“Girl, you’ve got to get out more,” Reese teased.
“Thank you, Miss Pot for calling this kettle black.”
“Point taken. I say we both get out Sunday. We can go to Owen Crawford’s homecoming party.”
“That’s why you’re closing early?”
When Owen’s mother Dany mentioned his return, she’d talked about having a few people over. But if The True-Blue intended to close early, the event could rival the Texas State Fair in size. That was the last thing Owen needed. Carly grabbed a pen and added calling Dany to the running to-do list on the legal pad beside the office phone.
“What do you think about him coming back? Are you interested to see if there’s still a spark?” Reese asked.
“If you were here, you’d see me rolling my eyes. Yes, Owen and I dated in high school, but that was almostfifteenyears ago. I don’t see any reason to revisit the past.”
Not when I have plans, and the two men in my life mess it up enough as it is.
“Aren’t you curious how he’s changed?” Reese asked, pulling Carly back to their conversation.
“It’s not like I haven’t seen him since graduation. We’ve run into each other over the years when he’s visited his parents.”
Those handful of times they’d nodded and mumbled polite hellos, chatted about work, and pretended they were long-lost acquaintances catching up. All the while she wondered how her life would be different if she could’ve attended Texas A&M with him.
“Fine. You’re not curious about Owen. Go with me to the party, so I don’t have to go alone.”
Facing her first love with half the town crammed into his parents’ house, hearing friends talk about their careers, upcoming marriages, or their children while they gazed at her with pity because her life had stalled since college? No thanks. She preferred staying home with a good book.
“I’ll pass on the welcome-home shindig,” Carly said.
“No, I won’t accept an excuse this time. You need to get out and socialize. We both do. I’ll pick you up at one, and if you’re not ready, I’ll let myself in with my emergency key, hog-tie you, and carry you to the car.”
“Like you could lift me.”
“It’s all about leverage. Remember, we studied simple machines in third grade science. Don’t make me prove I can do it.”
“All right,” Carly said. A girl could only wage so many battles at once, and Lord she was tired. “I’ll go, but you owe me.”
Chapter Two
After ending hercall with Reese, Carly decided to confront her father. Frustration over his inability to act his age pounding in her veins, she snatched up the receipt for his latest folly. Knowing there was no point looking anywhere but the barn, she headed there to set him straight on his roles regarding Ryder and ranch finances. Once she’d dealt with those unpleasant tasks, she could move on with her day.
When she yanked open the massive barn door, a loose board swung out almost hitting her leg. Typical. Carly shook her head as she continued toward the stalls, past scrap lumber, bridles needing repair, and tools sprawled on every available surface. But instead of seeing to those issues, he purchased more stock. That was her father. His vision was clouded with his dreams of grandeur. If he noticed the problems needing his attention, he never quite found time or money to deal with them.
When she reached the stalls, the smell of hay and nickering horses swirled around her. She found her father tossing hay into the freshly cleaned stall, followed him inside, and froze at the sight of the stunning palomino. All the energy drained from her as her chin sagged to her chest.
So much for getting him to back out of the deal.
Forget about the horse. Focus on your brother first.“School called. Ryder cut classes again. You need to talk to him when he gets home.”
Her father scooped up more hay from the pile beside him and tossed it in the feed bin. “I swore the one we had last week was gonna fix that problem.”
“Did you tell him he’d lose his phone or his truck if he kept skipping?”
Her father swallowed hard, and the hand holding the pitchfork twitched as he leaned the tool against the wall.
I’ll take that as a no.Big surprise. Setting limits with his son ranked right up there with sticking to a budget as her father’s “strengths.”
“Ryder didn’t argue with anything I said. That made me think I didn’t need to come down hard on him.” Her father rubbed the base of his neck and gazed upward as if trying to recall the conversation. “He’s going through a phase. It’s making him all full of piss and vinegar, but it’s just part of him becoming a man. I was the same way at his age. He’ll come out of it. Don’t worry so much, Carly Jean.”
“Someone has to. Do you have any idea how serious this is? Have you checked his grades online lately?”
