Page 14 of Wild and Unruly
“Nothing,” I reply, unable to keep the shit-eating grin off of my face. There was just something about her that was so intriguing to me, something that made everything she did seem fascinating.
“It’s been a long week,” she mutters, and before I can askwhy, Quinn, CT’s sister-in-law, starts drilling her about her work as a writer.
I watch them interact with fascination, watching the way Bonnie talks with everyone around her like they’re her good friends and asks questions that make everyone receptive to talking. It must be what makes her so good at her job.
There may have been a little googling happening when I was off work earlier, and not only did I read a few of her really engaging articles, as a non-reader, it was entertaining as hell, but I found out a little something about Bonnie Helix that I found very interesting.
When the food arrives, and Bonnie and I are both a drink in, the conversation slows, and we start to eat. It’s about as long as I can handle waiting before bringing it up.
“So, you’ve won some stuff, huh?” Subtle. Very subtle.
Bonnie freezes for a moment and turns to look at me, capturing me with those eyes. “What?”
“You weren’t just into cutting. You won competitions.” It should have been something I knew or realized, but I was young enough when we went to those horse shows to support Dani, CT, and Logan that I didn’t pay any attention. She was also younger than them and just novice enough not to be in the same category as my family.
“I won a couple.”
“You and your brother did,” I say, keeping my voice quiet. When I’d looked her up, I found the articles of her brother too and barely skimmed them because I remembered the accident. It was headline news there for a while, and then it felt like the whole thing just disappeared.
“What do you know about that?” There’s a tone in her voice I don’t fully understand, but I press forward gently.
“I know that he was injured bad enough he never went back.” Which was a vague explanation of what happened, the explanation of someone who wasn’t close enough to the situation to have any real feelings toward it.
Bonnie pauses her chewing. “That’s true.” Her voice is quiet, and her eyes won’t meet mine.
I chance a nudge against her shoulder. “I’m sorry that happened to him, Bo.”
Her hand reaches out, circling her drink tightly before bringing it to her lips and taking a healthy sip. The others around us continue their conversations, and I feel like a jerk for bringing him up, reading from her body language and the tension radiating off of her that it’s obviously a sore spot.
“Thank you.” Her whisper is quiet enough that I bend low to hear her, and my eyes catch Logan’s from across the table, where he lifts a brow at me. I guide my attention back to her, ignoring the questioning look. “It’s not something I talk about much.”
I lean back enough that I can see her face and am once again struck by the color of her eyes. My arm stays on the back of her chair, and all the sounds around us fade to background noise: the scrap of a chair as someone stands, the speakers playing the newest country tune, the sound of clinking drinks as people celebrate the end of the day. It’s all there but muted.
I open my mouth to say something, anything, to pull me out of the moment when my family starts rising around me. Frowning, I see that everyone but me and Bonnie have finished their dinners, and I was so caught up in talking to her, getting to know this person who just dropped into my life, that I barely touched my food.
“Well.” Bonnie stands abruptly, patting her stomach. “Asgood as that was, I better head back to The Lodge before the bathroom break becomes an emergency.”
I smirk at her comment and watch as heat rolls over her cheeks. Dani and Thea make a joke that eases her embarrassment, and she shakes her head as I stand, handing over her purse that was hanging on the back of the chair.
“We’re going to pretend I didn’t say that.” Her eyes briefly meet mine, and I can tell she’s begging me to let it go. And I’d like to, but that’s just not who I am.
I start to move quickly, getting her ushered out of the bar and throwing out goodbyes. Bonnie yelps as I pull on her hand and protests, “I didn’t get to pay yet!”
“Thea, add it to my tab!” I yell to my sister-in-law, who’s laughing at my antics.
We burst out of the bar into the cool summer air, and Bonnie, who’s been holding back this whole time, starts to laugh. It’s quite possibly the best sound I’ve ever heard. “Come on, Bo! No time to waste. The bathroom is still a good fifteen-minute drive.”
“Stetson!” She yelps when suddenly I turn her around and drop my shoulder into her stomach, hoisting her over my shoulder. “Are you serious?”
“I’m helping,” I tell her, going down Main Street to look for her truck. Finally spotting it in front of Belle’s Bakery, I jog over there, readjusting her just as I make it to her truck and set her down gently.
She tries to give me an unimpressed stare, but her hair has fallen all over her face, making the seriousness of her expression just seem goofy.
“Whew, we made it to the truck. You better hustle.” I gesture to the truck, holding back a grin as I see her face redden.
Without warning, she throws a jab into my stomach. “What was that!”
“I’m helping you. You said you had to hurry.” I grab the hand that jabbed me and rub my stomach with my other, keeping our hands clasped.
