“She was engaged to the ranch foreman.”
I nearly choke on sweet tea.
Royce fist-bumps him. “Legend.”
“Idiot,” Charli counters. “Cowboys are a bunch of pigs,” she adds, looking at Royce, Micah, and Axle.
Micah raises an eyebrow. “I prefer dogs.”
She twirls a finger in the air. “That too.”
More laughter.
Cabe points across the table. “Now, don’t lump me in with those three.”
I find myself watching Axle while everyone argues.
He’s quieter than the others tonight. The silent observer, just listening and smiling occasionally.
His forearms rest on the table, with his sleeves rolled up. His hair is still damp at the edges from sweat.
I look down at my plate.
Then back to him.
How many ranchers’ daughters has he charmed over the years? How many buckle bunnies? How many girls have climbed into the back seat of his truck?
Probably too many to count.
As if sensing my gaze, his eyes lift and meet mine.
I look away so quickly that I nearly give myself whiplash.
Thankfully, Harleigh saves me.
“Jovie.”
“Hmm?”
“Sorry I had to run off on you the other day. I hope you enjoyed the rest of the afternoon at the river,” she says.
I can feel the heat crawling up my neck as thoughts of being wrapped around Axle flash in my mind. “Yeah. It was nice. Uneventful.”
I glance across the table, and Axle is watching me again, a knowing smile playing on his lips.
“Did you finish that book you were reading?”
I blink. “Huh?”
“The spicy hockey romance?”
“Right. Almost.”
“Oh, do tell,” Charli says, and the two of them fall into conversation about the television series they both watched.
The meal drags on for what feels like hours. Eventually, chairs start scraping as people stand, stretch, and carry dishes toward the kitchen.
The men head outside.
