Page 33 of Breaking the Cowboy's Rules

“I…” She looked around. “Thank you,” she said, pulling away a little. “Embarrassing way to end a date.”

“Who said anything about our date ending?” His smile was back, and her insides warmed. “We have a meteor shower shouting for our attention.”

“Oh. Yes.” Now she felt doubly stupid. “I fell asleep,” she said lamely. “Probably your worst date ever.”

“And here I was thinking this was my best.”

“That’s a bit thick,” Nico objected, still stinging from her loss of control.

“What happened to youryes, and?”

“Oh. That.” Her breezy new attitude blew straight out the window with the looming shadow from her past, its talons still digging deep to her subconscious. How could she try to salvage this? Was that even possible, and did she want to?

Yes. She did. And Nico, despite her privilege, was a fighter.

“Oops. Misfire.” She wasn’t sure what tone to strike, so she spoke seriously. “Practice makes perfect.”

“There you are.” Bodhi sat back and easily lifted her so that she sat next to him. His fingers gently tucked her hair out of her face. “Do you want me to drive you back, or do you want to watch the meteor shower?”

She still felt shaky and more than a little embarrassed.

“I don’t want to be alone tonight,” she admitted.

“You’re not alone anymore. You promised to marry me.”

Nico’s laugh surprised her. She covered her mouth, feeling goofy and off-balance. Was this what an out-of-body response felt like?

“So you still want me as your partner in the game?”

“Absolutely. No one but you.”

How did he sound so sincere? So sure? Her heart warmed, believing him, even as her head nodded that he didn’t mean it, he couldn’t mean it.

“You’re serious about this Rodeo Bride Game?”

He nodded.

“Why?”

“Because I love my family, and—” he grinned “—I love to rile everyone up just a little. Besides, now that I’ve met you, it’s going to be hella fun.”

Nico was confident no one had once ever thought that being with her would be hella anything except a pain in the ass. She could advance their career or destroy it. She could enrich them, but fun had never once been mentioned. Maybe this week she could learn to have fun. Be fun.

“You do look like you are an expert in having fun,” she said.

“That I am. But what about you?”

“Me?”

“What do you want out of it?”

He’d asked her that before. “I’m not certain what you mean.”

“It’s got to be win-win.” He was adamant. “You’re doing me a favor, and I aim to show you the best week of your life.”

“I like that,” Nico said. “I haven’t had fun in…” When had she had fun? She hadn’t enjoyed the shopping that her mother booked. Her salon trips were about maintaining her corporate image, not relaxing. Travel had been for work, and dinners out had been strategy sessions. “In a while,” she amended, not wanting to sound strange.

“Not good, Nico.” Bodhi wagged a finger at her.

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