Page 38 of The One Who Saw Her: Boone

Colter: He didn't just decline. He said "Didn't know I needed a dating profile" and walked out like a man running from a burning building

Boone: I stand by it

Eli: You're one bad mood and a beard trim away from being named Dependable Rustic Grumpy But Redeemable Cowboy

Colter: He wouldn’t get a single wink

Boone: I'm not putting myself on the internet like a prize heifer at auction. So it doesn’t matter how many *wink emoji* I’d get or not

Eli: Says the man currently letting a woman with a clipboard run his entire ranch renovation

Boone: That's different

Colter: Is it though?

Boone: Yes

Eli: Cannot wait to watch you eat those words at the Sunflower Spectacular

CHAPTER 17

Vivi realized she’d officially become the town’s favorite reality show—minus the paycheck and with twice the unsolicited commentary.

The town was too small for secrets, too curious for silence, and Vivi could feel every pair of eyes on her like sunlight through water making it impossible to escape. She'd barely stepped onto Main Street before someone "just happened" to mention seeing her laundry hanging outside Callahan Ranch. By the time she reached the post office, Mrs. Landry had already upgraded the rumor to a full-blown love affair.

Vivi tried to laugh it off, but underneath the practiced smile was that old, familiar ache that came from being misunderstood by people deciding who she was before she'd even figured it out herself. She told herself it didn't matter. That she didn't care what others thought, but caring was kind of her thing and pretending otherwise was starting to feel like the worst kind of lie.

So Vivi smiled back, because in Bridlewood that was the law of the land—you acknowledged people or risked being discussed over pie. In New York she could've walked for miles without making eye contact, gloriously anonymous, and free to disappear into the crowd. Turns out being invisible was a luxury.

She stepped up onto the curb, juggling a coffee and the self-conscious weight of small-town eyes, when she nearly collided with Colter coming out of the Buns & Guns, the local diner and gun shop.

He caught her elbow before she could spill her drink.

"Whoa there," he said, grinning like he'd found the answer to the universe—or at least to breakfast.

"You look suspiciously cheerful," she said, squinting at him. "Like you've got a miracle contraption that handles every critter problem while you get to take a nap."

His laugh was low and genuine. "Better. I've got a second date tonight."

"A second date? As in, you saw someone once and willingly decided to see them again?"

Colter scratched the back of his neck. "Don't sound so shocked. She's nice, easy to talk to and doesn't want to take things too fast. Snail's pace works for her."

Vivi felt a smile tug at her lips. "Wow! That's big news. When was the last time you had a second date?"

"Probably not since the Obama administration."

"So?" she asked, teasing now, her grin widening. "Does she give off wifey vibes?"

For a second, Colter froze. Actually froze. His face went the color of fresh paper. "Uh—well, I wouldn't go that far," he stammered. "But thanks for the help, Vivi. Seriously."

And just like that, he was gone—retreating toward his truck like she'd threatened to start humming the wedding march.

Vivi stood there, grinning into her coffee and she felt a little taller and a little steadier. Maybe she wasn't just the town's entertainment or the outsider trying too hard to belong. Maybe she was helping these Callahan men find their footing again.

And maybe, she thought, taking another sip, she was finally finding hers too.

She'd helped thousands of people find their matches over the years, had been invited to more weddings than she could count but none of those interactions had felt like this. Because none of them had been this personal. Helping people she actually knew was something else entirely—and she wouldn't mind doing it again.