Page 51 of If You Loved Me

Willow started rambling on about wedding festivities with Sarah and that’s when I asked Johnny, “Do you still practice archery now that your store has really picked up?”Miles had told me thatFaraway Archerywas featured in a national hunting magazine a few months ago, bringing patrons from all over the country to Johnny’s store.

He swallowed a sip of cider. “Not as much as I’d like to. The store and the wedding planning have been keeping me pretty busy, but after our honeymoon, I’m planning on getting back to it. If you ever want to come out and shoot, just let me know. We have a practice area set up just behind the store.”

“Thanks, man. I might take you up on that offer. My dad was in the military, so he taught my sister and me how to shoot guns for protection but I’ve never shot a bow before.”

Johnny nodded. “It’s similar but different. I’ve drifted away from shooting guns after I got back from the war. But archery still keeps my skills sharp and it’s more peaceful. It takes a lot of strength and practice to get it right. How’s the ranch doing?”

I heaved a deep breath as his question reminded me of all the work that would be waiting for me when I got back. “It’s growing faster than we can keep up with it, which is a good thing I think. But trust doesn’t come easily to me, so the thought of hiring someone new to come to my home…it’s difficult.”

Understanding flashed in his eyes and maybe our trust issues came from different wounds, but I could tell he struggled with it just the same.

“I get that. I think things have a way of working out in the end though. As long as you’re open to it when the opportunity comes.”

I chuckled. “Yeah. I’m working on the being open part.” I took another bite of the donut before wiping the remnants of cinnamon off my fingers with a napkin.

Johnny glanced at Willow before leaning forward a fraction. “I’m sorry she busted your balls. I told her to be gentle, but when it comes to the people she loves, my woman has a dagger for a tongue and she doesn’t give a shit about how it comes across.”

I smiled. “Don’t worry about it. I didn’t take offense to it at all.” I stole a look at Sarah who was scrolling through her phone now, showing Willow images of florals I assumed were for the wedding. “And I wouldn’t blame her for wanting to protect Sarah. I’d do the same thing if I were in her shoes.”

Chapter 22

Sarah

I was digging my own grave and I knew it, but the Monday after my birthday weekend, my mother showed up at my bakery to let me know that Jones was very much interested in me and that if I ruined this chance of happiness for myself (for her) that she would never forgive me.

The words between her carefully crafted lines were simple. If I didn’t continue pursuing Jones, there would be hell to pay. I’d made a deal with the devil and she had come to collect.

So, when Jones sent meanothertext message asking to take me on a date, I’d told him about an ice cream parlor on the edge of town that was truly awful compared to Mrs. Sheehan’s place. But I didn’t have the heart to show up at Mrs. Sheehan’s place when I was living a lie. That woman was the sweetest person in the world, but she had a tendency to say exactly what came to her mind and her intuition was sharper than a knife.

“Ice cream in the middle of fall is an odd choice,” Jones said before sitting down at one of the picnic tables out front of the parlor. Drips of chocolate sauce were running down the outside of his plastic bowl of ice cream.

Strike number three.What kind of man insults his date’s choice of food?

But I also started to truly question what kind of woman went on a date with a man she had no interest in. Especially when her interests lay with someone else.

“It’s my favorite dessert. You could have said you didn’t want to come when I made the suggestion.”

He blinked at me and I wondered if I was the first woman to ever test him. Given the slight downward tilt of his lips, I assumed I was. Then his face shifted, like he’d pulled out a mask from his back pocket and slipped it on. Now he was wearing a wide smile and his bright eyes shone with interest.

“And give up a chance to see your beautiful face again? No way.”

It was a struggle not to roll my eyes, so I distracted myself with a large mouthful of chocolate ice cream.

“I heard your brother is making good progress at the Carnelle’s ranch.”

I wiped my mouth with the paper napkin. Even if I couldn’t stand Jones, I was still a woman raised with manners. “Yeah, I talked to him yesterday and he seems to really enjoy the training they offer there. He has a natural talent for bronco riding, which is great given his late start.”

“I was honestly surprised to hear that he quit law schoolto pursue a career that’s so dangerous. Most men of his caliber tend to go for the sure thing.”

I tried to remind myself that Jones carried the same biases that my family did. He was raised with Southern charm and a silver spoon in his mouth. That kind of upbringing meant he was told to think a certain way his entire life. Not all of us were capable of breaking through the barriers of propriety.

But he sounded too much like my mother and father that it grated on my nerves, which were already fried to a crisp.

“Theo is great at whatever he does. I’m sure he’ll be able to pull this off as well.”

“Of course.” Jones’s smile was tight.

We both concentrated on our ice cream for a few minutes. The sun shone bright through a cloudless sky and I was thankful for the mid-sixties temperature after weeks of endless cold.

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