Page 21 of Any Cowboy of Mine
“So, there’s no ‘friend from college’?” Brad asked, the full glory of his luminous smile penetrating the dour mood in the room. It was so like his father’s smile, full of joy with just a hint of mischief.
“Nope. Just you and me moving to the back. The waaaay back. I don’t think you need the scrutiny of a front-row seat to your ex’s wedding.”
“You’re a sneaky one, Sophie. I love it.” They found an open row just before the doors that led out of the hall. Sophie only recognized the few faces she’d seen on the way in. How many people were here because of Julia’s parents? Jackie shared enough for Sophie to know they were prominent business owners in Banberry and the neighboring town of Butte. Jackie called them rural royalty, and from the look of some of the suits and gowns on the guests on the right side of the aisle, she probably wasn’t too far off.
Brad clasped her hand tighter again. This time it was as if it meant something completely different to him, like he was choosing her and didn’t want to let her go. He put his arm around her, drawing her flush up against him. His leg brushed hers, and she bit her bottom lip in an attempt to dissuade her desire to use her mouth for other things related to Brad.
“I just want to make sure more people can fit if they need to,” he told her, his voice cracking and failing at his attempt to be serious. His gaze, a sultry blend of mischief and something more primal, held her captive.
“Of course,” she said, playing along. “Maybe your friend and Jackie can sit here, if they ever come up for air.”
Brad laughed.
“I’ve got five bucks that they miss this ceremony all together,” he proposed, mischief winning out in the end.
“You’re on.” Without letting go of her hand, he positioned his so that they could shake on the deal, but let his hand linger, cupping hers gently. His fingers absently made circles on her palms, rubbed her fingers, and drifted over her skin, tough and tender at the same time. Sophie knew he’d been a teacher and writer for a living, but the roughness etched on his skin plus the muscles she’d felt pressed up against her earlier spoke of a life on the farm he’d mentioned as well, something that only added depth to her growing feelings for this man.
“I’m sorry about my mom,” Brad said, looking into her eyes. “I hope you know that wasn’t about you back there.”
“I figured it wasn’t, but it still doesn’t make any sense.”
“No, it doesn’t. Not at all, actually. I think as much as she wants to be on my side because I’m her son, she’s really hurt about what this did to her.”
“What do you mean? You’re the one who was cheated on.”
“Yeah, true. But she doesn’t really know that one small, vital detail. She suspects it thanks to my kid sister, but I never confirmed it because of what that would do to Julia and her family’s reputation. Believe me, I sorely wish I could go back and rewrite that story, but now it would just sound like I’m whining. My mom and Julia’s mom, Betsy, were good friends the whole time we were dating. Before Julia and me, it was just my mom and dad. Living on a farm didn’t give Mom much time to meet friends, so she latched on to Betsy pretty quick. I think my mom’s scared she’ll lose Betsy now that Julia and I are done.”
“But you’re her son. Isn’t she worried she’ll lose you if she chooses Betsy?”
“I’m not sure. When we broke up, I knew it was more than the end of a relationship. It was the end of an era. Did I tell you Julia, Chris, and I grew up together?”
“No, but Jackie told me you’d all started as friends. She and Julia are the ones who have kept in touch. Wow, though. I didn’t know you three went back that far. Didn’t your mom and Betsy know each other from when you guys were young, then?”
Brad laughed, his eyes glazing over as he reached back into his past, clearly lost in a memory that made him happy. Even though Sophie was aware the relationship had ended abruptly and poorly, personal experience said that he and Julia had probably shared many wonderful moments together, too. Though it didn’t change anything, couldn’t ever alter her time with Drew that had also been a blend of the mundane, sad, and, at times peace, Sophie was filled with a blinding jealousy for the time Julia stole from Brad, only to hurt him irrevocably in the end.
“Actually, no. Not really. We typically hung out at Chris’s house since his parents were always gone, so she barely knew Julia, let alone Betsy. But it’s so much more complicated than just her being petty. She’s worried for my future if I stay in this small town where I’m bound to run into Julia, or worse, Chris. I’ve only seen him once since I caught them, at a bar called Cowboy Joe’s, and it didn’t end well for either of us. Chris got two black eyes and a lifetime ban from Joe’s, and I had to pay a few grand in bar damages. I don’t see that fire from either of us dissipating anytime soon unfortunately, so I see her point.”
“I get it. Areyouworried? For your future, I mean?”
Brad smiled, a wide and authentic grin that reached his eyes. At that moment, he resembled his father.
“Not really. I see good things ahead.” Brad leaned in towards her, filling her with his intoxicating blend of soap and a cologne she couldn’t place. She historically hadn’t been a perfume girl, but this was different. Brad was different. “But what about you? I’ve been talking all about Julia, Chris, and me and haven’t given you the chance to tell me about your life. Where did you grow up before U of I?”
Sophie swallowed hard, caught off guard by his question. This was the one topic she didn’t willingly bring up and for good reason. Drew hadn’t ever brought himself to understand why Sophie didn’t talk to her father anymore. He considered the whole world a networking platform and reasoned that since her dad was a famous—or infamous, depending on who you asked—TV anchor, Sophie should at least reach out to him for “business purposes.” There were times she wished she could live as simply as Drew did, in a world of black and white, the law and the breaking of the law the only two choices one could make. Even as a lawyer, though, she saw everything in subtle shades of gray that made her better at her job.
As a human being and a daughter, however, it left everything murky.
How could she tell Brad that her father’d chosen to walk away from her all those years ago to make a woman he’d only known for three weeks happy? That even now, at thirty-six, she still wasn’t over that rejection? Telling Brad about her mom seemed easier but still an insurmountable task considering the venue and how long she’d been reacquainted with Brad.
“Um, well, I grew up in Helena. Not too far from here, actually,” Sophie said, twirling one of her curls around her finger. It was innocuous enough, this little bit of information. Hopefully it would be enough for Brad, and they could switch subjects naturally—and soon.
“What about your parents? Are they still there?”
No such luck, apparently. “Yep,” was all she could get out. Her breathing hitched, and she pulled at the corners of her lips, desperate to get some sort of a smile back before the wedding kicked off and Brad worried why things had gotten so serious all of a sudden.
“Are they still together?” There it was, the million-dollar question that led to answers she wasn’t sure of, even after all this time.
“No. I grew up with my mom in the city. I didn’t see my dad much.”
