Page 42 of Every Single Vow
“Um, some rando is at the door.” Ari’s muffled voice flows from the other side.
I’m on my feet in an instant, a wave of warning hitting my chest.It’s him.The protective side of me flares, the need to shield Arizona from that monster is overwhelmingly strong as I rip the door open.
“What? Who is it?” I ask, peeking my head into the hall.
She shrugs. “Never seen him. But he kind of looks like Cooper, except he’s like really grumpy.”
I glance back at Cooper who pushes up from the bed. He grins, knowing exactly who it is and the wild rhythm of my heart starts to slow.
“I’ll grab it,” Cooper says as he squeezes past us.
I roll my shoulders back with relief as Ari gives me a confused look. “Well, who is it?”
I wrap my arm around her shoulder, guiding her back down the hallway. “You ever met a real life bull rider?”
She gives me a pointed look. “What do you think?”
I snicker before we enter the living room just in time for the stranger to saunter into the cabin.
“Well, look what the cat drug in,” I tease when a cowboy walks in looking like he just pulled an all nighter.
Which he probably had.
“Arizona, this is Cooper’s cousin. Meet the infamous Parker Stillwater.”
Chapter twenty-six
Dakota
Arizona and I climb in my old Ford truck, waving at Cooper and Parker who are sitting in the rocking chairs on the front porch like two old timers in a John Wayne western film.
“So, I’m thinking if we hit the Smart Mart we can get everything in one swoop.”
“What’s the Smart Mart?” She asks, clipping her seat belt.
I glance down at her outfit. She’s wearing jeans that are two sizes too big and a Justin Bieber t-shirt. She looks like she waltzed right out of the nineties if you include the elastic purple necklace around her throat.
“It’s basically the knock off Wal-Mart. But it’s got everything from groceries to clothes, so it’s a one stop shop.”
“Ok.” She shrugs. “Don’t feel like you need to butter me up with stuff. I want to be here, and I will tell that social lady that to her face.”
I laugh, pulling out of the automatic gates. “I bet you will.”
Silence engulfs us, but instead of embracing it, I crank the radio to some Tanya Tucker, roll down the windows, and try to make back roading on a warm Tuesday morning be a balm to both of our souls.
“Are you sure?” I ask, holding up the pink and purple sweater.
“It looks like a Care Bear threw up.” Arizona scrunches her nose in distain. “I’m not really a pink kind of girl,” she adds.
Noted.
“Ok.” I hang it back on the rack. “Let’s move on to the supplies.”
I push the cart forward, happy that she at least picked out four new pairs of pants, six new shirts, and two new pairs of shoes. You would have thought it was Christmas morning the way she’d been smiling.Over basic necessities like clothing.
Another reason I’m internally cursing Bea Sterling at the moment.
We round the corner to the school supplies aisle, and she immediately beelines it for the sketch pads.
