Page 3 of Serious Cowboy

“Oh, that was Zeke Knight.”

“You’re best buddy?”

“The same,” he said, a mouth full of turkey and cheddar. And honey mustard. So much so that he had to wipe his mouth with a napkin before it dripped all over his white coat.

“So, what’s he like?”

Tim yanked his gaze off his lunch to glare at her. “Cauliflower, don’t you dare?”

She glared right back. He knew she detested that nickname. “Don’t I dare what?”

“Moon over him.”

“Ummph,” she huffed out, appalled.

“Nope. I know that look. But Zeke, he’s not for you. He’s not your type.”

“Not my type?” she challenged him.

“He’s not someone you should date. He’s basically your polar opposite, so you’d probably hate one another.”

She stifled her protest. It would only confirm her brother’s already valid suspicions. Callie had to play this closer to her chest to not tip him off. She couldn’t deny, though, that her brother’s objections only made the guy that much more fascinating to her. She’d always been like that. Forbidden fruit tended to be the sweetest and most delectable.

So, her new goal became to go behind Tim’s back and figure out more about his best friend.

CHAPTER TWO

Zeke had barely registeredthe presence of the bubbly and vivacious curly-headed blonde at Tim’s office. She must be a new nurse or executive assistant or whatever. It didn’t matter. And even though something weird had happened to his fingers when he’d handed her the toy, he’d decided to ignore it. He was sure that little spark was nothing worth concerning himself over.

He hadn’t even been inside that office for probably three years, but any changes his friend had made to his medical practice were none of Zeke’s business. He didn’t have time to deal with anyone outside of his limited circle of people, a circle he intentionally kept small, anyway.

Even if Tim Blum had to be considered a definite member of that circle.

Zeke preferred keeping to himself. Analyzing and running quality control on the feed at the Duncan Ranch and keeping the livestock and animals at his place of employment healthy was his mission. Or when at home, he preferred to tinker with the many projects he kept going all at the same time. From the outside in, they might seem like silly hobbies, but they kept his mind and/or body actively engaged. He was never bored and he liked it that way.

Currently, he was working on a broken ship in an unbroken bottle, sharpening the edges on a set of rusty gardening tools, and tuning up an old motorcycle engine. And now that he’d taken care of the wheel that had come off Brian’s tractor, he should probably find something else to add to his collection. He liked to think about these ongoing projects at all times and having four concurrent ones to ponder always felt like a nice, round number.

Yet unfortunately, he had plans tonight.

They were plans he’d tried his hardest to get out of, but when Tim Blum wanted something, he tended to get it. Also, he hadn’t been over to his friend’s house in months. Tonight was Tim and Amanda’s ten-year anniversary, and since they’d decided to renew their vows, his buddy had insisted—demanded, really—that Zeke show up.

He wasn’t happy about it.

Zeke especially wasn’t happy about having to dress up or at least dress up according to Montana standards. He wore the cowboy boots in his closet that were clean and shiny but pinched his toes, accompanied by a pair of black jeans, his best denim shirt, and a sport coat his dad claimed had shrunk on him. Zeke felt pretty certain the coat wasn’t to blame—his dad had gained a good thirty pounds in the past decade—but he accepted the offering nonetheless.

The only issue he had was that the sport coat gave off the odor of moth balls, so he’d been forced to spray the thing down in one ofthose scent removers about a dozen times. Then, he’d let it sit in the diluted winter sun.

By the time he put it on, the smell was mostly gone.

Still, he felt almightily uncomfortable, and not just due to his toes being pinched. This was the largest gathering he’d been a part of in a long while, and he knew he shouldn’t simply flee from these people. He knew most of them, so it wasn’t familiarity that was the problem. No, he just didn’t enjoy being around big groups. Or making small talk. Or socializing, in general.

Yet, he couldn’t say no to standing up for his best friend.

“Welcome all,” the officiate began once the group of at least two hundred and fifty had fallen silent. The Overlook Grand Mountain Lodge event venue was one of the only places in town that could accommodate such a sizable crowd. “We are gathered here today to join in the blessed renewal of the commitment that Amanda and Tim wish to make to each other for a second time in the presence of their nearest and dearest…”

The guy droned on and on, but Zeke did his best not to reveal the boredom creeping through his system. Instead, he fixated on a bright blonde head in the crowd, one that had the distinction of having a lot of springy curls. A ridiculous amount, if he was honest. Then, a little too late, he realized who that head belonged to.

The woman from Tim’s office. And she’d just locked gazes with him.

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