Page 51 of Wounded Cowboy
Spring cleared his throat. His voice sounding a little rougher than usual, he said,“Grandma Abigail offered me two free tickets to the Bearly Able To Sing concert in Bozeman on Saturday night. Would you like to, uh, go with me?”
Kelsey wanted to shout,“Of course I want to go with you!” But something about the careful reserve in his expression made her dial it back.
She didn’t want to embarrass herself if Spring was merely trying to use up a pair of free tickets. She decided to rip off the Band-Aid and face the question head-on.
“Are you asking me out on a date?” she asked, her heart pounding again.
To her disappointment, Spring stiffened, then shook his head.“No. Nothing like that. I just remembered that you like the band, so I thought you might be interested.”
His face darkened under his tan. Was he…blushing?
“Ah, okay, glad we got that cleared up,” Kelsey murmured, swallowing her mixed feelings of disappointment and relief. She told herself staying friends-only was for the best, since she was planning on leaving soon.“You’re right, I love that band.”
“Great,” Spring said, a hint of relief in his own voice.
“Who’s going to watch the girls if I go with you?” Kelsey asked, her mind already racing ahead to logistical details.
“Autumn has been asking for more time with her nieces, so I was going to ask her,” Spring replied, his eyes meeting hers for a moment before looking away.
“Sounds like a plan, then,” Kelsey agreed, forcing a smile.“Thanks for asking me. I tried to get a ticket, but they were already sold out by the time I heard about the concert.”
“Meet me here at five on Saturday,” Spring said.“We can grab dinner somewhere in Bozeman before heading to the Rialto for the concert.”
“I’m dying for some good pizza,” Kelsey said.“Thanks again for inviting me to the concert.”
“There was one more thing I wanted to talk to you about,” Spring started awkwardly, looking away from her.“About last Friday…”
“Right,” Kelsey replied, trying to keep her tone light despite her insides suddenly twisting themselves into knots.“I’ve been wondering about that.”
“Well, ah, I want you to know I don’t regret kissing you.”
Hallelujah!Kelsey drew in a relieved breath. It was a relief to know he’d enjoyed it as much as she had.
Spring rubbed the back of his neck nervously and added,“But we probably shouldn’t do that again.”
“Why not?” Kelsey asked, confused.
“Because I’m not looking for a relationship,” he admitted, finally meeting her gaze.
Kelsey felt a pang in her chest, but she was glad he was being honest with her.“Neither am I,” she said, forcing a smile.“I’m still planning to leave Snowberry Springs at the end of summer.”
“Okay, good,” Spring said, relief evident in his voice.“I’m glad we’re on the same page.”
“Me too,” Kelsey lied.
∞∞∞
Saturday afternoon
Spring stood in front of the long mirror in his bedroom and adjusted his Stetson one last time. He wore new dark-wash jeans that hugged his legs, a crisp white cowboy shirt adorned with pearl buttons, and his nicest pair of cowboy boots.
The front door creaked open, and his sister’s voice rang through the house.“Yoo-hoo, Autumn’s babysitting service! Anyone home?”
“Auntie Autumn!” Abby shouted. Spring heard two sets of small feet running down the hallway.
When Spring arrived in his living room a few moments later, he found Autumn sitting on his sofa. Abby was curled on her lap and April sat snuggled up against her.
“Hey, sis,” he greeted her.“What happened to Sheriff McHunky and your son?”
