Jake had been friendly but quieter than usual. When Cade and Kelsey stopped by to see if Sophie wanted to go with them to get an ice cream cone in town, we soon found ourselves home alone. Which was exactly what the two conniving matchmakers wanted.
But instead of hanging out together, Jake said he had some things to do outside. He gave me a high five and left for the back room to change his clothes. I went back to my house in a cloud of confusion and spent the next few minutes pretending to edit pictures on my computer. I had interviewed withWild Horizontwo days earlier, which seemed to go well but I hadn’t heard anything back yet. In four days, I would be moving either way.
The rodeo was tomorrow night.
I was sure Jake’s nerves were getting to him. That explained the introspective vibe he’d thrown down all night. Dusty was supposed to arrive in town this afternoon so he and Jake couldpractice roping together, but he called earlier and said he wouldn’t be able to make it until tomorrow morning.
I peered out the window of my cabin and saw the large, outdoor lights on over the corral. He obviously didn’t want me around tonight, so, of course, I threw on a light sweatshirt and made my way across the grass to the makeshift arena just north of the stables. Jake stood in the center of the arena, dressed in a t-shirt, shorts, and his cowboy boots, and throwing a rope over the horns of a dummy steer.
“Do you need me to show you how it’s done?” I called out from behind him, having no intention whatsoever to show him how anything was done.
Jake gave me a look over his shoulder that made me laugh before he said, “I would love nothing more than to watch you show me how it’s done.”
“Eh, I’m busy,” I protested lightly.
Jake proceeded to throw his rope over and over, and I proceeded to cheerfully make fun of him anytime he missed.
Which wasn’t often.
I’m talking five times out of probably one hundred throws.
But you better believe I didn’t let him forget it.
“You sure you don’t need me to rope with Dusty tomorrow?” I called out when he’d only succeeded in tagging one ear of the steer. “I’d hate for him to be embarrassed.”
“The rodeo already has a clown, Tuck.” Jake expertly wielded the rope around the head of the steer before turning back to me, a self-satisfied smile on his face.
I watched him pull the rope back toward him once more, before sending it flying once again over the cow’s head. Jake cinched the rope tight. He was looking a little too confident for my taste, and I was feeling restless all of a sudden.
“Anybody can hit a target when it’s not moving,” I called out, an edge to my voice.
He looked interested in that statement. “Care to back that up?”
No.
In truth, I was horrible at roping. Always had been. But the feeling between us was weird, and I was willing to do a lot of things to cheer Jake up, and it looked like I would now have to pretend to be John Wayne.
He watched me come for him and handed me the rope. I got into position while he critically studied my incorrect stance.
“This is how real cowgirls stand,” I insisted.
He motioned me to start. “I’m excited to see this.”
I wound the rope over my head and sent it flying. To my utter amazement, the rope landed perfectly over the head of the dummy cow.
Elated shock bubbled inside of me, but to Jake, I just handed him the rope calmly, like I roped cattle every morning before breakfast. “And that’s how it’s done, Nancy.”
He huffed out a laugh, stopping my quick escape with his chest. I looked up, my breath catching as he smiled down at me. “I think a real cowgirl could hit two in a row.”
And just like that, Jake was back.
I sighed the sigh of a much more confident cow roper. “Fine. What’s on the table?”
He rubbed his chin with his hand for a moment before a familiar mischievous gleam crossed his face. Before I could fake a nosebleed or take off in a dead run, Jake made things interesting.
“Alright. Maybe we do need a final test. A fitting end to our summer. If you miss your shot, you have to do something that will make me blush.”
I stilled, like a deer in the middle of a road with glaring headlights coming my way.