Page 28 of More Than a Helping Hand

“Good.”

“Dating anyone?”

“The answer to that will always be no. That life isn’t for me. Bachelorhood is my destiny.”

“Always is a long time. What if you meet someone special?”

“She’ll want some tall guy to sweep her off her feet. Honestly, relationships take too much work. And I don’t think I have it in me to jump through all those hoops.” He nudges his horse and rides on ahead.

He could’ve just said he didn’t want to talk about it anymore.

CHAPTER11

PRIMROSE

Bailey has a death grip on my hand as we step away from the car. “Uncle Parker and Aunt Bluebonnet will be here?”

“Yes. And they said all the people on the ranch are really nice.”

“DeeDee is nice. Will he be here?”

“I think so.” I’m hoping so. We haven’t exchanged messages since right after we went out, but it’s only been a few days.

She stops and tugs on my arm. “What about fireworks?”

“Those are at the big park and not until after dark. You don’t have to worry.”

“Okay.” She starts walking again. “Did you tell DeeDee why I don’t like fireworks?”

“I mentioned it.” Anderson and I have talked a lot about Bailey, and I told him about her fear of fireworks before I even knew we’d be seeing each other on the Fourth. I’m still unsure how to navigate this relationship. It feels odd sneaking around, but Bailey cannot find out. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

I’d accuse my brother of trying to push me into seeing Anderson, but Parker invited us before he knew that Anderson and I had gone out. So I don’t think that’s what’s going on.

But I am looking forward to seeing my cowboy again.

When we get to the edge of the patio, Bailey stops again. “The pool is big. And Mason is here. Are you going to swim, Mom?”

“No. I’ll just watch you swim.” There is no way that I’m squeezing this flab into a suit and showing off that amount of skin around all these people I don’t know. And definitely not in front of Anderson. Although, that might hurry the end of whatever this is we’re doing. If I go out with him again, then I guess we’re dating. And I’ve said yes to another date, which scares the wheezer out of me.

She pulls me toward a lounge chair. “Did you pack my goggles? I don’t want water in my eyes.”

“They’re in the bag.” I wave at Parker before setting the pool bag on a chair.

Bailey watches Mason in the water and starts bouncing. “What about my flippers? They help me swim better.”

“Here they are.” I cross my fingers, hoping I thought of everything.

I barely get sunscreen on her before she pulls off her shorts, gets the goggles on her face and the flippers on her feet, and then plunges into the water. I gather all the other stuff that got yanked out of the bag and shove it back in. Then I stand off to the side and watch her play.

Parker is with several other cowboy types, but none that I recognize. He motions me over, and I shake my head. Bailey has no trouble jumping right into the pool, but I need to wade into social situations.

It wasn’t always like this. Or maybe it was, and I’m finally willing to admit that I’m uncomfortable in these situations. I smile so that Parker’s friends don’t assume I hate everyone, and I keep my eyes trained on Bailey. She’s a strong swimmer, but this is a new environment.

After a few minutes, Parker sits down on the edge of the pool. I can only hear part of what he’s telling her, but he’s pointing and saying names. As people hear their name, they wave, and shockingly, my little girl waves back. I’m not sure who or what to credit for this change, but it’s amazing.

As the minutes tick by, I start to question if Anderson will show up. The crowd has doubled since we arrived. But he’s not here.

Bailey has been popping up out of the water and looking all around, so I’m not the only one watching for our tall friend.

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