Page 20 of All in with the Maverick Montana

Amy nodded. “Faith and I and one of our sisters Tori spent a lot of time in South America during our last rodeo tour. Our other sisters Elizabeth and Carly were in Australia with some of the Hawkins cousins. So, you know,” she laughed, “we get around.”

“Which of all your trips was your favorite?”

“Definitely a show we did down in São Paulo, Brazil, near a community called Barretos where they have this local cowboy festival. They were just so excited to have us there and the crowds had so much energy. There’s just something about when the crowd is excited and your heart is beating and you can feel the power of the horse beneath you. Really makes me remember why I love it so much.”

To Josh it all sounded exciting and glamorous, and though he knew he could never compete with all that adventure, he was intrigued by her stories. “São Paulo is a long way from Tenacity. A different world entirely.” He chuckled and said, “Probably much more charming, too.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Amy insisted. “Tenacity has its charms, I think.”

He guffawed. No one had ever called Tenacity charming before, at least as far as he’d heard, and he was tickled that she would say that.

“I think it’s mostly just that I’ve had my fill of big cities,” Amy said. “For a long time the circuit and the travel and the performing was what I thought I wanted.”

“Not so much anymore?”

She shrugged, her nose wrinkling in that adorable way. “I think some peace and quiet would be nice now. Tenacity seems like the perfect place for that.”

Josh nodded. “A person can find peace here,” he agreed. “But it can also be lonely sometimes.”

Her smile thinned. “I’ve come to understand a thing or two about loneliness recently.”

Her words were soft and sad, and Josh reached over to take her hand, to comfort her, but before he could, Amy flinched away, and he felt like an idiot. Lord, what was he doing? “I’m sorry.” He cleared his throat. “I didn’t mean to be so forward.” Maybe he was reading things wrong and Amy was only humoring him with lunch. With conversations on the porch. With sweet smiles and pink cheeks and… Before he could fret anymore about overstepping, Amy shook her head.

“No. I’m the one who should apologize.” She frowned. “It’s just, I’ve recently gotten out of a bad relationship and I guess I’m just a little cautious.”

Josh nodded. “Of course. No need to apologize.”

They went back to eating.

“I really am glad you asked me to lunch,” she said.

“Yeah?”

Amy nodded. “Yeah.”

“Good,” he said softly, and for the life of him, Josh couldn’t figure out who had been foolish enough to let Amy get away.

Chapter Six

Josh turned into the Strom and Son parking lot without really thinking about it.

He’d been to the post office to check up on a package, and seeing the feed store, his thoughts had immediately turned to Amy, and before he knew it, he was parked and walking through the door.

There was a bounce to his step and a giddy flutter in his chest as he stepped inside. When had this become his favorite spot in Tenacity?

“Welcome to Strom and Son,” he heard. “How can I—” Faith popped out of an aisle, took one look at him, and grumbled. “We’re gonna have to put a bell on you so I stop wasting my breath. Amy’s in the office.”

“Would she mind some company?”

“Well, why don’t you ask her and find out.” Faith shot him a funny little smile before wandering off.

Well then, Josh thought. Faith might like to pretend that seeing him here was a nuisance but she also seemed to be going out of her way to encourage…whatever this was.

What was this?

He headed for the back office. The door was ajar, the sign posted said EMPLOYEES ONLY. He obviously liked Amy’s company. His mother would call him smitten.

Noah and Ryder would say he had a crush.