Page 25 of My Rancher Valentine

“Then why are you being so nice to me?” I looked between them.

“Have we not been nice to you before?” Daphne asked.

“You’ve never been anything to me before,” I told her. “I’m not sure I would have guessed you knew who I was before now.”

Both of them burst out laughing. “Oh, honey.” Daphne shook her head. “We’ve known about you since the first day of our baby brother’s sophomore year.”

“Momma, momma.” Hailey changed her voice. “There’s this girl with glasses in my homeroom, and I’m gonna marry her.”

“What?” If I had been drinking anything, it would be all over the row in front of us.

“Why do you think I was so surprised when I saw you two out yesterday?” Hailey smirked. “We’d figured he missed his shot years ago.”

They had to be joking. “There were plenty of girls with glasses in our school.” I tried really hard to think of another one that had been in our homeroom class and couldn’t.

“Probably, but we heard about you for a good six months before Dad told him if he didn’t have the nerve to ask you out, then there was no way he could get you to marry him,” Hailey said.

“You know, I think he’s been trying to prove he has the nerve ever since,” Daphne added. “Maybe that’s why he’s always pestering you. I think he’s been trying to test the waters.”

“But..” I got cut off by the announcer. It was a good thing too, because I needed a moment to process everything I just heard.

There was no way either of them could be right. None whatsoever. Beau didn’t have a problem asking anyone out. Everybody knew that.

“Up next is our own hometown stud.” The announcer called out as if reinforcing my thought. “All the way from Bliss Haven, Oregon. Riding Valentine and dedicating this one to his special someone, welcome Beau Wynters.”

The crowd went wild. Women hopped up before they finished saying his last name. The cheers were so loud that I missed the start of the music, but I knew the song. It was one of my favorites from the indie group Deaf Wolves.

Whenever you’re close. Whenever you’re near. The whole world just disappears. Whenever I hear you. Whenever you call. I want to be the man to break down your wall. Girl, we’re destined. Mated together through time. Nothing else could be as true. Cause baby, I’ll howl for you.

I bit my lip to keep from smiling as I watched him ride through the ring. His control was as strong as always. His concentration was on nothing but the move in front of him. Minutes later, he was done and riding back off the field to more cheers.

“Damn, he’s so good,” Daphne yelled with the rest.

“Always has been.” Hailey held her hands up in the air, clapping.

“Yeah, he has.” I let my smile go.

My head tilted as I wondered exactly what was really happening here and just how much of it might be real.

I TOOK SOME TIME TOsay goodbye to Madison, Dallas, and their cousin, Victor. Dallas had been right. Victor was so busy showing his new girlfriend around that he didn’t have time to really spend with anyone.

“Where’s your fiancée?” Devon seemed to pick the one moment when I wasn’t interviewing someone or surrounded by people to find me. I was on my way to tell Beau goodnight, and I really should have taken Dallas up on his offer to walk me there.

“Putting his things away.” I kept walking.

“You’re not really going to marry that douche, are you?” Devon continued beside me.

“That’s normally what happens when people are engaged.” I sidestepped his question. I had too many conflicting thoughts going in my head to give a simple answer.

“You can do so much better.”

I stopped and faced him. “Is that so?” I crossed my arms. “And just who did you have in mind? You?”

“Nope. I’m not the marrying kind, but neither is Wynters. Way too much each tail out here for guys like us to settle down.” He smiled as if that was something to be proud of.

“Did it ever occur to you that you and Beau are two completely different people?” I asked.

“You might want to believe that, but I’ve known him a long time. Seen him on the road when you haven’t.” He leaned in closer as I backed up. “And I know we are more alike than you think.”

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