Page 51 of Charlie Takes a Chance

“It’s a deal. See you soon.”

I hang up the phone and try to put their teasing words out of my mind. Max does not like me. He might be attracted to me, but he doesn’t like me, which is great because I can still be myself with him. I don’t have to change. I don’t have to rein it in. Max is the unlucky guy who gets to experience Charlie Baxter unfiltered.

I grin at that realization and throw myself into my work. I’ve got a dance to get to.

By the time I finish up the bathroom, it’s already almost 5:30.

If I’m going to make it to a swing dance tonight like I promised Darlene, I’m going to have to hurry and get ready. I lock up the main house and run back to the bunkhouse. Max is pulling in and backing a livestock trailer up in the driveway. He jumps out and climbs onto the back of the truck to unhook the gooseneck.

“Hey! We’re going swing dancing tonight like we told Darlene we would!”

He doesn’t answer me. I call louder as the dogs come running up to greet me. “Swing dancing tonight!”

Max finally turns to look at me. “You go have fun.”

“I don’t think so!Weare going to have fun. But I have to take a shower real quick. Don’t go away!”

The dogs race up the sidewalk with me as I run inside to take a hot shower. I forgot my hairdryer when I packed, of course, so I’ve been relying on air drying these past couple of weeks.

But tonight, I put my hair into French braids and use two matching red scrunchies on the ends. I do a quick five-minute makeup that makes me look a little less like a wet, drowned rat. And then I throw on my skinny jeans with my half boots. I put ona sweater because it’s cold and pause to pull loose a few strands of hair to curl around my face.

When I step into the hall, Max is standing there. He’s changed into some clean clothes and is wearing a ball cap.

“Are you ready to go?”

He shakes his head. “You go have fun. You’ll have a good time.“

I narrow my eyes at him, Nash’s words floating around my head.Max is lonely. “No, we are going to go have fun. You told Darlene that you would be there too.”

What I really want to do is grab him and say I figured out your secret.I know you’re lonely. I know you want a happily ever after. But I don’t say that. That would be the quickest way to never get a word out of him again.And now that I know why he’s so prickly, well I’m not going to let a little thing like a bad attitude keep me away.

I put my hands on my hips and point to him, “Do you want me to end up in a car wreck driving my Honda into town?”

Unfortunately, this brilliant guilting tactic doesn’t work. Max pulls his keys out of his pocket and holds them out between us. He’s offering me the keys to hisnewtruck—not the old work truck he let me drive when he left town. This is a moment of wonder in our strange relationship. Part of me really wants to grab the keys and go, but the other part of me knows that he needs someone to drag him along.

I raise my eyebrows at him. “If you don’t get in the truck. I’ll just have to carry you outside.”

He snorts at that and quirks an eyebrow.

I pull my shoulders back. “I’ll do it.”

“Now that, I would like to see you try.” He says with a laugh as he rests both hands on his hips, keys still wrapped in his fist.

I raise both eyebrows at him and take a step forward. “I figured I’d take one out of your own playbook.”

“I’d like to see you try, shorty,” he moves to walk past me, and I wrap my arms around his middle. He stops abruptly. He starts laughing so hard he’s shaking. I brace my legs, then lift him up as high as I can. It’s not much, but I manage to get him high enough to where his feet are off the floor. He’s laughing so hard that he’s making a poor balanced weight to pick up. And he’s heavy. I start laughing along with him.

I set him back down, and he looks down at me, his hands resting on my shoulders while my arms are still wrapped around his middle. “OK, you’ve proved your point. I’ll put my boots on.”

“Make sure you tuck your boots on theinsideof your pants.”

“Would you be embarrassed to see out in public with me if I didn’t?”

I shake my head. “Oh, I would love it, but I’m not sure if the rest of town is ready for it.” He heads down the hall and closes his bedroom door. I halfway suspect he’s going to barricade himself in his room.

But, to my surprise, he comes back out in one minute with a big jacket and his cowboy boots on.

He’s carrying something behind him, and I lean around to see what it is.

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