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“Becca! You didn’t tell me—” Katrina started, but Becca cut her off.
“I’ll tell you all about it later. For now, I’d like to just head to your place. You’ll understand if Ethan takes me, won’t you?”
He stiffened, but the second she slipped her hand in his, he knew it would be near impossible to argue with her. But it was her whisper that put the nail in the coffin.
“Just go with it.”
His whole body seemed to jerk into gear, and he forced a smile at his cousin. “Sorry I didn’t tell you. I didn’t want to jinx it.” He turned his attention to Becca. “You’re a sight for sore eyes.”
She lifted her free hand to her hair. “I’m a sight, alright. I can’t imagine I look anything resembling a person after riding on that Greyhound bus.”
Ethan lifted her hand to his lips. “You look amazing as always.”
“Wait,” Tina practically screeched, “you were waiting for Becca?” The scorn in her voice fueled the irritation he’d been trying to keep down. Now, it was rolling with pure fury.
“And if I was?” He had a feeling she wouldn’t out him. Not after she’d told everyone she was engaged. If anything, by Becca coming to his rescue, she’d come to Tina’s as well. Now she didn’t look like she’d led him on, and he didn’t look like the poor guy who had been tricked. He motioned toward Becca’s suitcase. “You’re staying at the Reese Ranch, right? Nothing’s changed?”
Becca tossed Tina an impish grin before she looked up at him. Her hand touched the side of his face lightly—almost so gently he didn’t feel it. “I want to stay as close to you as possible.” His pulse fluttered with her soft statement, and he couldn’t for the life of him remember why they hadn’t connected more at the engagement party.
“Becca?” Katrina’s confused voice pierced through the strained silence.
“I’ll catch up with you tomorrow, if that’s okay. I want to settle in, and after that long drive, I’m ready to hit the hay.”
Katrina nodded, though she looked more confused than ever.
Ethan placed his hand on the small of Becca’s back and guided her toward his truck. The distance between them and the others grew with each step, as did the amount of air he could pull into his lungs. He opened the door for Becca and let her climb inside before he tossed her luggage into the back of his truck and walked around to the driver’s side.
He started the vehicle and neither one of them spoke. While it was a relief to drive away from Tina and the rest of the girls, he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d stepped out of one fire and into a new one.
Releasing a breath, he glanced at Becca out of the corner of his eye. “I owe you one. That could’ve been really awkward.”
She continued to stare out the window, not speaking.
When the silence dragged on in an excruciating way, he sighed again. “Why did you do it?”
Becca let out a derisive laugh. “It’s all in a day’s work for a bridesmaid.” She fiddled with the roses in her lap and glanced up at him. “The last thing we want is for Tina’s drama to ruin Katrina’s wedding.”
He frowned. “You think she’s got more planned? What’s more dramatic than announcing an engagement right around the time of the wedding? And what about you? You’re a bridesmaid. I would wager there will be a lot of people watching us—you don’t think that’s gonna be its own kind of drama?”
She shook her head. “It’s not like we’re even official. Sure, some of the locals might get curious and gossip a little, but we’re not going to stir the pot. They’ll get over it quickly enough. We’re both here for a wedding. We’re not gonna get engaged or stage a big breakup.”
“Yeah, I guess that makes sense,” he mused.
They got to the ranch, but he didn’t climb out of the truck fast enough. By the time he got around to the other side, she’d already stepped out. He must have had a look of disappointment on his face because she laughed pointedly.
“We’re not actually dating.” Becca gestured around them. “No one is here to witness you doing stuff like that, so don’t worry about it.”
Unfortunately, she wasn’t aware of just how much of a habit it was to open doors for the women he spent time with. He pushed aside that thought and glanced down at the computer bag she had slung around her like a satchel.
“Work,” she offered without him asking. “I’m self-employed.”
“I thought you were a student.”
“I’m off for the summer.”
He stared at the computer again. “What do you do?”
She sighed. “Like I said, it’s not important. We’re not actually dating.”
