Page 25 of Catching Coy
“I think it would be fun to have a private concert like that,” Charlotte said, avoiding having to comment on Willa but still keeping the subject. “Bellamy?” She asked. “Or are you so used to Taggart Dubois’ singing for you that it’s more like old hat?” She laughed as she said that.
“Tag has a way of making things romantic,” Bellamy said. “I wouldn’t say no to a date with him serenading in the background.”
“What’s your favorite song?” Gillian asked, going with Charlotte’s subject change.
“Front Porch.” The song had come to have even more meaning to her since the night she nearly kissed Coy there, on the very porch swing that Tag sang about in the song. “I heard him write parts of it when he was here trying to win Roxy back. I think that song might be what finally made her see sense.”
Charlotte laughed softly and leaned her head sideways on the couch she sat on. “That’s so sweet. I think that’s why I love his music, you know? How he can make you feel … I don’t know. Real.”
“Like you want to find your someone,” Bellamy said, thinking of her reaction the first time she’d heard him figuring out the lyrics.
“Yes.” Charlotte nodded. “Someone like Coy,” she added with a mischievous grin that had them all laughing.
Bellamy laughed along with them, but she had to clench a fist to keep from showing the fear that pounded through her. Coy Jones felt like her someone, but was she going to lose him to one of the women in this room?
Chapter Fourteen
Gillian, 29
Salt Lake City, Utah
CEO, Girls Play
“I haven’t had a one-on-one game with Coy yet, but I plan to make the most of this Team Date and get some of that alone time with him. I’m excited to move our relationship to the next step.”
* * *
The plan forthis week’s group date was to hike a basic trail in the mountains that framed the backside of the ranch and then end the evening around the fire pit behind the Ranch House.
Coy stood on the porch of Roxy’s house, staring out at the mountains and counting down the minutes until he could walk down to the Ranch House. Yesterday’s date hadn’t gone how he had expected, but it hadn’t been a failure. He’d learned what he needed to about Willa and cut her from his “team” that night without any guilt. All she’d done on the way back to the Arrow C after the private concert was gush about how inspiring it was to be in Taggart Dubois’ actual presence and how important her time at the Ranch House was for her. She’d skimmed around saying specifically that she didn’t care about Coy, but he could read it between the lines. When he’d told her that he knew other relationships were progressing further than he could see them going, she’d nodded slowly and frowned. She hadn’t cried when they hugged goodbye, and even as he helped her into the SUV to take her away, she thanked him again for the chance to meet Taggart Dubois.
He glanced down at his watch. Ten-forty. He could head down. The short walk would take right around five minutes, putting him there after 10:45, which Agnes had insisted on. They’d all pile into one of the SUVs and head out for their hike.
By the time he’d reached the back yard of the Ranch House, a pretty landscaped garden with tall trees, flowering bushes, and even a cobblestone path, the four women accompanying him today stood on the porch, waiting. Lucy leaned forward over the railing, her hair pulled up in a bun like on their first date. The day was already hot, over seventy already. She wore leggings and a tank-top. The crew had warned them that temperatures would be cooler up in the mountains, so though Coy himself wore shorts and a t-shirt, he had a hoodie in his backpack. Lucy bounded down the steps, ahead of the other women, as usual, and greeted him, wrapping her arms around her neck to kiss him.
He held her up but shortened the kiss for the sake of the other women. Lucy still kept her hand in his as he walked up the steps to greet the women who waited here. Bellamy stepped in next, wrapping her arms around his middle, and Coy slipped his hand from Lucy’s to wrap his own arms around Bellamy and lift her up a little. He put his face in her hair, pressing a light kiss just above her ear, and whispered, “Hey, Bells. Missed you.”
She tilted her head back and grinned at him. “Me too.” She squeezed his waist again, but then stepped politely back, allowing him to hug Gillian and Charlotte.
Charlotte kissed his cheek, reddening when she glanced at him after she did it. She gave him a shrug, and he held her a moment as he pondered what had given her the courage to do that. So far, she’d been the shyer one, or at least most reserved, of the women here.
Bellamy’s mother (Coy didn’t even know her name yet) brought out a basket filled with brown-paper sacks. Coy grinned at their sack lunches, meant for the trail.
“You might find a few notes in yours, Mr. Jones.” She handed over his and winked the same way Bellamy always did. There were even a couple dimples when she smiled. It made Coy turn back to her daughter, hoping she was smiling as well so he could catch sight of those two dimples. She rolled her eyes and then shooed her mom off the porch, mouthing, “Not fair.” Coy and Mrs. Hansen shared a smile before she bustled back into the house.
The SUV pulled up and the group climbed in. It was nice to just hang out with the women and Zane, and not an extra cameraman, even though cameras were mounted in various spots around the SUV. They were just easier to ignore.
Bellamy and Charlotte climbed into the back seat of the SUV, leaving Coy in the middle with Lucy and Gillian on either side of him. Lucy leaned in next to him the entire drive, her territory staked with a hand on his leg, even when he turned and joined Bellamy and Charlotte in conversation.
She staked just as much of her claim as they hiked, holding his hand whenever possible and leaning in close as they walked. If he’d have been alone with Lucy, he wouldn’t have minded the attention or returning her physical affection, but he sensed the growing discomfort—and irritation, especially in Gillian’s case—of the other women. When they reached the end of their short hike, and all sat to eat lunch, he put a hand on Lucy’s leg.
“Let’s go talk for a minute?” he asked.
She beamed up at him. “Of course.” Before she could lean in too far for what he suspected was a kiss, he stood, taking her hand and pulling her up with him. He caught Bellamy’s eye, wishing he could convey reassurance; he hated the way her eyes were narrowed in confusion as she watched him with Lucy.
He would find time for them today during the date. He needed it as much for himself as to make sure she understood how strongly he felt about her. He and Lucy found a bench in another section of the picnic area. Movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention—a cameraman, of course. He turned away. He had to act like they didn’t exist.
He put his arm around the top of the bench, and around Lucy. “I’m going to give you some extra attention, Miss Lucy,” he began, “and then I need to ask you to step back a little bit and allow us all to enjoy the date.”
