Page 85 of Never the Bride
“Maybe a little bit,” I confess, understanding the significance of that all too well. “And not all the time. It’s mostly just when he’s at home. Everywhere else, he looks like a normal guy in normal clothes.”
“Since moving in together, how many fantasies have you had about the cowboy version of him?” Blair asks with a smile.
“None!” I rear back, but all four of my friends incline their heads as if they know I’m lying. “Okay, I admit to daydreaming about Hess in his cowboy hat, tight jeans, boots, and no shirt.” That’s incriminatingly specific. “But it’s only been a couple of times, and it’s not really my fault. He’s Yellowstoning me.”
“Yellowstoning you?” Emma’s forehead crinkles. “What does that mean?”
“Girl, have you not heard of the Dutton family?” Blair whistles. “It’s a TV show with a lot of hot men living on a ranch. I mean, Kevin Costner is as old as my dad, but he’s still got it.”
“I'm more of a Rip Wheeler girl myself.” Juliet shrugs.
Carly yanks the phone out of my hands, and they all hover around the screen as she flips through the slides. “Okay, he’s totally Yellowstoning you. Look at this selfie with his horse.”
“See my dilemma?”
“Why is this a dilemma?” Juliet laughs. “You’re married to a hot cowboy. That’s literally been your fantasy for as long as I’ve known you.”
“Not the marriage part,” Carly adds, sending me a knowing glance.
Yes, definitelynotthe marriage part.
“I just remember you kissing your poster of Tim McGraw when we were in middle school.”
“Well, obviously,” I defend my thirteen-year-old self. “Tim McGraw is a cowboy heartthrob.”
“But this slide presentation is adorable.” Emma sighs. “I would give anything for a man to put that much effort into me.”
“The marriage counselor told us we had to get to know each other. So he was just completing the assignment.”
“No, he was being cute.” Carly hands my phone back.
“Camila Taylor.” Blair lets the name sit on her tongue for a second. “It has a nice ring to it.”
“Donotcall me that. This marriage is over in four months.”
“It doesn’t have to be.” Juliet wags her brows up and down.
“Yes, it does.”
“Normally, a guy gives you the ick after the second date. How have you been handling living with a man the past two months?” Carly asks.
“I don’t know. So far, Hess hasn’t done anything that’s grossed me out.”
“Yeah, because he’s freakin’ hot.” Blair tips her drink to me.
“It doesn’t matter how hot he is if he’s a jerk,” Juliet says. “So I’m guessing he’s nice, since you haven’t said anything about that.”
“Hess is one of those guys who likes to take care of his girl—not that I’m his girl.” I catch myself. “I mean, I think he’s that way with everyone.”
Emma leans forward, more interested than ever. “So what does he do for you that’s nice?”
“Just regular stuff.” I shake my head, trying to play it off, even though the list of kind things he’s done is piling up. Like turning on my AC in the car the other day so it was cooled off by the time I got in. Or when he brought home crushed ice from the gas station. Or had Chinese takeout waiting after a long day of work. He wasn’t joking when he said he was going to show me what it’s like to have someone take care of me.
“You’re going to get the ick from him because he’s too soft and nice,” Blair says. “He’s going to smother you with kindness, and it will be a turn-off. I can already see it.”
“That would be a concern, except he’s not only soft and nice.” How do I describe Hess? “He’s kind and gentle, but also manly and masculine. When I left for work this morning, he had the laundry room torn apart and was fixing the washing machine as if it were nothing. The day before that, he was on the roof, nailing down shingles. Last week, he backed a huge horse trailer into a tiny spot like a pro. It’s, like, every time I turn around, he’s doing some rugged manly thing that makes me wonder why I ever thought sharing a life with a man was a bad idea.” A soft smile drifts over my lips as I think about Hess swinging a hammer around the house.
“Oh, dear.” Carly’s eyes widen.
