Page 25 of Still A Cowboy
Eden’s arms wrapped tightly around Cal’s neck, her perfume hitting him in a sweet, overpowering cloud. She clung to him like they were still in high school, like no time had passed.
“Cal,” she said, her voice bright with surprise and something else he couldn’t quite place. “I can’t believe you’re really here.”
She pulled back just enough to beam at him, her hands still on his shoulders. She barely spared Willa a glance before looping her arm through his and steering him toward an empty booth like the decision had already been made for both of them.
“This is perfect,” she said, sliding in across from him. “We have so much catching up to do.”
Cal lowered himself into the seat, still trying to process the sudden shift. He felt the weight of Willa’s eyes on him, though he didn’t dare look her way yet.
Eden kept talking, her words tumbling out as they’d been waiting to spill. “It’s wild you’re here. I never thought you’d actually come.”
Cal forced a small smile, but his mind wasstill with Willa, still thinking about the way she had pulled away back in the snug, her breath still fast, her hands still trembling when she straightened her clothes.
He couldn’t shake the way she had looked when Eden walked through the door.
And he couldn’t ignore the fact that his heart wasn’t where it was supposed to be right now.
Eden snapped her fingers at the passing waiter. Without looking at him, she rattled off her drink order, then tacked on, “And bring him a beer. Not Mooncatcher lager,” she added with a laugh. “I hear that one’s reserved for your soulmate. Funny, right?”
Her smile was playful, but there was something sharp tucked behind it.
Cal kept his expression steady. “Yeah, real funny.”
He didn’t bite. He wasn’t about to have that conversation with her. Not here. Not now.
“How’ve you been, Eden?” he asked instead, steering them somewhere safer. Somewhere that didn’t involve Willa or Mooncatcher legends or whatever gossip Eden had already picked up.
Eden’s shoulders relaxed, her grin softening into something warmer. “Busy. Traveling a lot. Work’s been good, really good. I’ve been doing a lot of commercial interior design. Hotels, office buildings, that kind of thing. It keeps me on the road, but my home base is still here in Wild Rose Point since my folks still live here.” She shruggedlike it was no big deal. “I just don’t stay in one place too long.”
Cal nodded, letting her talk, but his mind was still tangled in the way Willa had looked when he left her. He was sitting in this booth, listening to Eden, but the pull in his chest hadn’t budged. It was still dragging him back to Willa. Back to that kiss. Back to everything that still felt unfinished.
Their drinks arrived a few minutes later. Eden thanked the waiter with a quick nod, then wrapped her hands around her glass, her bright red nails tapping the side as she glanced around the room.
Her gaze landed on the couple near the back, and her eyes lit up. “Holy shit,” she said, leaning in a little like she was about to share a juicy secret. “That’s Sawyer and Lark, right? FromChasing Fire? I didn’t realize they were here tonight.”
She looked genuinely excited, the kind of starstruck buzz people got when they stumbled into celebrities unexpectedly. “Have you seen them around before?” she asked.
Cal shook his head, though he was pretty sure he had seen a whole lot more of them than he ever wanted to.
Up close. Personal. Steamy.
And now they were sitting a few tables away like they were just another part of this small-town Halloween night.
Eden was still watching them as if she couldn’t believe her luck, already planning theconversation she would probably try to have with them if the timing worked.
Cal lifted his beer but didn’t take a sip. His mind was still stuck on the other woman in the room. The one not sitting in front of him. The one probably trying to disappear into the crowd right now.
Eden had some of her drink, then rested her chin in her hand, giving him a soft, curious look. “So how have you been, really?” she asked. “What’s going on in your world besides this surprise trip?”
Cal leaned back slightly, his knee twinging just enough to remind him it was still there. “Banged up my knee,” he said. “Rode a bull I shouldn’t have. Stupid bet. Still dealing with it.” He left it at that. No need to get into surgeries, physical therapy, or the fact that he wasn’t sure what came next.
Eden’s lips curved into a slow smile. “And what about your personal life? Anyone special?”
Cal’s gaze drifted before he could stop it, landing on Willa who was serving drinks. She was focused on her task, her cranky cat tail swinging behind her as she moved. He watched her tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her expression sharp and distant, as if she had carefully locked him out.
Eden sighed and set her drink down. “So much for catching up with the love of my life,” she muttered.
Cal’s head snapped back toward her. He knewshe had said it playfully, but something about the words landed hard.
