Page 43 of Clause & Effect
They’re all watching me expectantly. I don’t know how much longer I can pretend like I really believe I’ll hear something, but I hate disappointing people, so I give it a go. Still. I won’t lie.
A snowflake falls on my nose.
“Nothing,” I shrug my shoulders acting as though I’m just as surprised as they are.
“Are you sure?” Bushy looks at me quizzically.
“She just arrived,” Stetson interrupts softly. “Give her a minute to adjust to it all.”
“But if she’s theone—” Shiny puts her hands on her hips.
“I don’t know that yet.” Stetson stops her from saying more.
I look from him to Shiny and watch their silent interaction. They’re having a moment here. There’s an unspoken message moving between the group that I’m the only one not understanding.
“Stetson?” I ask, needing to know what they’re talking about.
He turns his gaze back to me.
“I’m what one?”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
My words echo in the air and fade into nothing.
The silence that greets me is palpable, and there’s suddenly a tiny bit of tension in the otherwise jolly ambiance.
“You’re the one I brought to see the village,” Stetson replies quickly.
No way.
“The first one?” I can’t help but laugh in disbelief.
Who is he kidding? He has the women he likes sign a one-night stand clause. This is a man who’s been down this rodeo before. I’m not that delusional.
Only sometimes.
“You are the first one.” He says it so solemnly that the wind gets knocked out of me.
The rush I feel from those words almost brings me to my knees. The solemness in his voice and the strange look in his eyes, it’s a tiny bit… surreal? And dare I say, magical?
But still.
I signed a one-night clause.
“I guess you could say it’s kind of a hard place to get to—especially for a date,” I choose to make light of his words, assuming nothing.
He narrows his eyes and studies me. Instead of telling me that I’m something special, he simply says, “that must be it.”
But I know he doesn’t mean it. I don’t know how. But I do.
Even though we’re silently being watched, it feels like Stetson and I are the only two people here in the world. Despite the freezing temperature, a warmth moves through my blood and my body as I lock eyes with this gorgeous man.
Then it dawns on me.I’m starting to believe him and this unbelievable story.
It doesn’t feel like he’s lying or delusional—not just because I know it—but because this would have to be the most elaborate and extravagant play in the world.
And if he’s telling the truth…
