Page 87 of A Taste of Whiskey
“What happens between me and Ezra is none of your business, and if you tell Dad, I’llneverspeak to you again.”
Doc’s eyes narrowed. “I’m trying to protect you from getting hurt. Those rules are in place for a reason. This isnotgoing to end well for either of you.”
“You know what?” she said with a strangely lighter tone. “Those rules are in place becauseyougot your heart broken. I’m sorry things didn’t work out for you and Juliette. I know that had to hurt, because you have never been the same. But Ezra is not you, and I’m not Juliette, so stay the hell out of my personal life.” She strode past Ezra, right back into the tent, looking like she was going to either punch someone or cry.
It killed Ezra that he couldn’t pull her into his arms and tell her everything would be okay.
GUS WAS OUT cold when Ezra tucked him into bed, which was a good thing, because Ezra’s thoughts were all over the map. There were too many people around tonight for him to talk with Sasha about what had happened with Doc. Gus had asked to say good night to her, and he’d asked her to read him a bedtime story. Ezra had hoped they’d be able to talk about it then, but she’d gently turned Gus down, claiming she needed to stay at the reception. He knew she was probably just being cautious, but he was worried. He didn’t have a solid plan yet, and figuring out their next step would take time. He thought about cutting Doc off at the pass and getting to Tiny first, but there were too many loose ends to put Sasha in that situation.
He sat down at his computer and tapped the keyboard. The talk he and Sasha had put together for next weekend’s networking dinner was still on the screen. His chest constricted. He’d always been impressed by her, but working together on the talk had given him a whole new level of appreciation for her expertise and professionalism. They’d come up with a joint presentation that flowed seamlessly and felt as natural as their relationship did. He was looking forward to representing the ranch together.
Now he wondered if he’d still have a job by then.
A while later, a knock at the door drew his attention. He strode to the door, squaring his shoulders, readying for a confrontation. He pulled it open and was relieved to see Sasha, but her expression was tentative, her brows knitted.
“Hi. I didn’t think you’d come by tonight.”
She worried with her hands. “I wasn’t sure you’d still want to see me.”
“Of course I do.” He took her hand, bringing her inside with him, and shut the door.
“Sorry I told Gus I couldn’t read to him, but I didn’t want to raise any suspicions.”
“That’s okay. He fell asleep the second his head hit the pillow. Did Doc say anything else to you?”
“No. He avoided me like the plague. Ezra, what are we going to do if he tells my parents?”
“I don’t know yet, but if that happens, I’ll handle it.” He couldn’t promise her the world, but he wanted to take away her worries, or at least settle them enough to see her smile before she walked out his door. He took her hand, leading her into the living room. “I don’t know if this thing will blow up tomorrow, or the next day, or a month from now, and I don’t want to spend the rest of the night playing a what-if game. I just spent the evening watching the woman I adore dance with other guys. So we’re not going to worry about our lives imploding or anything else that we can’t control right now.”
He pulled out his phone, queuing up the song that had always reminded him of Sasha, and dimmed the lights.
A sweet smile pushed the shadows from her eyes. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to dance with my girl.” He hit play and set the phone on the coffee table, drawing Sasha into his arms, and gazed deeply into her eyes as “In Case You Didn’t Know” came on, and he whisper-sang the words that he could have scripted just for her.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“THIS STORE IS great. They have a little of everything. How did you find it?” Sasha pulled another dress off the rack at Luxe Looks. It was Wednesday evening, and they were shopping for a dress for the networking dinner.
“The owner goes to my hot yoga class,” Birdie said. “I knew you’d love it.”
“The owner is a guy? He’s got great taste,” Bobbie chimed in.
“Yes, he does. He hangs out withme, after all.” She wiggled her shoulders.
Sasha arched a brow. “Are you seeing him?”
“I wish,” Birdie said. “He’s everything I like in a guy. Big and beefy, funny, and a little offbeat. But he likes dick and I don’t have one, so I’m still on my own. I think I’m going to use the dating profile I made you on Cowboy Cupid.”
“Seriously?” Sasha asked.
“Why not? I used a fake name for you.” She patted her hair. “Don’t I look like a traveling ranch hand named Samantha to you?”
“Didn’t you have to put a picture on the profile?” Bobbie asked.
Birdie smirked. “I used a black-and-white cartoon picture, so there’s no hair color.”
“That’s weird, but why’d you say I was a traveling ranch hand?” Sasha added.
