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“You always planned to go back?”
Kiernan had been such a part of King’s Creek, I couldn’t imagine him gone.
“I love it here, but I only came to get experience.” His mouth tightened before he continued. “And because my dad and I knew we couldn’t work together. I stayed because I like showing up, having all the fun, and going home with none of the stress over the bills. It wasn’t like that growing up.”
“I hope everything’s okay with your dad.”
His smile was kind, but I didn’t miss the worry. “He is, but he’s recovering. He got rammed by a cow when he was checking on a calf. He refused to let Mom tell me until she finally called last month. He’s still trying to do what he always did before his ribs are healed. She gave him an ultimatum—retire or grow old alone with that mama cow.”
“I’m glad he chose your mom.”
Kiernan snorted. “I bet he had to think about it. The man is stubborn. But he didn’t want me rushing back, so I’m officially done in two weeks.”
“Oh, wow. It’s going to be different around here without you.” Quieter and more boring. The more I thought about Kiernan leaving King’s Creek, the more plain my world got.
“You gonna miss me?” His eyes twinkled.
Taya arrived with his to-go cup. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but he might be the answer to your wedding dilemma.”
His brows rose. “Whose wedding?”
“My sister’s.” I didn’t elaborate. It wasn’t that going with Kiernan would be an issue. He was fun to hang out with. We’d never been on adatedate, but he was moving, and I wasn’t normally the one to do the asking. It was the sudden self-consciousness. I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea.
Taya elaborated for me. “If he’s moving, you can go with him, and then later, when your family asks, you can say he moved. But at least you can enjoy the wedding without being set up.”
That sounded tempting. At my cousin’s wedding last year, one of my aunts had brought the handyman who’d replaced her screen door to meet me. It’d been awkward and there’d been zero chemistry. But I’d felt obligated to sit with him since he didn’t know anyone else, and I hadn’t had fun.
“That would be really nice, actually.” I met Kiernan’s questioning gaze. “Are you up for it? It’s Saturday, and you won’t even need a suit. Just pretend you’re into me for a night.”
He shrugged. “Fine with me. I’m always up for free food. Open bar?”
I laughed, the level of my relief surprising me. “We might get a bottle of wine at the table, but I doubt my soon-to-be financial adviser of a brother-in-law would foot the bill for an open bar.”
“Not in Montana. That’s a sure way to lose some money.” He took his coffee and rose. “Miss Emma, you got yourself a fake date.”
* * *
KIERNAN
I ducked into my bathroom and checked out my appearance one last time. Fiddling with the cowlick flipping over my hairline, I scowled. I didn’t give two shits about what I looked like on a date. I was a hired worker at a ranch. If the woman I was seeing couldn’t understand I wasn’t the type of guy to dress in slacks and button-down shirts, then it wasn’t going to work between us.
Emma knew exactly who I was, but maybe since she’d asked me to go with her to get her family to leave her alone, I wanted to make a better impression. She’d said I didn’t need a suit, but I wanted to look like I tried. Emma always looked good. I couldn’t describe what she’d ever worn, I just knew she was pretty. Classy. Funny. I couldn’t let her down. Families from King’s Creek would be there. People she’d grown up with and her friends and relatives. I respected her. She was a good person who worked hard. I considered her a friend.
Running my fingers through my hair, I made one last attempt to keep the cowlick from sticking straight up. Then I brushed imaginary dust off my cornflower-blue long-sleeve shirt and adjusted the cuffs. Would Emma be able to tell I’d bought this just for the wedding? A little part of me wanted to impress her. She was one of those people who always said the right things, and her smile could make it seem like the sun was shining just for you.
I dropped my arms to my sides as I looked myself over. The black jeans weren’t new, but I’d worn them so little they looked right off the rack. Emma had described the attire as country church clothes. I fit the description.
Before I left the house, I stepped into the black cowboy boots I saved for special occasions and jogged out to my pickup. I might have given my ride a wash and wax yesterday, but it had been due anyway. I hadn’t gone through all the work for the date.
I shook my head as I backed out of the driveway. The little house I had purchased when I had moved to King’s Creek faded in my rearview mirror. What I had thought would be nothing but a starter home had turned into almost a decade of bachelorhood.
Emma lived on the other side of town, in an equally small house with a tidy, cared-for yard. I did the bare minimum. I could grow acres of wheat and corn, but any attempt to grow flowers ended in dried-up twigs from a lack of water.
She stepped out of the house and turned to lock the dead bolt behind her, giving me a spectacular view of her ass. The look should’ve been harder to pull off since she was wearing a dress, but the drape of the fabric rounded over her hips and the globes of her butt cheeks, hinting at the lush flesh underneath. Damn. I’d known Emma was hot, but I’d nevernoticedher.
She was the friend of a friend and I hadn’t wanted to fuck up the dynamics. Dawson King wasn’t just my buddy, he was my employer. Plus, he and Emma had dated. That had been well before he was with Bristol, but it had been enough to put Emma in the untouchable category.
When she spun around, the skirt of her yellow floral dress rose in a swirl, baring even more of her curvy legs. Heat infused my blood, threatening to grow hotter until my thoughts turned downright indecent. Not the time, fucker.
