She didn’t really care that he knew about Grant and Ben. The whole town would probably know in a matter of days. But the truth about Harriet…
That needed to remain a secret. For Grant’s sake, at least.
Raking in a calming breath, Eliza felt her anxiety abate. What did she have to worry about? Colt and Grant weren’t exactly close. It wasn’t as if the conversation would come up naturally.
Eliza’s pulse steadied as Penny stepped up to the throwing line, tossing a small yellow ball high in the air, catching it with ease.
“Perfect. I’ve never felt safer.” Colt grinned, exposing his endearing dimple.
“You shouldn’t. I’ve been practicing nearly every day since you came back into town.”
Colt laughed, but as Penny raised her eyebrows, his laughter floundered. “You’re serious?”
She smirked, pulling her arm back into a pitcher’s pose. “Hope you’re ready for a nice, refreshing dip in the tank.”
Luke, Jack, and Reed hooted and hollered in support.
A flicker of doubt darted across Colt’s face, but his features quickly set in a cool, confident smile. “I am feeling a littlehot.”
He waggled his eyebrows, and Penny blushed before setting her jaw in a determined scowl.
In one deft motion, the ball sailed from her fingertips, spinning with a velocity that belied her slender arms.
The ball smacked the target with a definitive thud, plunging Colt into the icy water.
When he broke through the surface, he looked directly at Penny, a blaze of awareness in his searing blue eyes.
Eliza wasn’t sure if the glint was respect or admiration. Or perhaps a hint of something more….
The guys held up their hands for a high five, which Penny gladly doled out.
Colt hopped out of the tank, his sopping wet T-shirt clinging to his not-so-subtly-defined abs.
Eliza suppressed a laugh as she caught Penny steal a peek.
“Nice job, Pen.” Grant appeared by Penny’s side, offering her a congratulatory fist bump. “I hate to say it, but I kind of hoped you’d miss. I’m next in line to throw.”
“Sorry to disappoint,” Colt teased as he dried himself off. “Who’s next in the tank?”
In her peripheral view, Eliza saw Luke grip the ladder, and before she could stop herself, her hand shot up. “I am!”
All eyes turned on her, including Bill Tucker, who manned the tank. He shifted his glance to Luke, his brow furrowed.
Eliza’s eyes pleaded with Luke to let her go first, and he graciously stepped aside. “Yep, Eliza is next. I must have got the order mixed up.”
She flashed him an appreciative smile, her knees wobbly as she moved toward the ladder. What had come over her? She’d never signed up for the dunk tank before. But in a moment of madness, it seemed like a good idea.
Gathering her resolve, she unbuckled her wedge sandals, kicked them into the grass, and mounted the ladder in her pink sundress.
“Are you sure about this?” Luke whispered as he helped her up.
“Not even a little bit.” She grinned, her teeth chattering in anticipation of her impending ice bath.
As she seated herself on the ledge, she glanced at the water below, observing the ripples from Colt’s recent plunge.
When she looked up, her eyes locked on Grant’s. He gripped the ball in both hands, appearing decidedly uncomfortable with the prospect of sending her for a swim. Truthfully, she wasn’t looking forward to it any more than he was.
But it needed to be done.
