Page 11 of The Texas Sterling Collection
“Yes, he came in this morning,” Stella said.
I wondered about theheshe mentioned. Mitzi knew nothing about me, except that Stella may have mentioned me as her boss. That left only Wyl. And he left. It's too bad I only heard her side of the conversation.
“Me, ask Wyl out? I don’t know if that’s…”
Shit. Did Mitzi encourage Stella to pursue Wyl? If Stella relied on others to set her up with men, she must either be desperate or a floozy. I turned my nosy hearing up a notch or two.
“Yes, he is handsome, and I sure wouldn’t mind having his arms wrapped around me.”
I shuddered at the visual. Handsome, athletic, olive-skinned Wyl holding pudgy, fair-skinned, overly-made-up Stella? No way would I stand by and let that happen.
“I don’t know who he hangs out with on campus, but he does hang out with Dr. Bonner.”
Resentment crept in. We did not hang out. We discussed the class. Not that I didn’t wish we hung out together. But give Stella any hint of a rumor, and it spreads faster than a wildfire on dry West Texas prairie grass. I needed to stop Stella before she went into broadcast mode, but how?
“Okay, I’ll chat him up the next chance I get.” Stella’s second line rang. “Listen, I need to go. I’ll keep you posted.”
This Mitzi witch tried to convince Stella to pursue Wyl. I needed to learn more about Mitzi and hoped Wyl would share more of the history.
“Okay.” Stella sounded frustrated.
End the call already. I don’t have all day to eavesdrop.I almost laughed as I admitted to doing the exact thing I accused Stella of doing—eavesdropping on the conversations of others.
“Bye.” She took the next call.
So, Mitzi recruited Stella. Should I warn Wyl? He did say he had nobody at home but Walt, so he’s not married. Perhaps he seeks female companionship. I should keep quiet. If I said something, he might take it the wrong way. And I wanted to keep our morning coffee habit going.
* * *
The following week flew by. On the days the music class met, Wyl came early, and we shared coffee. I treasured those times, and it appeared Wyl did, too. But with Stella’s nosiness and tendency to spread rumors, which I briefed Wyl on, we decided to avoid any after-class chats. Wyl offered a smile when leaving the classroom, and I snuck a subtle nod if I passed him on campus. I resisted the urge to jog over and spend time with the handsome Marine. I overheard no additional phone calls to Stella from Mitzi. Still, I stayed vigilant in case another conversation between them caught my ear.
* * *
Friday evening, I leaned my butt against the front fender of my truck and waited under the covered parking pavilion for Wyl. Keeping the late summer sun off the truck helped. Waves of anticipation still prickled my stomach. An evening in the company of Wyl Sterling felt like a date. I was no expert because my last date happened years ago. But the handsome rancher occupied the dream-come-true category. A light-colored pickup rolled into the parking lot at 4:50, gravel crunching under the tires. Wyl waved through the windshield. Attention from this man thrilled me, but I tamped down my enthusiasm. Thinking of him as a friend was dangerous enough. Thinking of him as more, asked for trouble. He parked and stepped out of his truck. I drank in Wyl’s confident swagger and a smile warm enough to melt a snow cone. Shit. Imagining being with him was one thing, but this guy pushed all my buttons at once.
He reached for a handshake. “Howdy, Rod.”
His cowboy greeting sent a thrill through me. As I gripped Wyl’s dry, rough hand, a pleasing zing traveled up my arm and headed for my groin.
Wyl raised an eyebrow. “Are you okay? You look kinda stunned.”
“I’m fine,” I sputtered. Shit. He's too observant. I need to keep my expressions neutral.
“You have a parking spot under the pavilion. Your truck won’t be so hot.” Wyl’s warm smile did things to my stomach.
I grinned, my hand still gripping Wyl’s. “Summer in West Texas, eh?”
Wyl glanced around the empty parking lot. “I'm glad you mentioned your truck color. So many gray pickups.”
My turn to draw my lower lip between my teeth. I glanced around the parking lot, more to avoid Wyl’s grey-green eyes than to determine the total lack of vehicles other than ours. “Yep. All the other gray trucks left. You missed them by a couple of minutes.”
Wyl nudged my shoulder. “I’m joshing you. Going to this concert is a treat.”
“For me, too.” I thumbed to my truck. “In case you’re confused, this one is mine.”
Wyl laughed. “I kinda hoped you would point it out.”
We climbed in. “I’m glad you’re going along.” I pulled my door closed. “Concerts are more enjoyable if I have someone with me.”Especially tanned, sexy Marines, whom I am definitely not getting into a relationship with. Shit, did saying I enjoyed it more if someone was with me sound like a come-on?
