Page 2 of Older Cowboy

He could’ve stolen those words right out of her head. “Right? I’ve thought that all along.”

“Even now, he gets fidgety when more than two people stride up to speak to him.” Cody gestured as a family of four approached. Not only did Zeke take a step back, he also grabbed one of the napkins off a nearby table and began to fold it into a tight ball which he then stuffed into his fist. “Socially anxious.”

“Wonder if Callie will arrive to rescue him,” Erika mused, and within ten seconds, that was precisely what occurred.

“Called it,” he murmured to her, putting his hand up to offer her a high five. She slapped it in response. “Nice one.”

“Callie’s a coworker and friend. I know her pretty well.”

“How long have you been here in town?”

“Always. But you’re a recent arrival, correct?”

“Fairly recent. I’m an import from Minneapolis. But I already love it here. To say that this place differs from the city is a massive understatement.”

She clinked her glass with his, even though it was nearly empty. “I bet.”

“All this land. All this wilderness. And the soil is…” He made a chef’s kiss with a flourish that somehow came off as genuine rather than silly or flippant. “I’ve been here for six months, and I’ve already fallen in love with it.”

The sincerity of his tone couldn’t be denied. It warmed her heart. She’d considered the fact that she might have to leave once she finished her certification as a nurse practitioner in order to secure the type of job she wanted, but she hoped not to have to go far. Most especially, she didn’t want to leave Montana. She’d traveled a bit, but abandoning the Big Sky Country would never be an option for her. Not for long, anyway.

Part of her couldn’t believe that she’d finally progressed to almost having completed her practitioner training. It’d been such a long time coming and something she’d been working on for what seemed like forever in the brief minutes of free time she could carve out of her life.

She wondered if Blake would be proud of her if he were still alive. Automatically, her hand reached for the wedding ring set she kept on a slender silver chain around her neck. He bought it for her while in Vegas. The diamond solitaire might be modest by many women’s standards, but Erika didn’t care. It’d been a symbol of all they had between them.

It’d taken her five years after his death to stop wearing it on her finger, but she couldn’t manage to abandon wearing it completely. That was one reason she’d switched to wearing it around her neck. Another one was so people would stop nagging her about it.

You’ve mourned him for long enough, Erika, they’d say. It’s been half a decade. I’m starting to worry about you, another would say.

And thebestadmonishment of all… You’re still in your twenties? Are you just determined to stay his widow forever?

Each of these comments had come from different loved ones. Deep down, she knew this came from a place of concern, but she found it endlessly exasperating. And even callous. Why did they care if she chose to grieve Blake for the rest of her days? So what if she wanted to keep his memory close? What impact could it possibly have on them?

But eventually, tired of saying ten versions of the exact same thing, she’d hidden that precious symbol so that only she knew where it resided. Then, she remembered that she was right in the middle of a conversation.

“Rocky Ridge is a hard place not to love,” Erika tuned back to the man at her side, sipping at her drink as she focused back on the proceedings. The dance floor was full and the guests around them seemed to be having a great time.

“Tell me more about you and why you love it.” Cody tilted his head to the side and regarded her with interest, and it’d been such a long time since any man had done such a thing—and it seemed harmless enough in the moment—that she allowed herself to bask in his attention.

He was just being nice, after all.

“My family and friends are here. All my best memories are here. I love the winter and the fact that we have all four seasons. I’m not big on hot weather, so it’s nice that the hot summer days don’t last so long. Spring and autumn are gorgeous. I love the scenery. I’ve been other places, but none of them compare.”

Erika purposely left her job off that list. She adored Callie, and she and Tim now seemed to have an understanding. But she’d be glad to cut ties and move on. She and Callie could always maintain their friendship outside of the pediatrician’s office.

“You’re making me fall in love with the place even more,” he stated, the mischief in his gaze warming into something else. Something she decided she didn’t need to identify. “How about you go out with me so we can discuss more about it.”

Over the years, Erika had been hit on by the occasional man. Some came on too strong, and she’d been quick about shutting them down. Some had been sweet, but she hadn’t been in the place for such endeavors. Cody, however, fell into a whole new category.

Tempting.

It scared her that she felt that way, that she had to remind herself that she didn’t have time to date. And with a man like this, she could end up right in the danger zone. So, she smiled at him even as she took a step back.

“You’re very kind to ask. But no.”

CHAPTERTWO

“No?”Cody echoed back to the quick-witted nurse, the honey-brown of her eyes gleaming. What emotion they gleamedwithhe couldn’t tell exactly. But he suspected she was having fun at his expense.

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