The Cowboy's Homecoming. DONNA ALWARD
There weren’t any that Kailey could see, and she looked down, hoping the pair wouldn’t see them sitting there. Not that she’d mind Quinn, but Rylan? No thanks.
No such luck. A quick glance showed her that they were on their way over, Quinn leading the way with a big smile. Of course he was smiling. Lacey was there. Rylan didn’t look quite as pleased. Apparently he wasn’t looking forward to seeing her any more than she was looking forward to seeing him.
“Is there room for two more here?” Quinn asked, and Lacey’s head snapped up in surprise, her face flushing with pleasure.
“Of course there is!” She patted the chair next to her. “Our food just arrived. I’m sure yours won’t take long.”
Quinn gave her a quick kiss and sat while Rylan stood by Lacey’s chair. “May I?” he asked quietly, politely. Unenthusiastically.
“Be my guest,” she answered coolly, wishing now that she’d gotten the fries. And a big soda. And a hot fudge sundae to bury her head in.
“Thanks,” he murmured and took the seat beside her.
He and Quinn ordered and Kailey noticed that Lacey wasn’t eating, instead saving her salad for when everyone had their food. She looked longingly at her burger, still hot from the grill, the scent of the beef so delectable her stomach growled in anticipation. With a little chuckle, Rylan leaned over. “Eat it. It won’t be as good cold.”
“That would be rude,” she replied, trying to ignore the delicious shiver that skittered down her spine at the quiet words uttered so closely to her ear.
“Not if we say it’s not.” He sat back, picked up his glass of water and took a sip. “Seriously. Eat. Don’t let us interrupt your lunch.”
She still felt awkward, but she picked up the burger—she needed both hands—and took a first delicious bite. Closed her eyes and simply enjoyed the explosion of flavor happening inside her mouth.
When she opened her eyes again, Rylan was watching her, a look of fascination on his face, and something more, too. Hunger. For her? Or for her lunch? She grabbed her paper napkin and scrubbed it across her lips, looking away from him.
“It’s that good, is it?” he asked, the note of teasing slightly strained.
“Always,” she replied, taking a drink of water. “I’m afraid I’m not one of those fancy dish people with the fresh this and that, and herb and goat stuff and whatever. A good beef burger with bacon and cheese and some jalapenos and I’m a happy girl.”
“Not champagne tastes then.”
She met his eyes evenly. “Not really. My tastes tend to be rather...ordinary.”
She could see in his eyes when he got her meaning, and she felt a little bit small for implanting the barb in such an innocuous way.
She hid by taking another bite of her burger while Quinn and Lacey chatted about wedding stuff.
Moments later Quinn’s and Rylan’s meals arrived, and she watched with envy as Rylan picked up a crispy fry and dipped it in a little dish of ketchup. He’d ordered a club sandwich, and didn’t waste any time helping himself. Likewise, Quinn picked up his pulled-pork bun and took a hearty bite. Out of sorts, Kailey wondered why men could order such meals and it was all manly and if a woman did the same thing, she got sideways looks. It was a stupid double standard. Especially considering what her daily calorie burn tended to be. Scowling, she took another huge bite of her burger.
“You should see Kailey’s dress.” Lacey’s sweet voice interrupted the meal, and Kailey nearly dropped the half of the burger she had left in her hands while she chewed what had ended up being too big a bite. “She looks beautiful. The color is just perfect.”
Kailey struggled to finish chewing and finally swallowed the mouthful, feeling as if she had no table manners at all. “Lace, I’m not sure the guys are interested in bridesmaid dresses, you know?”
Quinn put his arm along the back of Lacey’s chair. “Aw, there’s nothing wrong with being excited about the wedding,” he replied, looking at Lacey with such devotion it was nearly sickening.
Kailey wasn’t usually so cynical. Maybe it was because Rylan was beside her. And Rylan had been the one to leave her alone in a motel room after what was the most romantic night of the year—Valentine’s Day. Perhaps if it had been underwhelming, it wouldn’t be so difficult to put in the past. Trouble was it had been amazing. Rock-her-world amazing.
Kailey had often wondered if she should trust her own judgment with men, and the incident with Rylan pretty much had cemented the answer.
She was better off sticking to horses and bulls.
“What color is it?”
Rylan asked the question and she really, really wished he hadn’t. “Blue,” she answered. “It’s blue.”
Lacey laughed. “You can’t just say blue. There are lots of blues out there.” She turned her attention to Rylan. “It’s kind of a turquoisey sky blue. It looks great with her hair and tan.”
Kailey put her forehead on her hand. Her tan? Really? Because she was only tanned around her neck and from the biceps down...like every other rancher in these parts.
“Sounds nice,” Rylan answered.
Lacey and Quinn started talking about something to do with Amber, leaving Rylan and Kailey silent on their side of the table again.
“Sorry,” he offered quietly, eating another fry. “If I’d known you guys were here, I would have suggested somewhere else.”
“It’s just awkward, that’s all. We’re going to run into each other occasionally. We might as well get used to it.”
She wiped her fingers on her napkin, then picked up her fork and speared a slice of cucumber from her salad.
“Kailey...I’m sorry.”
“For?” She crunched the cucumber, determined to ignore the weird flutterings in her tummy.
“For being such a jerk that morning.”
She looked up quickly, checked to see if Quinn or Lacey had heard. Luckily, they were still engrossed in their own conversation. “This isn’t the place to discuss it.”
“I get the feeling you don’t want to discuss it at all, and that’s fine. But I do owe you the apology.”
Dammit. It was easier to hate him when he wasn’t doing the right thing.
Scratch that. The right thing would have been sticking around, at least until coffee. They could have agreed to go their separate ways or...whatever.
“Noted.” She stuck her fork savagely into the lettuce.
“Noted, but not accepted?” he asked. “I mean it, Kailey. I was totally in the wrong. Wouldn’t it be better if we could get along? As you said, we’re going to run into each other. And possibly more than occasionally. I’d like to put it behind us.”
She would, too, but she wasn’t sure she could until she understood why. Why had he felt the need to rush out before sunrise? Or was he really just a love ’em and leave ’em kind of guy? She’d certainly seen that type before...though she hadn’t pegged Rylan as that kind. On top of Colt’s rather quick moving on, it had left her feeling, well, disposable. Not worth the trouble of sticking around, even for breakfast.
Sitting in the diner with a lunchtime crowd audience didn’t seem the right time or place to ask him why. But he was right. Their ranches were side by side. She was good friends with Carrie and Quinn, and Rylan’s brother and sister.
Then there was the fact that he wasn’t planning on staying at Crooked Valley forever. He was here to fulfill the terms of his grandfather’s will, so Lacey and Duke could keep the ranch in the family. Surely she could suck up her personal feelings for a few months. Couldn’t