Page 29 of Wild Horses

Some of the tension melts from her shoulders, and she gives me a cocky smirk. “If you think I was good tonight, just wait.”

A layer of innuendo threads into her words, but I’m not here to sleep with her. Or at least notjustto sleep with her.

The teasing smile falls from her lips, and she shuffles her boots in the dirt. “How do you know my dad? How are you here?”

“Is there somewhere we can sit?”

Laramie looks around as if realizing we’re still in theholding area of the arena. She nods. “Yeah. Let’s grab some food.”

I follow behind her as she picks her way between trailers and pop-up tents until she finds one serving barbecue. She grabs us a plate to share, then jerks her head toward an empty table. We sit across from each other, and another wave of uncomfortable silence hangs between us.

“I was in?—”

“What are you?—”

It’s not the first time we’ve broken the tension by speaking at the same time, and it works again. Both of us relax, sending the other coy smiles.

Crunching a chip, Laramie waves her hand, encouraging me to speak.

“You asked me a few questions. Which one do you want answered first?”

Raising one eyebrow, she says, “My dad. How did you end up with him? Phillips Construction bought Biscuit—Grand Dominion—from us, but that was all handled through a third party, so it isn’t from that.”

“I don’t, or I didn’t.” I pick at the brisket on the plate. “I ended up sitting next to him randomly.”

Laramie’s mouth drops open. “Hundreds of people, and you end up next to my dad?”

Pushing the food out of the way, I reach across the table, resting my hand over hers. She flips it so we’re palm to palm, and I rub my thumb over her inner wrist. “I couldn’t believe it either. He loves bragging about you.” A mix of warmth and jealousy grows in my stomach. Has my father ever been proud enough to talk about me to a stranger?

The pink that darkens her cheeks is gorgeous. I wasn’t sure she was capable of blushing, but now that I know she can, I’mgoing to do everything in my power to make it happen over and over.

“Yeah, he’s my biggest fan.” Despite her attempt at downplaying it, I can tell she’s pleased.

“As he should be,” I whisper so quietly I’m not sure if Laramie hears me, but then her eyes snap to mine.

“Why are you here?” she asks again.

“For you, Trouble.”

Her sharp gasp makes me wonder if I’ve played my cards too soon. I watch her swallow, waiting her out.

When she finally speaks, it’s so faint I have to strain to catch what she says. “You have no idea how happy I am to hear that.” Laramie pulls our hands to her mouth, placing a chaste kiss on my knuckles. “So do you, um, want to?—”

“How do you feel about breakfast?” I interrupt to keep her from asking me to go somewhere right now. I’m not strong enough to turn her down if she invites me into her bed, but I’m doing things my way this time. Getting to know her, making it so she can’t bear to run from me again.

Her face crinkles in confusion. “Breakfast?”

“Yeah, it’s this meal people eat in the morning. Maybe you’ve heard of it?”

She narrows her eyes at me. “And you call me a smart ass?”

Grinning, I say, “On my way into town, I kept seeing billboards for some famous pancake place.”

“The Stacks? You don’t want to eat there. It’s all a marketing gimmick. The real best pancakes in town are at Lulu’s.”

I rise from the table, make my way around to her, and guide her to her feet. Once she’s standing, I reach down and tuck a lock of wild brown hair behind her ear. “Sure am glad I ran into you. I’d hate to have come all this way and eaten subpar pancakes.”

“Yeah, that’d be a real shame.” Her voice is sultry, and she steps closer as if drawn by an invisible string.

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