school?”
She nodded.
“That’s not a real date,” Bella lamented. “He could at least take you to an actual movie theater in Kalispell for a current feature.”
“I like the Vacation movies,” Fallon told her. “Besides, it’s a long drive back from Kalispell if the date turns out to be a dud.”
Her friend frowned. “But you don’t think it will be a dud, do you? I mean, you do like Bobby Ray, right?”
“Sure,” she agreed. “I mean, I’ve always liked Bobby Ray, even if I’ve never liked Bobby Ray.”
“I’m confused,” Bella said. “If you don’t like him, why did you agree to go out with him?”
“Because he asked and I’m tired of sitting at home every night,” she admitted.
“Then this whole makeover thing wasn’t part of a plan to attract his attention?”
“No,” Fallon said.
“But it was part of a plan to attract someone’s attention,” her friend guessed. “So whose?”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Some guys are too blind to see what’s right in front of their eyes,” Bella said sympathetically. “And if your mystery man doesn’t know how lucky he would be to have you, then it’s his loss.”
* * *
Fallon took her time getting ready for her date with Bobby Ray. Though he wasn’t the man she wanted to be going out with, his apparent interest was a balm to her wounded ego and she wanted to repay him by showing that he was worth the effort to look nice.
She wore a knitted sweater with a low V-neck over a lacy camisole and another skirt, but this one was much longer, falling to mid-calf. Bobby Ray wasn’t quite as tall as Jamie, but he was still several inches taller than her so she didn’t worry about her cowboy boots adding an inch to her five-foot-eight-inch height.
She straightened her hair with the iron she’d bought for that purpose and carefully applied her makeup. A light dusting of powder to even out her complexion and mute the sprinkling of freckles across the bridge of her nose, some mascara to lengthen and darken her lashes and peach gloss to highlight her lips. After only a brief moment’s hesitation, she spritzed on some of her favorite perfume.
The way that Bobby Ray’s eyes lit up when she descended the stairs told her that he appreciated the effort. Her mother, too, smiled her seal of approval. In fact, she’d been overjoyed ever since Fallon had told her of the upcoming date. “I knew you’d meet someone if you made an effort to put yourself out there. And Bobby Ray is such a nice boy,” she’d said.
She ushered them out now and waved goodbye to them from the door.
“Sorry about my mom,” Fallon apologized as Bobby Ray pulled out of the driveway. “I haven’t dated much in the past year and tonight has given her renewed hope that I won’t die a spinster.”
Bobby Ray chuckled. “I think you’ve got a few years before you need to worry about becomin’ a spinster.”
“She worries anyway—for some reason, more about me than my sisters, who are both older,” she admitted.
“Well, I’m really glad you agreed to go out with me tonight,” Bobby Ray said. “Even if it was only to appease your mother.”
“It wasn’t to appease my mother at all,” she denied. “I was happy to accept your invitation.”
“When I saw you at Presents for Patriots, I wasn’t sure if I’d be steppin’ on any toes by askin’ you out.”
She shook her hea
d. “You definitely didn’t step on any toes.”
“Well, you were there with Jamie Stockton,” he noted. “And I know you spend a lot of time helpin’ out with his kids, so I thought maybe you and he were like...a couple.”
“No.” She shook her head. “We’re just friends.”
“That’s good,” he said. “Because he’s a good guy, and I know he’s had some hard knocks, so I didn’t want to poach but I really wanted to ask you out.”
He was right. Jamie was a good guy, and he had been dealt some hard knocks—and she was tempted to deal him another one to his thick skull, but she’d accepted that she couldn’t make him acknowledge feelings that didn’t exist.
“Now, I have a question I want to ask you,” she said to Bobby Ray.
“Shoot.”
“Was it the new hairstyle or the skirt that made you ask me out?”
“That’s a pretty direct question,” he said, the tips of his ears turning red. “Probably both. I mean—I always thought you were pretty, but we’ve known each other for so long, I didn’t ever see you like a girl I’d want to go out with, until you looked different. If that makes any sense.”
“It does,” she agreed. And it was, after all, the reason she’d decided to change her appearance. Unfortunately, the man she’d hoped would look at her differently still didn’t seem to see her at all.
Bobby Ray parked his truck outside the high school and immediately came around to open her door for her. She was touched by the gesture, pleased to be treated like a lady.
He paid their admission at the table set up in the foyer, then they took their tickets and walked down the hall toward the gymnasium.
“Do you want popcorn?” he asked.
“I can’t imagine watching a movie without it,” she told him.
He grinned at that. “Me, neither.”
They lined up at the concession table, then carried their snacks and drinks into the makeshift theater.
She took off her coat and hung it over the back of her chair. “I’m just going to slip out to the ladies’ room before the movie starts.”
“I’ll be right here,” Bobby Ray promised.
She used the facilities, then washed her hands, exchanging pleasantries with a few other people she knew who came in while she was there—including Margot Crawford, Vanessa Dalton and Jordyn Clifton. On her way back to the gymnasium, she nearly bumped into the absolute last person she expected—or wanted—to see tonight: Jamie Stockton.
“What are you doing here?” she asked him.
He lifted one shoulder in a gesture of bafflement that matched the expression on his face. “Bella kicked me out.”
Fallon frowned at that. “Your sister kicked you out of your own home?”
He nodded. “She said I needed to do something besides ranch chores and diaper changes, and since she knows that this is one of my favorite Christmas movies, she firmly nudged me in this direction.”
“Are you here with anyone?” she asked, then held her breath while she waited for his answer.
He shook his head. “No. Just me.”
Deeply ingrained manners warred with the instinct for self-preservation. On the one hand, she felt bad that he was alone. On the other, she was on a date. If she’d been with friends, inviting him to join them would be the polite thing to do. To invite him to sit with her and Bobby Ray would just be a whole lot of awkward—especially when Bobby Ray had already asked about her relationship with Jamie.
“Are you here with someone?” he asked.
She nodded. “Bobby Ray.”
“Oh. This is your...uh...date?”
“Yes, Jamie. As inconceivable as it may seem to you, I am on a date.”
He frowned. “I don’t think it’s inconceivable. I’m just... It doesn’t matter,” he decided. “And I should let you get back to your date. The movie’s going to be starting soon.”
She nodded. “And you need to find a seat. This movie seems to be a popular one.”
Jamie smiled at that, and she inwardly cursed the skip of her pulse. Bobby Ray had a nice smile, too, and he was every bit as handsome as Jamie, but his smiles didn’t affect her the same way. His nearness didn’t make her feel hot, and his touch didn’t make her skin tingle. On the plus side, he’d never broken her heart, either.
“It’s a Saturday night and the only movie in town,” Jamie pointed out.
“True enough,” she agreed. “Well...enjoy.”
“You, too,” he said.
As she made her way back to her seat, Fallon promised herself that she would enjoy the movie and Bobby Ray’s company. And she hoped Jamie would find a seat far away on the other side of the gymnasium so she could forget he was even there.
But because he was only looking for one empty chair, he managed to snag a spot only a few rows back from where she and Bobby Ray were sitting. And she was aware of him, of his eyes on her, throughout the whole movie.
Of course, she was probably only imagining his scrutiny. After all, he’d made it clear that he had no interest in anything more than a platonic relationship with her.
When the movie finished, Fallon and Bobby Ray decided to go to Daisy’s Donuts for a hot beverage. The café was a popular destination for the post–movie night crowd, and there were already several other people ahead of them in line when they got there. Fallon was relieved that Jamie wasn’t one of them. She was also pleased to see Tessa Strickland, hand-in-hand with her fiancé, Carson Drake. The sheriff, Gage Christensen, and his wife, Lissa, as well as Jordyn and Will Clifton were also there, confirming her mother’s claim that everyone in town was pairing up, falling in love and making plans for their futures.
And while she liked Bobby Ray well enough, Fallon couldn’t imagine falling in love with him and marrying him. Or maybe she wasn’t being fair. Maybe she couldn’t see him as her future husband because she’d never let herself imagine anyone but Jamie Stockton in that role. And since Jamie had made it clear that he wasn’t ever going to see her as a potential wife, she needed to erase that image from her mind and open herself up to other possibilities.
“Do you know what you want?” Bobby Ray asked, as they stepped up to the counter.
I want the man I love to love me back.
But of course the girl behind the counter couldn’t serve that to her in a tall mug, so she ordered a café mocha instead. Bobby Ray ordered a regular coffee, and they carried their drinks to a narrow booth. While they sipped their hot beverages, they chatted casually about his ranch, her job at the day care, the movie they’d just seen and upcoming holiday plans.
“You seem preoccupied,” Bobby Ray said to her, when she lifted her empty cup to her lips.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s been a long week and I think I’m more tired than I realized.”
“As long as it’s not the company that’s puttin’ you to sleep.”
“It’s not the company at all,” she promised.
“Then let’s get you home,” he suggested.
He was being so attentive and sweet and she really wanted to like him, but if tonight had served no other purpose, it had confirmed that her thoughts—and her heart—were elsewhere.
She looked over at him in the dim light of the truck. He really was a handsome guy. Tall, dark blond, deep green eyes and the broad shoulders that came from honest physical labor. He’d been popular in high school and had dated a lot of girls before he hooked up with Jillian Landers at the beginning of their junior year.
For the last two years of high school, they’d been pretty much inseparable and everyone expected an engagement announcement would follow soon after their graduation. Instead, Jillian had run off to Billings with someone else.
Curious, and a little bit wary of picking at a scab over old wounds, she asked, “Do you ever hear from Jillia
n Landers?”
Bobby Ray seemed surprised by the question, but after only a brief hesitation, he said, “We keep in touch on Facebook.”
“Is she still in Billings?”
He nodded. “Married with three kids already and a fourth on the way.”
“Why aren’t you married, Bobby Ray?”
“Is that a hypothetical question or a proposal?” he teased, not taking his eyes off the road in front of him.
“A purely hypothetical question,” she assured him.
He shrugged. “I guess I never met anyone else who made me want to take that next step.”
She nodded her understanding.
“Now it’s your turn,” he said. “Why aren’t you married?”
“Probably the same reason,” she said. Then she surprised herself as much as him by confiding, “Or maybe because the only man I’ve ever loved doesn’t feel the same way about me.”
“Unrequited love sucks,” he said bluntly.
“It sure does,” she agreed.
He parked behind her SUV and walked her to the front door. As he’d been driving her home, it had started to snow again—thick, fluffy flakes that seemed to dance and twirl in the sky, adding a decidedly romantic touch to the end of the evening.
She stopped at the front door and held her breath, waiting for him to say good-night, wondering if he would try to kiss her—and if she would let him.
“I had a really nice time tonight,” he told her.
“Me, too,” she said.
Then he leaned down and touched his lips to her cheek. And it was a perfectly nice kiss, but there was absolutely no zing or zip.
She looked into his eyes, and saw her own disappointment reflected there.
“We’re never going to fall in love, are we?” she asked regretfully.
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. But that doesn’t mean we can’t hang out sometimes to help keep the gossip mill churnin’—because I’d much rather people speculate on what we’re doin’ together than feel sorry for us because we’re two singles in a town where everyone else seems to be pairin’ up.”
The More Mavericks, the Merrier! Page 12
