Page 100 of Valor

I shrug. “Honestly, I probably would have.”

He laughs. “I knew it as soon as I asked.”

My dad’s phone rings, so he pulls it out of his pocket and presses it to his ear. “Hello? Yeah. Be right there.” After ending the call, he stands. “I’ll be back in thirty minutes or so. Bradyn needs help in the barn.”

“Sounds good, honey!” my mom calls out to him as he heads toward the front door. I glance back as she returns her attention to the tortillas.

Honestly, it could be staged, and a part of me wants to call Bradyn just to be sure. But then I’d waste the time I have sitting here with Gibson. And as badly as I want to call my mom out for matchmaking, I’m also grateful for it.

Because he’s held my heart most of our lives.

* * *

“Dinner was delicious,Mrs. Hunt. Thank you for the invitation.”

“You know you are more than welcome anytime, Gibson,” she tells him as she wraps her arms around him in a big hug. “You’re family too. And tell your mom I expect her here with you next time.”

He laughs. “Yes, ma’am.” Gibson turns to my father and offers him a handshake. “Mr. Hunt. Thanks for having me.”

“What Ruth said, Gibson. You come over anytime.” He releases his hand. “I’m going to get cracking at these dishes. Lani, will you walk Gibson out?”

“I was planning on it,” I reply, shooting them both a glare that will hopefully let them know I know what they’re up to. The troublemakers. “Shall I escort you out, Sheriff?”

He smiles, and my heart somersaults. “I’d like that, Dr. Hunt.”

We walk to the door in silence, then step out onto the porch. The moon is high tonight, illuminating our ranch in a beautiful silver glow. Horses graze in pasture, the weather too good to put them up even at night.

Man, it’s been so long since I had the chance to ride. It’s one of the reasons I’m so excited to move out here. I’ll have—hopefully—more time to ride. I glance up at Gibson. He’s honestly the big reason I waited so long to start my house.

I’d been hoping he’d make a move. That he felt the same as me, and maybe our future held dating, marriage, and building our home together. But here I stand, mid-thirties, and we’re still just friends.

“Dinner was great,” he says again.

“It was.” I turn to face him. “Busy day tomorrow?”

“Likely about the same as today,” he replies. “You?”

“Hoping it’s a slow one. I have a couple of my usual patients coming into the clinic first thing in the morning, and then I have to be at the hospital by nine to take over for Dr. Pierce so he can take his son to the dentist.”

“Any chance you’ll be able to stop working such crazy hours anytime soon?”

“One can dream,” I reply with a soft smile.

Seconds tick by in silence as we both look out over the ranch, and I try to find a way to tell him just what’s on my mind. But how do you tell your best friend that you’re desperate for more? Especially when he’s already had his heart broken once?

“Well, I better get going,” he says. “I’ve got a date with the gym first thing in the morning, then I have a meeting with the mayor to talk traffic control for the high school’s fundraising carnival next month.”

“Sounds fun. Thanks for coming tonight. It was nice. Kinda like old times.”

He smiles. “It was. I miss coming over and hanging out. You know, with you.”

My heart flips in my chest, and warmth spreads through my stomach.Can he seriously not see the hearts in my eyes?“Same. Seems we both just grew up and now there’s all these responsibilities in the way.”

He laughs. “Isn’t that the truth. It seems like forever ago we were stuffing our faces with junk food and watching old black-and-white movies in your parent’s living room.”

I still remember being seventeen and watchingCasablanca, all while wishing so badly that he would lean in and kiss me. Just once. And not because of some dare, but because he wanted to. Because he felt what I did—that we were made for each other.

“Maybe we need to have a repeat of that. For old times’ sake,” I say with a smile. “Junk food and old movies.”

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