Page 43 of The Wiener Across the Way

Well. That had better satisfy my agent and the label that the jaunt down to Denver was worth it for the free publicity I’d just gotten. That was a hell of a lot more than the four-hundred-ish people who’d be at the Saddle Creek show. The one where I was supposed to sing new songs that I still hadn’t written.

Trixie gave me a little squeeze. “Don’t worry. Marie does this to every newbie. She’s a bit protective of the Mustangs players. And... you know, none of us want Declan to get anymore grumpy than he is, which he would be if he got his heart broken.”

I did not understand why everyone kept saying he was mean or grumpy. How had that moniker been foisted onto such a sweet cinnamon roll of a guy?

Marie crossed her arms and gave me a slight glare. “You’re not going to break Declan’s heart, are you?”

“I can honestly say ladies, that if anyone is going to get their heart broken here, it would be me.” Which was exactly what I was afraid of and why we could not get into a real relationship. “I think Declan is in love with the game.”

I glanced up from the circle and Declan was staring directly at me from over by the bar where he stood with his brothers. God they were?—

“Formidable, aren’t they?” Marie cut into my thoughts.

“I was going to say hot, but yeah, let’s go with formidable.”

“See,” Cowboy said. “Come on, Marie, come to the Bestie side. We have cookies. Christmas tree sugar cookies.”

Declan said something to the men around him, pushed off the bar, and moved his way through the crowd to my side. “I’ve been chosen to sacrifice myself to find out what you all are talking about over here. The looks you’ve been shooting our way are making our cute and adorable Hayes nervous.”

Marie looked at him, then at me, and I knew she was going to expose us both right then and there. She knew this was a fake relationship. I could see it in her eyes. “We’ve been debating whether to rename our group of Mustangs partners and lovers.”

I clearly needed more faith in the world and the women around me.

Declan frowned but looked to me for confirmation.

“I suggested cowpokes.” I shrugged and pretended this blatant little lie was all I’d been thinking about for the past ten minutes.

Everyone giggled, but most also shook their heads. Trixie vetoed the idea. “That’s a good one, but I think Wyoming would get mad at us.”

Like... the whole state? The wild, wild West was weird. I liked it.

“Partners and lovers pretty much covers it,” another woman said. “So how about CowPaLs?”

Marie nodded sagely. “Doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, does it? We’ll keep workshopping that.”

“We need something like Kelsey’s Besties,” Cowboy, whose name I needed to learn and then recruit him to be on my PR team, declared. “Anyone can be, and honestly pretty much everyone is, a Bestie.”

“Which is why we were consulting your girlfriend, Declan.” The way Marie said girlfriend, it was so clear she was asking him to confirm the relationship. This was such a test, and I held my breath waiting to see if he’d pass it.

Although, I wasn’t sure exactly whose test it was.

“One I intend to now steal from you all.” A lively song started up and Declan took my hand, pulling me toward an area cleared of chairs where a few people were dancing. The minute we hit the floor, everyone else crowded in too and we all started shaking our little boo thangs.

And Declan could dance.

Like,dancedance. He had rhythm and moves. Who could ask for anything more? A man who could play a violent game of football and dance like the music flowed through him was more than I could ever resist. Ever, ever, forever, ever.

Okay. Fine. We were not going to be in a real relationship, so there was no harm in my having a little crush on him, right?

Right.

Bad.

Too bad.

And too late.

I had more than a little crush. And it would never be anything more. I’d see to that.

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