Page 10 of More Than a Good Friend

Staring at his abs, I wait until all that glorious muscle is hidden before I start the conversation.

But before I say a word, he clasps my hand. “I’m sorry I proposed. Well, I’m not sorry I asked. But it upset you, and I don’t like that. What did I do wrong?” He lets go of my hand and shoves his fists into his pockets. “You deserve better than someone like me. I know that, but I thought...” He shrugs. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. And we’re friends, Dag. But when I get married, I want more than a good friend. I want someone who loves me. Romantically.” I reach out and rub his arm, then try not to react when he flexes. “It had nothing to do with me deserving someone better than you. I don’t think that.”

“Okay.” He bobs his head, and unanswered questions swirl in those intoxicating green eyes. “So we’re good?”

“We’re good.”

He yanks his hands free and spreads his arms for a hug.

Wrapped in his embrace, I remind myself that he only sees me as a good friend. And that’s not enough.

CHAPTER6

DAG

Goldie slipped out of my cabin so fast after our hug that I didn’t get a chance to give her the birthday present. It’s been sitting in my truck since the day after the party. But that’s about to change.

I drive over to her cabin, hoping I can catch her before she leaves for the mess hall. That will give us time to talk before we head to dinner.

There is a sleek black car parked in front of her cabin, and some dude in dress slacks is standing on her porch. He must be lost.

As I’m about to slide out of my truck, Goldie opens the door. She’s wearing a dress, and her hair and makeup are done up the way they were for her birthday dinner.

Her gaze snaps to me, but she quickly looks away and flashes a wide smile at the guy.

She’s going on a date.

I lock my seat belt back into place and wait. Good thing I didn’t walk over here.

The car backs out, and I shift into reverse. Instead of staying right on their tail, I’ll give them a bit of a head start but keep them in view.

Her newfound fascination with dating doesn’t make any sense, but maybe her mom has been hassling her, which isn’t fair or nice. And how could Goldie schedule this without mentioning it to me? I need to be around in case she needs to be rescued from the scum she met on a dating app.

It could be that she isn’t using the app. I swiped right on her picture, but we haven’t matched, which surprises me. The guy turns left out of the ranch. That road doesn’t lead to any restaurants. At least for a long while. It takes you through one tiny town and lots of nowhere. The next major town is at least an hour down that road.

My phone rings as I pull out of the ranch, but I ignore the call from Parker. Whatever he needs can wait. A minute later, Kent calls. After I ignore that call, Dallas’s name shows up on my screen. These guys aren’t going to let up, so I answer on speaker.

“What?”

“Do not follow her on her date,” Dallas says.

“You knew about this? I thought y’all were going to look out for her? That was our deal.”

“She’ll call us if she needs help, Dag. We made sure she has all our numbers.” He sighs. “Please just come back to the ranch. Let her enjoy her date.”

I slow down, letting the taillights get farther away. “What if the guy’s a jerk?”

“She’ll call, and I’ll go get her.”

“We’ll go together. Deal?” I wait for a response, because unless he agrees, I’m not turning around.

“Fine.”

I spot a driveway up ahead. “As soon as I hit a wide spot, I’ll turn around.”

“Don’t run them off the road or interfere in any way.” Dallas chuckles.

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