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His brow arched. “Practice?”
I shrugged and patted Carolina on the neck. Lying to Hunter felt as good as swallowing a prickly pear cactus, but I couldn’t stop now. “Yeah, totally. Lexi keeps going on and on about finding me a cowboy and I just realized the other day that I’m so out of practice. And well, you know, I figured my best friend would be a good person to help me. You know...practice makes perfect.”
Disbelief shown in his eyes. It only lasted for a second, but it was definitely there. He blinked and then it was gone, replaced by frustration.
“You wanted practice kissing?” He leaned his arm against Carolina and huffed.
“Yeah.” My voice was getting weaker. “I mean, we have those rules and everything...”
His eyes narrowed slightly. “Never fall for each other.”
I exhaled in relief. He got it. Maybe now, I wouldn’t look so pathetic in his eyes.
“Exactly. So I figured, safe space.” These were the rules that would keep us friends forever. We couldn’t cross them again. Not even for a moment of weakness in a darkened storage closet. “It was...nice. And now, I feel better prepared.”
“Right.” He adjusted the bill of his baseball cap and patted Carolina on the back. She whinnied back to him, tossing her gray mane. “Well, next time, give me a little warning before you decide to practice anything on me.”
“Sure.”
“I’m glad we agree on this...issue.” He swallowed hard and nodded. “That it can never happen again. That we will always be friends.”
“It’ll never happen again,” I repeated, even as the memory of Hunter leaning closer to press his lips against mine sent a shiver down my spine.
I laughed nervously as he handed me a brush and went to take Carolina’s saddle off. As far as I was concerned, there would be no more practice of any kind. No more shiver-inducing grins. No more tingling touches. And no more kissing Hunter.
He was right. We were safe as friends. And I’d gone through enough trauma this last year that I didn’t need to risk losing my best friend, too. That would be the thing that would ruin me. Judging from today, Hunter obviously didn’t have any feelings for me. At least, nothing that went past the friend zone. So, I had to figure out a way to get over any residual feelings I still held for him. Fast.
And I was pretty sure I had a plan to do just that.
Chapter Fifteen
These melons were going to be the death of me.
And squash. Squash and melons. Who knew there were so many kinds in this world? I sure didn’t. Not until I was forced to try every last one. Now, I understood a bit of the boys’ pain during the pie contest. Judging food was not as fun as it looked. I was stuffed to the brim and there was no end in sight.
Ms. Gentry had us sitting at a long table set up on a platform at the edge of the arena. All the rodeo queen contestants and then a couple professional judges were present. We were probably more for show, but that didn’t make a difference to Ms. Gentry. If you’d ask her, what we were doing was as important as brain surgery.
A red checkered tablecloth lay over the top of the table, with a stack of miniature paper plates for each of us. Ms. Gentry oversaw the 4H kids cutting up their fruits and veggies, bringing them to us to be scored on a sheet of paper. A small crowd had gathered in the stands, waiting for each score to be called aloud.
I held in a sigh, as yet another watermelon made the rounds. It was decent, but my bulging stomach was ready to call it quits. Still, I kept my spine straight and my elbows off the table, ready for Ms. Gentry’s eagle eye to spot every indiscretion. Sarah sat two spots over, looking a little droopy this morning. She’d smeared her lipstick a bit and her cheeks weren’t as contoured as usual. Her tired expression as she took a bite of the watermelon was almost pathetic.
It didn’t matter to me. What mattered was that my target was currently in sight and after the judging event, I was going to nab him.
Graham stood with a few of the Sweet Oak boys near the edge of the bleachers. They were being a little too loud, laughing and shoving each other occasionally. I studied Graham, feeling more and more determined by the minute that I was going to march up to him after this was over and ask him out.
Lexi had wanted me to get a cowboy for motivation to win this competition. Now, I needed a cowboy to help me forget any misplaced feelings I had for my best friend.
A friend who obviously thought kissing me had been a mistake.
Graham would do the trick.
“Another watermelon, coming through.” Geminia passed me a plate and I nearly rolled my eyes in disgust.
It was a good thing I caught myself. Ms. Gentry had me pinned with her eagle eyes. We made eye contact and she gave me the tiniest nod, which made me think she was actually impressed with my behavior.
Maybe this crown would be mine, after all.
“Last one, ladies,” Ms. Gentry called, and I swear, all the girls slumped with relief. I felt their pain. “Finish your samples and score sheets. I will tally the results of your contest today and send out the current standings. Tomorrow morning, we meet to practice our ride into the arena. And in the evening, you will have your last Junior Rodeo Queen event. Make sure to maintain your decorum. No slipping, now that the end is in sight. Remember—forty percent of your score will be determined by your performance.”
