Page 33 of Not Over You (Prosperity Ranch 3)

How did she feel about him?

It was too early to even know, she knew that. But it wasn’t like she didn’t know him. Maybe they hadn’t talked for years, but she knew they were always friends first.

Jana sighed and typed a response to the email, one she’d have to fine-tune later, because she probably had too many emotions warring inside of her.

Dear Unsure in Corpus Christi,

A best friend is priceless. You need to decide how you feel first, or you will both be hurt. Look at it from his perspective. It sounds like he’s willing to risk everything to have a deeper relationship with you. Are you willing to take that same risk?

Good luck.

Miss Jewel

Jana re-read her response. It was all anyone could advise without knowing more about the individuals. She closed her laptop. She didn’t have the heart to answer another question for her column. What did she know about finding love and keeping relationships strong? Nothing, that’s what.

She opened the document containing her novel and scrolled to the last scene. Ryan and Sandy were on their first tentative date, and as she read through the interactions of the two characters, she realized that she used dialogue that sounded like Knox. Which meant that it was easy to continue writing the scene, even though she felt like she was stealing something.

When her phone rang, it startled her out of the world she’d immersed herself in, and it took her a moment to realize that Knox was calling. She glanced at the living room clock to see it was nearly midnight. The dirt dance should be in full swing. Had he texted her, and she hadn’t heard it?

Her heart was racing by the time she answered, and she was pretty sure she sounded breathless.

“Where are you?” Knox said, his voice low, but in the background, she could hear music and people.

“Home.”

He said something that was muffled, to another person she guessed, then he was back on the line. “I’ve been looking for you, Jana. Did you ditch me?”

“Was I invited somewhere?” Maybe she shouldn’t give him a hard time—after all, he’d just won the bull-riding event, so she should probably be congratulating him.

“Where’d you go?”

She pulled her legs up under her. “I told you.”

“You did, but I want to know why.” Again, he was interrupted, and she could hear someone gushing over his win.

“I didn’t want to get in the way,” she said. “I mean, you were surrounded by people. And I thought you’d enjoy your night more without having to worry about me.”

Knox didn’t say anything for a moment as the background noise shifted around him. “Remember you agreed to go for a ride in my truck?”

Of course, she remembered. “Yeah.”

“How about I collect on that right now?”

She straightened. “It’s really late.”

He chuckled, and the sound of it was like a slow burn in her chest. “I’m not tired, are you?”

Not even close.“No,” she said in an almost whisper.

“Be there in about thirty,” he said. “I’ll be the one in the rumbling truck pulling into your driveway.”

When Jana hung up, she leapt off the couch. Knox hadn’t forgotten her, not in the least. She touched up her appearance and was outside waiting for him when he pulled up to the house. She didn’t want him doing anything ridiculous like honking, or even coming inside. She was worried she’d jump into his arms, and the kissing would start, and then she wouldn’t be able to ask him her bigger questions.

Like what would happen once he left Prosper?

She climbed into the truck and was surprised he smelled freshly showered. He wore a dark T-shirt and faded jeans. His hat wasn’t the one from the rodeo, either, but a hat that looked like the one he wore in high school. “You already cleaned up?”

He reached for her hand and pulled it onto his thigh. “I stopped in at my parents to say goodbye and cleaned up there. I’m heading to San Antonio tonight.”

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