Page 94 of Cowboy Seeks Husband
WEEK FIVE
Black Moments
Chapter 17
“Can you atleast pretend you’re into this?”
“Hmm? Oh, sorry.” Walker grimaced at Mike and sent an apologetic glance to John. He couldn’t help but grimace a little again at the ridiculous table set-up the crew had put together in one of the barns. They were supposed to be having a romantic dinner in the straw with sparkle lights twined all around for a starry-eyed mood. He guessed it looked good on camera, but his idea of a romantic dinner didn’t mesh with the smell of horse manure. “Sorry, I’m distracted.”
“I can tell. Have you heard from him?”
Walker focused on the wine glass he’d been fiddling with. “From who?”
Mike said nothing, and Walker sighed. They were in the final week of the show. Ben had gone home last week after he “came out” during the elimination ceremony as in love with Roan. Walker had pretended to be shocked, didn’t give him a horseshoe, and that was the end of it. Ben had packed his bags and left, after apologizing to Walker again. He couldn’t even bring himself to care enough to be angry, especially since he understood completely what Ben might see in Roan. He just wished he knew if it had been reciprocal at all. Some wretched, jealous part of him was afraid Roan and Ben might be together right now.
“No,” he said. “I haven’t heard from Roan since he left. The producers wouldn’t have let me talk to him even if he’d tried to call. Rules. Contracts. All of that. And when I’ve asked them about him, they don’t have any real information for me.”
“Cut!” the assistant director called. A gaffer darted into the shot to deal with a wire leading to one of the lights they’d set up for the shoot.
“Guys, you should be focusing on each other, not another, already-eliminated contestant,” John hissed.
Mike ignored him, asking, “Have you tried to get them to pass on a message from you?”
“I gave them a letter. Asked them to mail it, but I don’t know if they did or not. Regardless, he’s gone, and there’s no word from him at all. I think, if he wanted to get in touch with me, the producers would have passed on at least that much. That he’d tried. Don’t you think? Maybe the truth is he really was in it for the money?”
Walker could take a hint and this one was about the size of Texas. Roan was gone, and Walker was the furthest thing from his mind. Never mind that he was all Walker thought about these days.
“That doesn’t matter. Everyone is in it for the money.”
“Except you.”
“Except me.” Mike’s eyes glinted. “So you’re stuck with me. Are you going to propose this weekend? Go down on one knee for me? I’ve heard the ring is real nice.”
Walker snorted. “Maybe I wantyoudown on one knee forme,” he said. He pushed his wine glass away, barely having touched it.
John groaned and rubbed his face. “Hurry up,” he snarled at the gaffer. “We’re missing the actual good stuff here.”
Walker said, “I’m thinking of just saying I pick no one.”
Mike clutched his chest. “Ouch.”
“Oh, come on. Don’t tell me you want to continue this charade?”
“Why not?” Mike ran a hand through his blond hair. “Give the viewers their romance. It doesn’t have to be fake, you know. The romance…or proposal.”
Walker burst out into a startled laugh. A few boxes down, Callie or Cormac stamped their foot. “Doesn’t have to be fake? What does that mean?” To his surprise, Mike’s face heated. In all the time they were together, Walker hadn’t seen him blush once.
“Obviously I’m not saying that we’d get married right away. You need some time to get over…to get over things,” Mike said. He reached for Walker’s hand, who was too stunned to pull it away. The gaffer crawled out of the shot. Across the barn, the AD called for the cameras to roll again. “I’ve really enjoyed spending these last few weeks with you. It made me realize what an idiot I was to walk away from you. Anyone who’s lucky enough to be loved by you would be stupid to ruin it by insisting on dragging an unwanted third into the relationship.”
“What are you saying?” Walker asked, his voice coming out hoarse.
“I guess what I’m saying—no, what I’masking, is if you’d consider giving us another try? For real?” He looked up into Walker’s eyes. “I’ve missed you.”
“But it’s been years. I—” Walker’s eyes narrowed. “Are you playing this up for the cameras? Is this all for show, because I’m telling you right now, Mike, this isn’t funny.”
“No show,” Mike whispered. His hand tightened convulsively on Walker’s for a second, and then he leaned forward in his seat and kissed him.
It was just a brush of lips. Warm, dry, sweet contact. So familiar Walker felt a jolt to his stomach.
