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“Stop it,” Jen hissed from the other side of Walter. She stepped in front of her husband, her blue eyes flashing. “We’ve all been there? What does that mean?” She rolled her eyes at him before turning her attention on Trey.
“And you,” she said, plenty of displeasure in her eyes. “You’re just going to let this dinner go on like this? You need to go talk to Beth right now.”
“Mm, I don’t think so,” he said, watching her stick like glue to TJ as she went over to the table. Her siblings flanked her, a barrier between her and the rest of the world, which right now, was him.
“Hailey?” Jen looked at Marc’s wife, who lifted a glass of water to her lips. “He should go talk to her right now, right?”
“He’s about ten minutes too late already,” Hailey said, her lips barely moving.
“You know what?” Trey asked. “I liked you guys a lot more when you were trying to set me up with someone, and that’s saying something.”
Both Jen and Hailey laughed, and Trey was glad they were there. Two women telling him to go interrupt Beth and talk to her? They couldn’t both be wrong, could they?
“Do I need to explain to her family?” he asked, his voice softening.
“That’s a tough one,” Jen said, falling back to Walter’s side. “She might want to explain, and she might want to do it when we’re not all here.”
“She knows you guys,” Trey said.
“She’s horribly embarrassed,” Hailey said. “She’ll likely want to explain via text.”
Trey hated that, and he pressed his teeth together. “I just go ask her to…what? Step out on the back porch for a moment?”
“Yes,” Jen said. “You’re losing your window. TJ is almost settled at the table, and once Beth digs in there, you’re not getting her out without a scene.”
Beth picked up TJ’s cup and turned back to the island.
“Now or never,” Jen said, a warning tone in her voice.
Trey took a breath and left the group to join Beth at the island. She saw him coming, and she refused to look at him. “Can we talk for a minute, please?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” she said.
“I’m not.”
That got her eyes to meet his, and Trey found the betrayal and anguish he never wanted to see again.
“Please,” he said.
“I’m hungry, Trey, and I’ve probably got three cows to babysit overnight.”
“I’ll do it,” he said.
“Right.” She shook her head. “You’re riding Lady tonight. Hard, I think was on the schedule.”
He wanted to say the horse didn’t matter, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Somebody’s Lady was all that mattered right now. Beth had wanted this marriage so she could enter that horse in a race. He wasn’t going to ruin that for her just because everything else he touched turned to ash.
“I’ll pay Marc double time. He’ll do it.”
“No, thank you,’” Beth said, her eyes turning icy. “You’ve spent quite enough money on my farm.” She finished filling TJ’s cup and started toward the table.
“Beth,” he said, his chest stinging and his thoughts screaming through his head. “I went out into the garage to talk to you. The least you can do is offer me the same favor.” His voice was loud enough for everyone to hear, and Trey found he didn’t care.
He faced the dining room table where her family had mostly settled. The cowboys and their wives were just now filling in around them, and Trey could not see a spot for him at that table.
“Beth and I did get married so we could enter Somebody’s Lady in the Sweetheart Classic,” he said. “I’ve been working with the horse and a really great jockey, and I’m confident we’re going to win.”
“Trey,” Beth said.
