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As per usual, the café at the Meadowlark Hotel was hopping, though it wasn’t the facade that drew people in. Like most of the other buildings on Main Street, the Meadowlark had a basic brick-and-clapboard structure, but the owners, Louie and Minnie, kept the inside cozy and friendly and warm.
He spotted a number of familiar vehicles in the parking lot, including Aiden’s, Silas’s, and… Lyric’s. Lately, whenever he saw her car parked out front, he’d drive right on by, but today he was on a mission.
Thatch squeezed into a parking spot and climbed out of the truck with a crick in his lower back again. Somehow, the ground never got softer when he got bucked.
He walked into the restaurant, slightly hunched, andfound his friends sitting at a table together in the middle of the happy hour action.
“It’s about time you showed up to have a beer with us.” Silas dragged over another chair. He was sitting next to his wife, Tess. At first, Thatch hadn’t known how he felt about Silas being with their late best friend’s wife, but it turned out the two of them together were just right. His friend had adopted Morgan and Willow, Tess’s two little girls, and now Tess was only a few months away from having another baby to add to their family.
“Yeah, how long has it been since you joined us for happy hour?” Aiden demanded. He was also sitting next to his wife, Kyra.
And they wondered why Thatch stayed away.
Lyric sat between Kyra and Tess. He couldn’t let his gaze linger on her too long, or he’d give himself away. Keeping his eyes off her proved to be a challenge, though. The woman mesmerized him. She had the most expressive dark eyes, a genuine smile that literally made him hear music, and long silky black hair that he swore shimmered.
“So what’ve you been so busy with lately?” Tess rested a hand on her belly and shifted as though she was uncomfortable.
He could relate. “Uh. You know. This and that.” He hadn’t told anyone about his new pastime except for Silas, whom he’d sworn to secrecy, and Lyric, whom he’d only briefly mentioned it to in passing. Thatch didn’t want anyone to know until he was ready to compete.
“You said you had a doctor’s appointment this afternoon.” Aiden sipped his beer. “Everything okay?”
“Great. Everything’s great.” He’d taken off from the rec center job site to do his training run. As a general rule,he didn’t lie to Silas and Aiden, but this was a special circumstance. “How’s everyone here?” Might as well get the attention off himself. “How’s that baby, Tess?”
“Big,” she said fondly. “And I’m pretty sure this little jumping bean is going to be a gymnast.”
“You should feel the kicks,” Silas mused, easing his arm around his wife.
Thatch got an internal ache every once in a while when he saw something he’d thought he would’ve had by now right in front of him. He was going to get married once. He and Sienna had talked about kids…
“Oh, shoot.” Lyric hopped up. “I didn’t realize it was so late. I have to get going.” She slipped on her jacket. “See you all later.”
Was she leaving because he’d come? It didn’t matter. He had to put his pride aside and talk to her.
“I should get going too.” Thatch stood so fast he almost knocked the chair over backward.
“But you just got here,” Aiden protested.
“And you haven’t even had a beer yet,” Silas added.
“That’ll have to wait. I forgot I have some things to take care of.” He hurried away before they could ask more questions and caught up to Lyric so he could hold open the door for her.
“Oh. Thank you.” Her eyes didn’t quite meet his. “I haven’t seen you around much.”
“Yeah. I’ve been busy.” He walked her to her car even though his truck sat on the opposite side of the parking lot.
“Still training?” she asked too politely. She was probably afraid he was going to ask her out again.
He might as well put that fear to rest right now. “Yes, and that’s what I need to talk to you about.” No sense indragging out this conversation with small talk. “I need more flexibility and finesse to smooth out my rides. Kirby suggested I try yoga.”
Lyric laughed and then quickly held a hand over her mouth. “Sorry. You’re serious? You tried yoga once, remember?”
“How could I forget?” He’d been sore after a training run a few months back, so he’d asked Lyric for some stretches. Needless to say, he hadn’t enjoyed contorting his body that way. “I need to make some major progress before the Rodeo Days, though. At this point, I’ll try anything.”
Her smile faded. “You’re competing at Rodeo Days?”
“Planning on it. I’ve already qualified.” He studied those eyes. She was trying to mask her concern. He could tell.
“I thought bronc riding was just a hobby for you. Why would you compete?” She shook her head. “I don’t understand. You, Silas, and Aiden have a successful business. You’re busy. Why do you need to spend time getting bucked off a bronc?”
