“Well,yourQuinn is on a high, and no amount of bad news or anything else could bring me down from this.” She put her hands on the wheel and ran her palms against the leather before kicking the engine on.
I tightened my lips, my smile all but fading for a split second.
Bad news? I could give her some bad news.
Reno passed on me.
I had gotten the text from Hawkins right after she told me about her relationship with her mom, and in the grand scheme of things, it didn’t seem as important. In that moment, I wanted to focus on Quinn, hating that a stupid text saying,Sorry, man, maybe next yearwas enough to pull me down into the depths with her. When I locked my phone and slid it across the counter, we both accepted it and ignored the dread that the devices held. Then she was sitting next to me, closer than she ever had before.And then she asked me to come with her this weekend, and the fact that I was still unemployed in the rodeo world didn’t matter at all.
I let out a breath through my nostrils. “There’s gotta be another way to get this energy out of you, then. I bet the hotel has a gym. You could go for a fifty-mile run.”
“That sounds terrible.” Quinn kicked the truck into gear.
“Once Upon a Time? Pretty sure something big is going to happen. We can run in place or do push-ups until you pass out from the adrenaline rush.”
Quinn let out a soft chuckle. “You do not want to watch that show every night. It’s been fun, and I’m loving the rewatch, but push-ups sound just as bad as the run. I can’t believe I’m going to suggest this, but…” She gave me a glance, her smile spreading. “I think we need to go out.”
Shock spread across my face. Going out was my thing. My thing to get the night really going, not Quinn’s thing. Quinn was the shower, bed, and early to rise kind of person. Abi even told me about a night when she traveled with her—telling me Quinn didn’t even finish her drink, and that she was stressing that they had to leave early the next morning. I wasn’t sure if I heard her correctly.
“Go out? I’ll ask again…who are you, and what have you done withmyQuinn?” I deadpanned, emphasizing themy.
“Oh, come on, Hartwell.” She leaned over and tapped the brim of my hat. “You can even wear your ball cap. No cowboy hat required. We’ll go back to the hotel, get changed, and then find the best honky-tonk northern Idaho has to offer.”
“A honky-tonk?” I parroted. “You taking me line dancing, Compton?”
“We could.” She raised a brow. “I’m pretty good at line dancing. Do you know how?”
“There are a lot of things you don’t know about me.” I leaned towards her, lowering my voice.
Her eyes widened as she spun to look at me. “Google it, right now. Find the best place we can go line dancing.” She pointed at my lap, most likely gesturing to my phone.
I chuckled and leaned over, digging my phone from my pocket to follow her instructions, Googlingbest western bar in northern Idaho.
Forty-five minutes later, I knocked on Quinn’s hotel door. I had replaced my cowboy hat with my Hartwell ball cap, not even giving myself a second look in the mirror before making my way to her room, and the moment Quinn opened the door, I regretted not changing my clothes.
Quinn was…well…fuck…
She managed to dress up a simple denim top, pairing it with a white lace skirt and white boots, with a turquoise necklace hanging from her neck. Her hair had been brushed but was still wild, and a new light brown hat perched on her head. Her eyes were bright, her cheeks had a pink tint, her lips were shiny and perfectly kissable, and the glow that surrounded her was impossibly bright. I almost had to squint. But there I was, staring into the light. I had seen Quinn dress up before, but this…this was…
Rendering me speechless.
And I was the one who loved to talk. I was the one who had words for everything.
But not this. Not for her.
There were no words to describe how beautiful she looked.
All I could do was stand there and take her in.
“Ready?” she asked, moving quick as she stepped out into the hall, shutting the door behind her, her haste not even pulling me from my stupor.
She made sure her door was locked, then, in another quick movement, she spun, her white skirt billowing around her. I had to remind my legs how to move.One foot in front of the other, Hartwell. You know how to walk.
“What’s the place called?” she asked, spinning again to face me, her hair flying in all directions.
I coughed, “It’s uh—” I stumbled. Damnit…if I didn’t watch myself, I’d trip over my own boots. “The Westerner.”
“Seriously?” She chuckled. “And they have line dancing and pool tables?”
