Page 29 of Dahlia Made A List

“What’s the team name?”

“Richland Killbillies.”

Another grunt, this time with a little snicker at the end.

“Don’t you dare mock the Richland Killbillies, Wyatt Weston.” I wrapped both hands around my travel mug so I didn’t fling it across the cab of the truck and sank deeper into the seat. “Were you at the Christmas festival in Mapleton this past December? They were there. That’s how I found out about the tryouts.”

Five minutes didn’t pass before we’d put Weston Mill behind us.

“I can’t believe I held onto the flier for all this time. Soon as I started making my list, I knew making the team would have to be at the top.”

“Can’t control making the team, Dahlia.”

His voice curled around my name, and I squeezed my thighs together. I’d always loved my name because I’d never met another Dahlia and neither had most people, I figured, by the looks people gave me when they learned my name. But Wyatt took it from pretty and unusual to sensual and intimate.

“Well, I have a chance if I ace these tryouts.”

“What else is on this list?” He shot me a quick look, one dark eyebrow arched. “One, Signature Dish. Two, Roller Derby. Three, Driving. Four, Sex Book Club–”

“Shameless Readers. Not sex book club, geez.”

“What else?”

“If you must know, it’s one, join a club. So I joined your grandmother’s Shameless Readers. Two is to grow a garden.”

“Where you planning to do that?”

“I haven’t figured the logistics out yet.”

“No real space up at Redbud and Ms. Lester would lose her mind if you touched her azaleas again.”

“I didn’t touch them the first time!”

“Yeah, they were decorated in underwear by some unknown underwear gnome.”

“Holy crap, Wyatt, did you just make a joke?”

“Next on The List?”

“For Number Four, I want to adopt a dog and a cat.”

“What happened to three? Wait, a doganda cat? Did I even approve Redbud for pets?”

I didn’t want to talk about Number Three. “Do you have to?”

“I am still your landlord.”

“Wyatt, may I just say, all these words this morning? Wow. Truly impressive.”

He growled, deep and scary and I laughed. “Number Five is to discover my signature dish. You’re getting pork chops and sweet potatoes and green beans tonight. And I made a peach custard pie last night for our dessert.”

He made a hungry sound, which made my heart give a happy thud. I’d yet to land on the right meal, but he kept suffering through my experiments.

“For Number Six, I’m going to watch all the Star Wars movies.” I bit my lip and shot a quick glance his way. “I was wondering if you might help me with this one, too. If you had time.”

“Help you watch movies?”

The happy thud in my heart dropped with a heavy thump. I swallowed my tea too fast, and came close to choking up a lung. When I could breathe again, I murmured low. “It was just an idea.”

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