Page 12 of Slow Hands Cowboy

“Yes,” Anna said.

“And social media,” Denisha added.

Addison winced. She had a feeling that Walker would be incredibly dismissive of that. But also, she had a feeling that Walker would do great on social media, so he really shouldn’t be dismissive.

“Oh, do you do those little dances?”

His tone was light, and not remotely sardonic, but she knew now, she knew that there was hostility brimming under every syllable.

“No, not a big dancer, actually. Mainly, I spend a lot of time showing off the town. And of course, I’ll be doing that after our stay here.”

“Well, that is appreciated.”

There. He couldn’t be rude about that. Not when she was helping his business out.

It was Lydia, who was single, who jumped into the conversation then, and did more than a little of what Addison would call flirting.

Which wasn’t inappropriate, she supposed, but was offputting nonetheless, at least to Addison.

Maybe because now she knew that Walker hated her.

That certainly cast a shadow over everything.

The ride, however, was beautiful. She couldn’t fault that. And on the surface, she couldn’t fault Walker’s manners.

It was just a feeling that she had, that underneath his words was throbbing hostility, and she would never be able to explain that to anybody who had known him for all the years that she had.

For anyone who didn’t know their history.

When they arrived at the top of the hill, everything was set out for them, and there was an entire staff waiting to serve them dinner.

The table had a pristine white cloth, and the chairs were covered in the same material.

There was a canopy over the top of everything, providing shade, since the sun was still high in the sky even at dinner time.

They were served champagne, and the most beautiful appetizers, and perfectly cooked steak.

All of her worries about Walker melted away. The dinner was just between her and her friends.

Nolan, their guide, who had been quiet for the whole ride, and Walker, who had not been, melted off to the side.

It gave her room to breathe. Room to think. Room to even be excited about her future.

Because maybe it wasn’t the most romantic story in the world, but it was her story. And that was a good thing.

It was her story, and she was happy that she was getting married. The wedding was going to be perfect, and that was the sign, the omen that she had been waiting for.

They finished their meal, and then mounted their horses to ride back down, and she felt relaxed and happy, and Walker didn’t try to make conversation with her and her friends this time, so they just chatted about everything. Wedding shoes and hair and dresses and the destination honeymoon that she and Alan had planned.

She was solidly looking forward to the Caribbean cruise they had booked with a special club level cabin that was going to give them a private dining option and their own butler.

When they arrived at the bottom of the trail, Nolan guided them to where they should park their horses, almost like cars.

And he instructed them that they would take care of the rest once they dismounted.

She settled her horse into his space, and suddenly, she realized Walker was beside her, off his horse.

He extended his hand, and she had the strangest flashback to a moment that she couldn’t even fully grasp.