“You did ask her, right?” he said, looking at me like I’d lied to him.
Dusty had put on a few pounds in his life as a married man. His brown hair had begun to thin at the top. But it looked good on him. Happiness looked good on him. He had two kids now, one close to Sophie’s age and another two-year-old. A sweet wife. He’d found a good one.
The look he was giving me now, I could do without.
“Yeah. It was her dad’s birthday dinner tonight, but Chad was going to drop her off after. She should have been here by now.”
Dusty looked like he had more to say, but thankfully, another rodeo friend of his came to take his attention. I started to feel annoyed with myself and the way my body seemed unable to settle completely unless she was right by my side. Like how I hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep since our nap on the couch. I’d been through a lot of life the past few years without Shelby. After Miranda, I could handle anything. My eyes flicked once more to the doorway, only to come back disappointed.
“Jake!” a booming voice called out before slapping me on the back. I turned to see Carl, an old rodeo mentor, smiling at me.
“You riding Old Devil tonight?”
I grinned, shaking his hand, grateful to have something else to concentrate on. The bronc in question had definitely lived up to his name, and I was sincerely glad I hadn’t drawn it tonight.
“I sure hope not.”
Carl laughed and dove right in with old stories, producing the first real smile on my face all night.
And then Carl did the thing I wasn’t expecting. Squeezing my shoulder, he motioned to a woman talking to a group of people I hadn’t noticed. She wore a tight black dress, and I tensed when her eyes were way too excited to see me.
“Remember, Ellie? My granddaughter? She used to fawn over you like a newborn calf when I brought her to the rodeos back in the day.”
“Grandpa!” she protested, smacking his arm as she smiled sheepishly in my direction.
I squinted and took in the petite brunette with new eyes.
“Holy cow, I do remember you.” I gave her a friendly smile while my stomach tightened slightly. “You’re making me feel old.”
“She’s finishing up at Boise State this next year,” Carl said proudly.
I nodded and wondered how to make my exit. She was looking at me the way Easton had looked at Shelby. I pulled at the tie around my neck. My eyes flicked to Carl’s, and I was dismayed to see him watching both of us with interest.
Keeping my voice casual and friendly, I smiled at Ellie, “Well, don’t break too many hearts up that way,“ at the same time that she said, “If you’re not busy, maybe we could do something together after the rodeo.”
The smile on my face froze while my old coach watched me expectantly.
“Hey, babe. Sorry, I’m late.”
Suddenly, Shelby was at my side, smelling like a Florida beach and sliding her hand through the crook of my arm. She smiled at Carl and Ellie, leaning forward to shake their hands and making small talk, all the while giving my arm a light squeeze.
And just like that, my entire body exhaled.
Unable to help myself, I turned to look at her.
Shelby was in a dress.
I knew she would be. The invitation said formal attire, hence the reason for my overly snug suit coat. But I hadn’t mentally prepared myself for the knowledge of just what she would look like. A soft, baby-blue number hit her knees and tied around her neck, leaving most of her shoulders and collarbone exposed. I didn’t need the dress to understand this fact— I wasn’t blind— but that didn’t stop my next thought from smacking me in the face after Carl and Ellie made their exit and she turned to me, smiling proudly.
Shelby was a stone-cold fox.
“How’d I do?” she asked me, mischief and satisfaction bubbling out of her. “Did I get the safe, non-dating, dating vibe just right?”
Her hand still clutched my arm, and for a second, my eyes roamed over her face. I would have stayed there and taken my time counting the smattering of freckles across her nose, but she was waiting for me to say something.
“Not bad.” I smiled at her. “You must have a good coach.”
“My coach has been kind of lazy lately,” she said as she reached up and swiped the annoying patch of hair off my forehead. “You need a haircut.”