Page 11 of Still A Cowboy
“That’s me,” Cal said. “Also the guy who’s been personally hunted by your local seagull.”
Maeve’s eyes sparkled. “Ah, that would be Edgar. He likes to test newcomers. Keeps the beach interesting.”
“He nearly kept me there permanently.”
“Then you passed. Welcome to Wild Rose Point,” she added.
Cal smiled, steadying himself a little more on his own. “Appreciate it.”
Maeve patted his arm as if she’d just claimed him for the town. “Take care of that knee, cowboy. And keep an eye on Willa. She acts like she’s all grit, but she’s soft inside.”
Willa groaned. “Okay, great talk. We’re leaving now.”
Delia winked. “See you later, lovebirds.”
Cal let Willa guide him toward his rental car.She didn’t say anything, but her stiff shoulders told him exactly how hard she was working not to let her family get to her.
“They seem fun,” he said, biting back a grin.
“Do not encourage them.”
“Too late. I think they already like me.”
She shot him a look as she unlocked the car. “That’s the problem.”
Willa helped him the rest of the way to his rental car, her hand steady on his arm even though she was pretending this was no big deal.
Cal settled against the side of the car for a second, catching his breath. “So, tell me. Do your mom and grandmother seriously believe in the soulmate thing? Or is that just small-town entertainment?”
Willa opened the passenger door and shrugged. “They believe it. Both of them claim that's how they met their husbands. Same story every time. Mooncatcher Lager, full moon, the whole deal. Before that, my great-grandmother claimed the same thing. She’s the one who started the legend.”
“So this is a family tradition then.”
Willa paused, her gaze slipping toward the ocean. “Yeah. Or maybe they just really want to believe.”
Cal watched her closely, catching something else buried in her voice.
Willa let out a slow breath. “Truth is, I’ve got a terrible track record. I’m sort of a turd magnetwhen it comes to men.”
Cal raised an eyebrow. “Turd magnet?”
She smiled without much humor. “You heard me.”
“They want you to be happy,” he said quietly.
“Yeah. They do. And they’d love nothing more than for this ridiculous legend to be real. For it to actually stick this time.”
Cal pushed off the door, careful with his knee. “Maybe you’ve just been fishing in the wrong pond.”
Willa glanced at him, one side of her mouth pulling into a reluctant smile. “Well, now you sound like my grandmother.”
“Smart woman.”
“Terrifying woman,” Willa corrected.
Cal chuckled. “Yeah, I picked up on that.”
Willa gave the door a gentle pat. “You good to drive?”
