Page 56 of Cowboy Seeks Husband
Walker’s fingers found his and held tight. They were both still gripping the horseshoe with their other hands, like the wishbone of a turkey.
“You okay?” Walker whispered over the worried gasps of the others. The big lights flickered again and stayed on. Mics crackled, and Andy groaned. “It’s okay. Just thunder.”
Roan nodded.
“Meeting!” Andy cried out, and a confab began between Andy, John, Molly, and some guys from the crew. “Doppler says this storm is moving in faster than we expected,” he yelled after a few tense minutes of discussion. “But we’re gonna risk it. Do it all in one fast take. Roan move away from Walker. We have what we need from you.”
Walker’s eyes searched Roan’s face for another moment, but then he let go of the horseshoe.
Roan went to stand in the designated “winners” spot, and wondered at the way he could still feel a tingle where Walker had held his hand. He watched as the rest of the horseshoes were handed out post-haste.
He wasn’t confused about what the hoped for anymore. There was just something about Walker…
His pulse raced a little faster, and his cheeks heated. Yeah. He wanted to stay.
Just as he admitted that to himself, the gathering clouds overhead burst open, and rain poured down on them all.
“Goddammit.”
Walker’s voice made Roan startle awake. They’d all been hustled back into the remodeled barn after the rainstorm broke. There’d been so much going on, and Roan had been soaked through. The producers hadn’t let them change, though, insisting that there was more they needed to film inside. So, Roan had stumbled back out to the little covered porch where he and Walker had shared that first cozy interview, and, finding it blessedly unoccupied, he’d curled up on the sofa with a warm blanket and listened to the rain on the tin roof. He’d watched it grow dark outside, and drifted off to sleep while waiting to be called back in for filming.
Now he winced as he straightened up, his neck stiff from the uncomfortable angle. He still felt shivery from getting soaked by the warm rain, but the body-warmed blanket helped. “What’s up?”
Walker was scowling back through the door into the main part of the house. John was waiting there with a sound guy. And Andy.
Roan rubbed at his eyes and said, “Oh. I guess they want you to wake me up to film some scene or whatever?”
“Yes.” Walker looked mad.
“Um. Sorry. That I fell asleep and, you know,” he waved his hand toward the John. “Did I miss my cue or something?”
Still not looking at him, Walker said, “No. We just couldn’t find you. No one thought to check the camera feed to this room for some reason, and everyone’s hunted all over the house. Molly was getting ready to flip her shit. Thought you’d done a runner.”
Roan cleared his throat. “Um, yeah. No. I wouldn’t do that. Like I said, sorry.” He started to stand up but Walker stopped him. Roan could see that John and the camera guy were recording everything. As were the cameras wired in around them. This room was definitely being watched on the feed now.
“No. I didn’t mean to sound mad. It’s not you. It’s them. All of this.”
John cleared his throat. “C’mon now. Let’s film something we don’t have to edit to pieces.”
Walker frowned at him, but then stepped into the room, sitting next to Roan on the sofa. His muscled thigh pressed against Roan’s and his mouth twisted like he was trying to get words out. Finally, he turned to Roan almost urgently, took hold of his hands and said, “Thanks for staying.”
Roan squeezed his fingers. “It’s no hardship.”
Though it should be. He could be with his mom right now. He should probably want that more. And he did want to be there for her, but this, whatever it was, was pretty exciting, too. He wasn’t ready to be sent away yet. He wanted to get to know Walker.Reallyknow him. And if it meant all the trappings of the show, then he was willing to deal with that, too. For money. For the opportunity to help his mom. To know a man he’d otherwise have never met.
“You had every reason to turn the horseshoe down,” Walker said, frowning at their clasped hands. “I wouldn’t have blamed you after what I did.”
Roan tilted his head. “What did you do?”
“Kissing Chad like that in front of you.”
Roan laughed softly, and then harder. The ridiculousness of their situation overwhelmed him, and he couldn’t catch his breath from giggling so hard. He hunched over as the laughter shook him, and he pressed his forehead to their joined hands.
Walker was chuckling now, too, but not nearly as hard. He seemed more than a little confused when he said, “What’s so funny, little lion?”
“You. This. That kiss.”
“Yeah?”
