Page 38 of Saving Jared

“No. That won’t be necessary.”

“Necessary?" she asked, taking a step back. "Why would you say it that way?”

"There’s no other way I would say it. Now, I have things to do." With that he turned his back on her and she watched, confused, as he took the steps two at a time up to the announcer’s booth, slamming the door behind him after he’d gone in.

What had just happened?

Tears welled as she stared up at the door Jared had just gone through. Nothing about the man—his harshly spoken words and dismissive attitude—was anything like the one she knew and loved. That man just now she didn’t know.

Thatman had been a stranger.

* * *

What had to be hours later, Willa’s eyes flew open as Kinsley’s bedroom door creaked slightly open, but not far before it stopped. She glanced at the clock across the room and peered closely at the time. The red glowing lights read 3:18.

Well, it was about time.

She’d gone to her friend’s room after finally getting away from her brothers. It had been hard to keep her hurt feelings from showing, but with Eric’s excitement over his ride and score, and the enthusiasm of Darin and Ben, she hadn’t needed to worry about it.

But she’d desperately needed to talk to her friend, hoping she would have some insight into what could possibly have turned Jared so cold toward her. So, she’d slipped away when she’d gotten the chance and gone back to the ranch house and Kinsley’s room. But she hadn’t been there. So, she’d curled up on the overstuffed, dark blue velour couch in the sitting area of Kinsley’s bedroom and waited. The last she remembered, it had been well past 1:00.

The door started slowly moving inward again by increments, pausing at each creak until it stood about halfway open. Kinsley slipped inside and closed it back just as carefully, then leaned against it with a quiet sigh.

If not for the state of her love life, she’d be laughing her ass off.

So, instead she switched on the table lamp beside her and enjoyed Kinsley’s shriek before her wide-eyed stare landed on Willa while she pressed her hand over her heart.

"You scared me half to death," she panted while dropping her boots to the floor. Then she stilled and pressed her ear against the door.

"Kins—"

"Shhh…"

Willa took the time to look over her friend from the top of her hair, down over her curvy body, until she reached her feet. On the way she noticed tangled hair, smeared eyeshadow and mascara, and a mis-buttoned blouse.

Kinsley slumped back against the door and threw an irritated glare at Willa. "You know you almost got me caught," she whispered as she trudged across her room and flopped into a floral club chair across from the couch.

"Where have you been?" After saying it and seeing the what do you think look Kinsley gave her, she realized it was a needless question. "On second thought, you don’t need to tell me. Though you do need to tell me who with. Because my friend, I think what you’ve just done is called the walk of shame. So, spill."

"Paul Lancaster." Kinsley’s broad smile and deep sigh spoke volumes as she hugged her arms around herself. "He grew up on a cattle ranch, loves horses, is a wounded vet, and has the most perfect set of lips I’ve ever tasted."

Willa set aside the heartache currently tearing her up inside and plastered what she hoped passed as a teasing smile on her face. "So, the tall, dark, bearded, and—from what I could see from his profile—handsome man you were hanging onto beside the arena is this man you speak of with the perfect lips?"

"Oh, you saw that, did you?" she asked with a grimace. "I couldn’t help myself."

"I don’t remember you talking about him before. When did you meet?"

Kinsley’s fair complexion turned a bright red. "About…. She scrunched up her nose, finishing in a rush, "Eight hours ago."

"Wait, you just met him at the rodeo?" Willa couldn’t help how her eyes widened. "So, you had sex for the first time in your life with a stranger?" And the irony of that statement wasn’t lost on Willa at the moment.

"Noooo…" Kinsley furiously shook her head, and then shrugged. "At least not really."

Willa repositioned herself on the couch so she was sitting upright. "How do you not really have sex? Either you did or you didn’t."

"Do hands and mouths count?"

Willa sat back against the seat cushion and stared hard at her friend. "You..." She cleared her throat. "You—"

"No. No mouths traveled below the waist. Jeez." A small grin touched her lips. "But his nice big hands…" She let out a satisfied sigh.

"Big hands are nice," Willa said a bit wistfully.

"They are?" Kinsley shot back with a grin while waggling her brows. "Do… Wait. No, don’t tell."

Willa laughed along with Kinsley and kept anything about her and Jared to herself—the good and the bad. Her friend seemed to be glowing, and there was no way she would snuff that out for anything.

So, Willa sat in Kinsley’s room for another couple of hours and smiled, and laughed, and listened to what sounded like the beginning of a true love story.

While her own had fallen apart.

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