Page 21 of The Cowboy and His Beauty
"What?" I ask, more to buy time than because I didn’t hear him.
"I can tell something is on your mind."
"Oh. Well, remember Sarah?"
"Do I remember your best friend? Yes, I remember her." The corners of his eyes crinkle in amusement, and I'm momentarily distracted.
"I talked to her last night." I pause, trying to gather my thoughts.
"I'd be shocked if you didn't."
"She married Mac, and his family has the lake house next to my parents. They’re coming up this weekend. Mostly because they want to see Jesse and Natalie's baby. Jesse is Anna Mae's brother, and she married Ella's brother. Ella married Jason, Mac's brother."
"Am I supposed to know any of these people?" he asks with a frown.
"No, I guess not. They all live in Rock Springs."
"Okay, sweetheart. What was the point of all that?"
"Oh, um, Sarah and Mac will be here this weekend and they want to meet you. Well, Mac wants to meet you. Sarah wants to see you again," I ramble.
"I don't know..." He hesitates.
"It's fine. I'd like to have dinner with them one night, though, if that's okay."
"You should have your friend over here, if that's what you want. I can stop in and say hi if it's important to you."
"I'd appreciate it."
"Okay. Sounds like a plan."
He pulls me in for a gentle kiss on the forehead, but when we hear the back door opening, we ricochet apart to opposite sides of the kitchen and act as if nothing happened.
Chapter 13
Dash
Sarah and Mac are arriving today, so I stick close to the house and cut my day shorter so I can say hello for a bit.
Since my time in the military, meeting new people hasn’t been easy. They focus on my scar and not on me. So, I’ve been preparing myself for that all day. Sarah will remember the old me, so I’m expecting the look of pity in her eyes as she mourns the boy I used to be.
Mac didn't know me before, so all he’ll see is the scar. It’s fifty-fifty if he’ll see anything beyond that.
Whatever their reaction, I’ll endure it for Sky. This is her best friend, and they were inseparable growing up. I don't have a chance in hell with her if I don't at least make an effort.
A truck I don't recognize is in the drive. I assume it's Mac and Sarah, and take my time heading into the house. As I get closer, laughter fills the air and I stop to enjoy it.
How many nights have I walked up to the house and dreaded the quiet? I wished for the house to be filled with life and noise, and to not be alone. I have that now with Sky, and I need to enjoy it while I can. I doubt she’ll keep this job any longer than she needs to figure out her next steps.
I step inside and all eyes are on me. Sarah and the man standing beside her have curious expressions, but Sky is looking at me like she used to before I ruined us. Like I hung the moon. A look I don't deserve anymore.
"Dash. We were just talking to Mac about you. You know Sarah, and this is her husband, Mac." Sky introduces us.
Mac is tall and tan with almost black hair. Sky told me a bit about him last night. He grew up on a local Native American reservation in Rock Springs and was adopted by his now parents after some pretty bad abuse from his dad. He's the youngest of the siblings, and he and Sarah fell in love when they met in high school. It’s nice that their love story has a happily ever after, even if ours didn't.
"Hey, man. Nice to meet you. Sarah has been filling me in on all the things you three used to do and the trouble you got into back in high school," he says, looking me in the eye.
He doesn't mention my scar or seem uncomfortable with it. It's like it isn't even there.
