Page 192 of The Brothers at Horseshoe Ranch

“I don’t care if it’s who or whom. Who did you go on dates with?”

“No one you know, obviously, unless you know all the men in Idaho.”

“No, I don’t know losers.” He glanced over at me. “But I guess you do.”

“Thanks. That’s a really nice way to talk to your best friend, Wyatt Hamilton.”

“So, are you going to tell me about these dates or what?”

“Well, I went on one date with one guy, and …”

“And?”

“… we went to brunch.”

“Okay.”

“And it was really nice,” I said, thinking about my date with Paul.

“So if it went really nice, what was the problem?”

“Well, he asked me to go on another date,” I said, remembering, “and I said, ‘Sure, what would you like to do?’ He said, ‘Maybe we can go for mini-golf,’ and I said, ‘Okay, that sounds like it will be fun.’” I paused and looked over at Wyatt.

“Can you hurry this story up?” He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. “I don’t want to fall asleep while I’m driving.”

“You’re so rude, Wyatt.”

“What? I’m just saying, is all.”

“Do you want me to tell you this story or not?”

“Continue, Sadie.”

“So, anyway, we’d finally decided that we’re going to go to mini-golf, and I think that’s fun. It’s a fun second date, don’t you think?”

“I guess.” He shrugged. “So what happened? You went to mini-golf, and he cried because you beat him?”

“No. So he called me, and he’s like, ‘So Sadie, we’re going to meet for mini golf at four, right?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m looking forward to it,’ and he’s like, ‘Great. Do you mind if you drive up by yourself because I’m not sure I’m going to have time to pick you up,’ which I thought was weird because it was a date. Isn’t a man supposed to pick you up for a date?”

“Not a second date, Sadie. And I’m guessing you met him online, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So do you really want a stranger coming to your house?”

“I mean, we’re in Idaho. What’s he going to do?”

“There are a lot of psychos in Idaho, Sadie. I really, I thought you were smarter than that.”

“Whatever, Wyatt.”

“So anyways, continue.”

“So we get off the phone, and I’m happy, and I’m thinking to myself, ‘Okay, what am I going to wear?’ Then five minutes later, he calls me again.”

“Okay, and?”

“And he says to me, ‘Hey, Elizabeth, it’s me, Paul. I’m just confirming our date for mini-golf tonight at seven. Does that still work for you?’”

---