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“Not all.”
“Most of it,” Ivy shot back.
“You’re just jealous,” Millie replied lightly.
“You got that right,” Ivy lamented, doffing her coat and hat. “It’s been so long, I don’t think I remember how to do it.”
“That’s what I thought until last night.” Millie giggled. “Though it’s true what they say.”
“What’s that?” Ivy asked, helping herself to a glass of water.
“It’s like riding a bike.” She winked. “Or ringing a bell.”
“Well, my bike hasn’t been ridden in so long, I swear I feel like a virgin again, and I haven’t rung a bell since the tag races in seventh grade.”
“If the right bike comes along…”
Ivy raised her glass in a toast. “The right bike hasn’t come along in forever. I swear the only relationship I’ve had of late is with my vibrator.”
Millie grabbed an empty glass and clinked it with Ivy’s. “To vibrators.”
“To vibrators,” Ivy echoed.
“And old lovers.” Millie filled her glass with orange juice, eyes on her friend. “Before we get into the inevitable tongue spanking you’re dying to give me, I’ve been wondering where you’ve been. I expected to see you days ago.”
Ivy shrugged. “I had things to do, some tour stuff to deal with and a few other commitments Cal had. This tour is on a scale we haven’t done before, and there are a lot of working parts to rearrange.”
“Mike Paul was asking. I think he’s a little miffed you didn’t come and see him right away.”
“Please,” she replied dismissively. “He’s too busy with every single woman in Big Bend. I ran into him today. Like literally. He was coming out of the Coffee Hut with Laney Bancroft. That woman has been divorced for less than a month, and already he’s keeping her company.”
“She’s just a distraction.” Millie knew Mike Paul would be a hard man to tame for any woman. He had more charm in his pinky finger than most people could hope to gain in a lifetime.
“We had coffee.” Ivy made a face. “He told me about Trish and Samantha. Apparently, they’re keeping him company too. That boy never changes. Can’t he ever settle on one female?”
“Not as long as women are willing to share him.” Millie laughed and joined her friend at the kitchen island. She grabbed a nacho chip and dug into the bowl of salsa with gusto. “The girls know what he’s all about, and as long as they’re willing to play his game, I can’t see him stopping.” She raised an eyebrow. “You ever meet a man who would turn down sex?”
“Does that animal even exist?”
The girls spent the next few hours catching up on life. They’d always kept in touch, a text message here, a phone call there, but Millie Sue hadn’t seen Ivy in person since her father’s funeral. She told Ivy how busy she was with the Sundowner and how much she loved living in this house in the middle of a Montana paradise. She mentioned volunteering a few times a month at the wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center outside of town, and that she tried to attend church every now and again because she knew it would make her father happy.
In return, Ivy told a few funny stories about living on the road and gave great details about some of the amazing places she’d visited, including the Australian Outback, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and Belize. To her credit, she didn’t mention Cal once. Millie knew it was coming, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to bring it up.
Ivy opened a bottle of wine, a rich Pinot Noir, and once their glasses were filled, they moved to the sofa in front of the fireplace.
“So,” Ivy said softly. “This Taz guy, who’s he?”
Surprised at the question, Millie shrugged. “Just a friend. He was a big deal on the rodeo circuit a few years back, but his sister and her husband passed in a bad accident.” She paused. “Do you remember Matt Weaver?” At Ivy’s nod, she continued. “His sister Jenna married him.”
“That’s so sad,” Ivy murmured.
“Yes. Taz came out right away. They had no one else.”
“He sounds like a saint.”
“Far from it.” Millie grinned. “But he’s a great guy.”
“There’s nothing between you, then? Because I heard there was.”
