Page 82 of The Hearts We've Broken
“I—” I broke the silence at the same time she took a deep breath and said, “So…”
Both of us huffed out shallow laughs.
“You first,” I urged her on.
“So, I, uh…” She stumbled over her words. “What’s going to happen?”
“Well, we’re going to go to this festival,” I teased, and she glared at me.
“Mikey.”
“Juniper.”
“We should really talk about what this is. What we want to do.”
My chest heaved as I thought about how to respond. On one hand, it was nice to know we were on the same page, or at least half on the same page. On the other, I was afraid of what she might want. If she’d decided this relationship had run its course and wanted an exit strategy.
“What do you want to do?” I asked, wanting to hear her answer first.
She rolled her lips. “I’m not sure.”
Nervous energy swirled in my stomach. Her hesitationcould mean she wanted to see what happened, or it could just mean she wanted to let me down easy.
“What if we just see how the weekend goes then decide from there?” I suggested.
She paused for a moment, as though contemplating and weighing her options. “I don’t see the harm in that. This…agreement has been mutually beneficial.”
A devilish grin pulled at my cheeks. “Damn, Peach, would it kill you to admit you like me?”
Juniper rolled her eyes. “How do you know I’m not just pretending to like you?”
I didn’t know. Not for certain at least. But I wanted to believe the glint in her eyes gave her away.
“Just a hunch.” I winked, taking her hand and lifting it to my lips to kiss her knuckles. “Who wouldn’t like me?”
She laughed, the sound like sunshine peeking through the clouds after a storm, breaking up the nervous energy in the air. “That’s the real question, isn’t it, Casanova.”
The streets of Goldfinch, Montana, were filled with people milling about for the festivities. Much like the Bucking Horse Sale, the fairgrounds were used as an event space as well as the main road running through town.
Businesses had their doors open, welcoming visitors inside, but many also had tents set up on the sidewalk to attract people passing by. Hanging from light poles above each intersection were decorations attached to cables. Some had signs readingGulch Days Annual Summer Kick-OfforWelcome to Goldfinch, Home of the SGU Miners.
I drove to the fairgrounds, deciding that would be the best place to park.
“They did bring in a Ferris wheel this year.” Juniper craned her neck as we turned the corner. “It’s always a bit hit or miss whether that happens.”
I’d never been to Gulch Days, even though I’d lived in Montana for years now. We were always either on the road, helping Colter on the ranch, or, in the case of last year, participating in wedding festivities.
“Do you come to this every year?” I asked, pulling to a stop in the parking lot.
“Almost every year. One time I went home for the summer, but I’d spent nearly every break between the school year here.” She unbuckled her seatbelt, but sat, waiting for me to get out and open her door.
I suppressed a smile, but on the inside, my heart was screaming.
When I opened my door, the smell of fried food hit my nostrils immediately. I opened June’s door and helped her out of the pickup, keeping her hand in mine as we walked toward the entrance gates.
“What do you want to do first?”
She knew more about this than I did, so I was more than willing to let her take the reins.
