Page 23 of Catch Me, Cowboy
“I have to try.”
Shelby leaned back and watched as her date adjusted her best friend’s stance. Jess caught her eye and raised his eyebrows as if to ask if there was a little spark there. She gave a small shrug in return. If there was, she was good with it—which meant she probably shouldn’t continue to go out with Dan until she made certain they were on the same page—the friends-having-fun page. She didn’t play games with people’s emotions.
After bowling, they headed for Grey’s for a beer, but the place was packed, as was FlintWorks, so they called it an evening. Dan took Shelby’s hand as he walked her to her truck. She gave his fingers a squeeze and pulled her hand free. Dan took her retreat with good grace. Jess and Cassie, ever the carpenters, had stopped to study a new building façade a few yards from where Shelby’s truck was parked.
“I hear your ex is back in town.” Dan shoved his hands deep into his front pockets as he spoke.
“He is.” Not what Shelby wanted to talk about, but the situation needed to be addressed.
“And living on the ranch.”
“He’s helping my grandfather.”
“How’s that going?”
“Good. Good.” Her answer sounded positively lame.
“I… uh… what’s our status, Shelby?” He frowned quizzically. “Friends? More than friends?”
“Friends for sure.” Uncomfortable topic.
He smiled, looking somewhat relieved, which in turn made her feel relieved. “I like you, Shelby… but you scare me a little.” The wry twist of his mouth took the sting out of the words.
Her eyebrows shot up. “Scare you?”
“A little. But in a good way. You rope. You ride. You can probably brand a calf.”
No probably about it. She could and did brand calves.
Shelby pressed her lips together, then cocked her head as she met Dan’s gaze. “Does Cassie intimidate you?”
He shot a look over to where she was good-naturedly arguing with Jess about whether the new façade on the building looked as good as the old. “I don’t know.”
“But you want to find out.”
“Awkward, I know.”
“Not at all. I think you should ask her out. She doesn’t brand calves.” She could build a house, though.
Shelby didn’t think Dan was really intimidated by her roping, riding and calf-branding abilities… she thought he felt the same way about her as she felt about him. They were comfortable together. And decent bowling partners.
Dan shifted his weight and gave her a rueful smile. “I don’t usually end my dates this way… you know, by asking if I can date another woman.”
“People date to see how they feel about each other and I think we’re going to be very good friends.”
“Jess…?”
“Has been Cassie’s best friend since birth.”
“And that’s all?” He spoke as if he couldn’t imagine anyone being around Cassie and only being a friend.
Well, Cassie was kind of gorgeous.
“He’s also her tortured bowling partner.”
Dan laughed and then leaned in to take Shelby’s face in his hands and lightly kiss her. “Between friends.”
Yes, it was, because she felt nothing but a sense of pleasant warmth. No sparks. No fire.
