Above the sea of heads—loose curls and baby’s breath—Ann met Cassie’s gaze. Cassie gave her a direct look. A this-is-coming-to-you-so-you-better-not-mess-it-up look.
“I’m only here to ward off Jenessa,” Zoe mumbled in her ear. “You go for it, and I’ll make sure she stays out of your hair.”
Ann grinned, her pulse speeding so fast that she felt a little light headed. “Thanks.” She was very aware, without even looking, that Jenessa was toward the front of the crowd, her bright pink dress standing out like a shiny balloon.
Cassie turned her back to the crowd and lifted the bouquet—bright, yellow roses with luscious leaves and deep green stems—high over her head. And then it was off.
The spot of pink—aka Jenessa’s dress—sped toward the front, then to the left, the large and now squealing crowd along with her.
Every one of Ann’s muscles, joints, and limbs tensed as the floral bouquet—accented by a long, ivory ribbon—sped in her direction. Reaching fingers with painted nails stretched as it soared just above their reach. Ann already had her arms above her head, her hands ready to catch the bundle as it neared.
Please, please, please. She uttered the words as the feel of succulent leaves met her palms. She squeezed her hands closed, thrilled to feel the bundle of tightly bound stems within her grasp. In one quick move she brought the bouquet against her chest, guarding it from the grabby hands like her basketball coach had taught her so many years ago.
The arms in the crowd dropped like a ripple-wave at a ballgame. Ann’s excitement fused with an odd sort of embarrassment. Heat pulsed in her face like a quickened heartbeat. She didn’t want to become the center of attention.
Yet as the group of disgruntled gals skulked away, their posture as withered as their grins, Ann realized they weren’t interested in the one who’d caught it. Most hadn’t bothered giving her a second glance. Thank heavens.
The utterance barely ran through her mind as Jenessa caught her gaze. Whoa, if looks could singe… Ann half-expected laser beams to shoot from those angry spheres.
“Dang, girl,” Zoe said, slapping a hand to her back. “That was epic.”
“Thanks.” Ann breathed, looking back at the tables for Trey. Had he seen the whole thing?
“Nicely done,” a deep voice sounded from behind, letting her know that he had. “Guess this means we get our dance.” Trey’s hand slid along Ann’s hip where he gave her a small squeeze.
A zip of tingles shot through her at the feel of it. “Guess so.” The words came out shaky.
“Oh my gosh,” she heard Cassie blurt from behind. “I’m so glad you caught that!”
Ann turned to see the beautiful bride rushing toward them, the slack of her dress bunched up in one hand, her strappy shoes in the other. Shane came up from behind and gave Trey a solid pat on his shoulder.
“Wonder how often the garter guy ends up marrying the bouquet girl.” He’d mumbled it close to Trey’s ear, but Ann overheard. She glanced away, hoping to appear as if she weren’t listening. In reality, she waited to take her next breath, dying to hear Trey’s reply.
A beat passed, and Ann risked a glance back at the men in time to see them chuckling. Hmm, she must have missed it after all.
The song began to play, and Cassie and Shane took the floor. After the two had a moment to dance by themselves, surrounded by their watching guests, the DJ invited Ann and Trey to join them on the large, wood-planked floor. Butterflies did backflips in her tummy as Trey rested his large hand at the small of her back, guiding her to the directed spot. And soon they were dancing. Ann was glad she’d had the moment to dance with Max the night before. Trey seemed to move in a similar fashion, only in a more familiar way, with as close as he stood to her.
“You look beautiful,” he murmured in her ear, his heated breath causing goose bumps to rise over her skin.
“Thank you,” she said in a whisper. That timid side of her was creeping back in, and Ann did her best to fight it. “You look very handsome as well.” There. That wasn’t so hard. In fact, it was easy. Feeling braver now, Ann brought her mouth very close to Trey’s ear, the way he’d done with her. The scent of his heavenly cologne nearly snatched the words right from her mind.
“I’m looking forward to our date tonight.” She’d meant to remain a breath away, yet as she spoke, Ann’s lips slightly grazed part of Trey’s ear.
“I am too,” he assured. Yet he pulled back the slightest bit, until he caught her gaze. With his head cocked to one side, he narrowed his eyes, studying her.
Heat rushed back into her face. “What?” she asked.
Trey only shook his head, a chuckle sounding deep in his throat. “You just keep surprising me, that’s all.”
Chapter 12
Man, this woman was harder to read than a foreign language. One minute she was pulling him close and owning the world, or at very least, him. The next she was clamming up, looking away, and blushing like a schoolgirl. She seemed to have an innocence about her that Trey found hypnotic.
He smoothed a hand up her back, holding his breath as he reached a bare spot along her shoulder blade and gulped, knowing the song was about to come to an end.
“Shane and Cassie will be taking off in a bit, and I’ve got something planned for the two of us back at the ranch.” He pulled back to meet her gaze. “You game?”
Her dark lashes fluttered. He felt her back rise with the pull of a deep breath. “Of course.”
He smiled. “I’ve got to prepare a couple things first, then I’ll come back to get you.” The song came to an end, and a new set of guests rushed in as a loud, country song picked up.
Ann gave him a nod. “Sounds good.”
“Okay,” he said with a grin. “I’ll be right back.”
After congratulating the couple once more, he informed Randy that he’d be taking the truck and leaving the Durango for the ranch hands to drive home. If they weren’t in the condition to drive, Trey assured, he’d be only a phone call away and willing to help out. He was halfway out the door when Randy caught up with him, securing a hand around his upper arm.
“Hey,” he said, sounding out of breath. “You didn’t say where you were going.”
“Back to the ranch.” Trey was about to elaborate when Randy piped up.
“I knew it. See? You don’t know how to give a girl a chance, do you? You’ve got a perfectly good woman here, who’s totally into you—you can’t say you don’t see that—”
Trey put a hand up. “Whoa, whoa. I have a date planned with Ann tonight. I’m going back to set things up.”
Randy’s eyes widened. He cleared his throat, looking like he’d just swallowed every word he’d said. “Oh, well uh, good. I’m glad to hear it.” He gave Trey’s shoulder a playful punch.
“Looks like things are going good with you and Zoe. Considering anything long-term?” Just asking the question caused a tight knot to form in Trey’s gut. It wasn’t that he feared commitment per se, in fact, part of him wanted very much to find the right woman, get married, and start a family. Yet it was a risk. Allowing one single person to become the center of your life could backfire. He’d experienced it firsthand. What do you have left if you lose that person? What do you have left if she dies?
“…not sure if Zoe’s the relationship type,” Randy was saying.
Trey felt bad for not catching his full answer, especially since he’d been the one to ask the question. “Well,” he offered, mustering a typical reply. “You never know. She might surprise you.” He grinned, his mind shifting back to the times Ann had surprised him. “I really am interested in Ann.”
Randy’s face lit up, his smile stretching from one ear to the next. “You are?”
“Don’t act so shocked.”
“I can’t help it. I’ve never heard you say that before. And you’ve pretty much had your pick of the ladies for as long as I’ve known you.”
Trey waved a dismissive hand before tugging open the exit door. “Yeah, well don’
t jinx it.”
The air outside felt warm on his skin compared to the air-conditioned venue. The sun was barely tipping toward the west, assuring him that the day was still young. Thank heavens the couple had chosen a noontime ceremony; he couldn’t wait to get Ann all to himself.
As he stepped further from the building, the barely audible strums of music waning completely, an odd, stifled sob gained his attention. He tilted his head, squinted against the brightness of the sun, and scanned over the sea of cars in the lot. He came up empty until his eyes settled on a splash of bright pink in the bed of his truck. There, looking more pitiful than an abandoned cat, loomed the source of those cries. “Jenessa?”
Seated in the flatbed of his truck, shoulders curled over her chest, Jenessa wiped tears from her reddened face. “Sorry,” she said through sniffles. “I’m just… having a rough day.”
Oh, great. Trey hesitated before taking his next step, unwilling to get too close before thinking things through. It hadn’t taken long to learn that manipulation was one of Jenessa’s favorite languages. He recognized it all too well and had no desire to fall into one of her baited traps. He tucked a hand in one pocket, shifting his weight from one foot to the next. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
She lifted her gaze to him and licked her lips, seeming to think about what she might say, when a familiar voice spoke up from behind.
“There she is.” It was Max’s voice. Trey looked over his shoulder to see him striding purposefully toward the truck. “C’mon, Jay,” he said, “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
Trey sighed in relief. If anyone could get this girl to give up her game it was Max.
Jenessa gave him a pouty sneer. “I don’t want to go back in there.”
“Well you can’t stay here because Trey has to go.” Max had made it to the truck. He stretched a hand toward her. “C’mon, I’ll take you home if you’d like. Or back inside if that’s what you’d prefer.”
A standoff of sorts ensued. Max’s face, blank and devoid of emotion, Jenessa’s tight with a mean glare. If Trey didn’t know better, he’d think Max was the source of her pain. But he did know better. The kid was always apologizing for things he didn’t do when she was around.
“Thanks Max,” Trey finally said, hoping to encourage the stubborn girl to relent. He rounded his truck, pulled the keys from his pocket, and set his eyes back on her. “Hope you get feeling better.” And with that he climbed into his truck. That seemed to put the final stamp on things. He watched from his rearview as Max hoisted Jenessa off the edge of the truck before closing the shallow hatch with a clunk. Poor Max. Glutton for punishment. The ever-patient kid gave him a wave as he wrapped an arm around Jenessa’s back.
Trey shook his head. Of all the vehicles—of all the many flatbed trucks, even—Jenessa had to pick his. A sigh passed through his lips as he pulled out of the lot and onto the road. Disaster averted—for him, at least. Thank the heavens.
Chapter 13
Ann sighed as they headed back to the ranch house, thoughts of the ring ceremony putting her under a spell. “That was one of the most beautiful ceremonies I’ve ever witnessed. I mean, those vows were incredible. I’ve never been to a ring ceremony where the couple’s been married for a while. It was neat.” She shifted her gaze from the passing fields of gold and green to the wonder sitting behind the steering wheel. “They’re happy together, aren’t they?”
Trey—who’d changed out of his dress clothes—glanced back with a grin. “They sure are. It gives a person hope, doesn’t it?”
A dose of warmth stirred in Ann’s blood. “Yes,” she admitted, “it does.” She kept her eyes on him once his focus was back on the road. The afternoon sunlight did wonders for the tones of his flawless skin. And his eyes—their deep chocolaty color seemed to hold drops of gold in them now. He was attractive to an unsettling degree. She could hardly believe she’d kissed those lips the night before. In fact, if Ann hadn’t mentally replayed their moment by the pond so many times since, she might have started to believe it was only a dream. But it wasn’t. Trey had kissed her. A different kiss than what they’d shared at the ring toss game.
She turned to take in the scene out the window once more, setting her mind back to the self-improvement book and her focus for the day: eye contact and posture. This was described as a fake-it-‘til-you-make-it step. Those who kept their shoulders high and posture poised gave the impression of confidence. And eye contact went along with it. No averting gazes or ducking chins. “Sell the illusion of confidence, and people will buy it. More importantly, you will notice a change taking place. The new you is starting to emerge”.
Excitement sparked within her as she recalled Tom’s exuberant email once more. Part of her wanted to tell Trey about the article. Assure him that—though he was a central part in her study—she was genuinely interested in him. But doing so would imply that Trey was more invested than he might be, and she didn’t want to make assumptions. Besides, if things went well between them, she could bring it up later.
They had really connected though, hadn’t they? The story of Trey’s struggling mother only encouraged Ann’s desire to come out of her shell. Her passive nature held her back in the dating world, as Cassie plainly stated, but over the years, Ann had started to see the injustice this tendency caused others, too. Writing those articles had given life to the lion that dwelt within her. A lion that Trey seemed to unleash in an entirely different way.
Ann barely recognized the turnoff that led to the ranch house. This morning she’d been rushed to get to Cassie’s, and last night they had stayed at the bar until after dark. The place had such a welcoming appeal that she found herself imagining what it would be like to live there. They passed the main house, flowers in pots lining the covered porch, and headed down the quiet dirt road toward the bunkhouse. A massive, weathered barn stood tall beside the corral in the distant yard. Blue sky and puffy clouds accented the scene like the cover of one of her novels. Perfect. The word had come to her without effort, but there wasn’t a word that better suited the place.
To make things better, Trey slept beneath that very same roof. In fact, only a shared bathroom stood between her room and the one he slept in. Well, her and Zoe’s room.
The cab went quiet as Trey pulled the key from the ignition. “Stay here and let me get your door, if you don’t mind.”
Ann didn’t mind at all. She watched as he circled the front of the truck and assured herself once again that he had really asked her out. Her. Ann Simpson of Seattle. The door opened, and Ann heard a horse neigh in the distance. Sun and warmth greeted her as she placed her hand in Trey’s, allowing him to help her step down from the truck.
“It’s a rare thing, having this place all to ourselves,” he said, leading her up the weathered porch steps. “I can barely believe we’ve accomplished it." The screen door creaked as it opened. Trey reached in, pushed open the heavy oak door, and gave her a nod. “My lady.”
She laughed out a nervous breath. “Thanks.”
“I’ll give you a minute to get changed out of that dress. Though I’ll be sorry to see it go, it won’t suit for what I have in store for us. Do you have a pair of jeans?”
Ann nodded.
“Step into a pair and meet me on the back patio.”
That sounded good to her. Was it horseback riding? Ann secretly hoped so. She’d dreamt of riding a horse in an open field, the wind in her hair and a hunky cowboy at her side. So far, Ann had only ridden a pony at a fair when she was a child. The small animal, attached to a pulley, walked along the circular path while Ann’s mom shot pics of her wearing a bulky helmet strapped to her head.
Ann wasted no time in getting changed for their date. She’d packed two pair of Levi’s, but opted for the more beat-up of the two. She dared herself to wear the boots she brought. They weren’t exactly cowgirl boots, but the tan, knee-high boots had a western feel to them, and they’d seen enough weather that they had a nice, worn appeal. She settled
on a sheer blue top with a camisole beneath.
Ann was pleased to see that a good deal of her makeup (bolder than she normally wore it) had worn off over the day, leaving her with the simpler look she preferred. Quickly, she pulled the pins from her hair, letting the length of it fall down her back. Loose, light brown curls. She ran her fingers through it, planning to pull it all into a low ponytail, but stopped when she realized there was no need. It looked nice down. Flattering, even.
With that boost of confidence urging her forward, Ann pulled in an anxious breath. Time to see what Trey has in store.
She slowed her steps while veering through the bright kitchen and to the sliding glass door that led to the backyard. The old door slid seamlessly despite its obvious age, and Ann took a moment to appreciate the view. A yard of lush green grass gave way to the field of tall, yellowed grass stretching clear out to the barn, that ever-present backdrop of blue sky bringing it all to life. Within the corral, the horses played a game of tag, the blond one chasing after the much larger dark horse.
Her gaze shifted to where Trey stood on the deck, his back to her, elbows resting on the rail. He wore denim jeans, dusty boots, and a cowboy hat that Ann swore held a mystical power of sorts. At the wedding, he’d donned a dressier version, black with a silver glazed rope lining the rim. The one he wore now had a more rugged appeal. It was all man. And he was all hers for the night, she reminded herself with a smile.
She took a tentative step onto the slatted wood, wondering if she should clear her throat to get his attention. Bold, Ann, her inner voice reminded. Be bold.
“Howdy,” she called out, her voice covering the nerves springing beneath the surface.
How to Catch a Cowboy in 10 Days (Unlikely Cowgirl) Page 7
