Page 97 of The Triple Threat
“I think they will. They just need to remember why they love each other. I’m hoping the dance will relax them and give them an opportunity to reconnect.”
“You see,” I replied. “If Jim and Darcy can’t make it, how the hell do I have a chance with Dayton Valley’s most eligible manwhore, well except for his dad.”
Mom gave me a sideways glance and tsked. “You’re being too harsh, on both of them. Hunter isn’t nearly as bad as you make out. Jefferson maybe,” she said with a laugh, “but not Hunter, he’s a good boy.”
“Oh my God, if we got together, you’d love him way more than me, wouldn’t you?”
Mom laughed and dropped the potatoes into a pan of water. “You know it, sweetheart. But if you’re not going to ask him then it won’t happen will it?”
“No, I guess not.” I quirked a brow at her.
“Listen,” Mom said, wiping her hands on a towel. “How about we go into the city? Even if you’re not going to ask Hunter to the dance, doesn’t mean you can’t look hot and show him what he’s missing.”
I leaned against the door jamb and thought about it. “Yeah, that would be good. I’m off again tomorrow, so we could go then.”
“Yeah sure, sweetheart. I’m off too, so tomorrow can be, ‘Get a hot dress to make Ellie look smoking for Hunter’ day.”
She then gave me a shit eating grin and winked, and I knew then that I’d probably made the biggest mistake ever telling her about my crush on Hunter Delaney.
My week had been the one from hell. First off, we’d lost a breeding heifer that we were planning on selling. She’d got bloat and by the time Carter got to us, it was too late. She’d gone down with it in the night, so when Pop and I went to the herd in the morning, she was already laying down. It was one of those things, and would probably happen again at some time, but it was still a knock.
My mood then hadn’t been improved by the thoughts of the little brunette vixen who filled my head. She’d looked so fucking hot in her pink underwear, even though the whole situation had been hilarious. Problem was, she was an ungrateful little Princess at times. I’d only tried to help her. I kinda understood how she felt about me cutting the dress though. If the store assistant had seen it, she’d have definitely made Ellie pay, or I would have paid at least. At least we got away with it, though I wasn’t sure I’d risk visiting Hemmingway’s again in the near future.
My other big problem was afterward, when we’d had a bite to eat and then carried on shopping; then she’d been all cute and funny. She’d looked stunning in every one of the twelve dresses that she tried on—yeah that’s right, twelve. It had taken all my time not to say, damn it to my pride and ask her to the dance again, but there are only so many times a man can be rejected. That was why I kept it PG and didn’t jump on her every time she came out of a dressing room looking good enough to eat. Ellie didn’t quite see things the way that I did though, her heart wasn’t in it and every single dress was rejected.
Unfortunately, no matter what my feelings about Ellie were, it was evident they weren’t reciprocated unless it came down to sex. I should have just accepted it and looked forward to the next time she needed an itch scratching. Problem was my head was telling me that, but my heart and my hormones were telling me something entirely different.
Knowing we were all going to be sitting at the same table and playing happy extended families at the dance, and that I’d have to watch Ellie all night, I’d tried to cry off from going. I’d even cited the fact that we had another cow due to give birth. Pop had other ideas though and had made it clear we were going to the dance; me, him and my aunts. Tom and Sam were going to stay the night on the ranch, and we were going to go, drink and be damn merry.
Without the possibility of getting out of it, I wasn’t sure whether I hoped Ellie would fail to get a dress and so bail, or whether I hoped she’d be there. My feelings fluctuated between what the best possible option could be.
Now the time for wondering was over because we were walking up the steps to the Memorial Hall.
“Ooh this is going to be so good,” Auntie L practically squealed as she clung to my arm. “I haven’t been to the pre-Christmas dance for years. Not since Ethan Monroe asked me when I was twenty-three and I turned him down.”
I pulled us to a stop. “You haven’t been since then? And, how come you turned him down?”
A shadow fell over Lynn-Ann’s face as she glanced over to where my pop was leading Auntie J inside.
“Well, I liked him fine enough. He was handsome and strong and was real respectful to the ladies.” She sighed and went a little glassy eyed. “Problem was your Auntie J thought so too. Fact was, she was probably more stuck on him than I was.”
“Woah,” I replied, taking a half step back. “That’s pretty sad, Auntie L. Surely she’d have understood if you wanted to go with him?”
Auntie L shrugged and gave me a soft smile. “Who knows, honey. All I do know is I didn’t want to break her heart.”
“And what happened to Ethan Monroe?” I asked, not recognizing the name around town.
She swallowed and took a deep breath. “He left town a year later. Met a girl at his cousin Marlena’s wedding in Pasadena. I do believe they have four kids and twelve grand-babies.”
I watched her carefully, noting the sadness in her eyes. Sadness and regret.
“You wish you’d said yes? Thinking maybe they could have been your kids and grand-babies, Auntie L?”
She smiled. “No point in wishing, honey. It didn’t happen and nothing I wish or hope for will change that. All I’ll say is make sure you aren’t Ethan Monroe in forty years’ time, honey.”
I frowned unsure of what she meant. “What, be married with a ton of kids and grandkids?”
“No, honey.” She reached up and placed a cool soft palm against my cheek. “Regret that you didn’t work harder to get the girl. The girl who you really wanted to take to the dance.”
