As I turned to head to my car, he called after me, “Hey, do you ride?”
I glanced back, confused. “What?”
He made a comical hand-and-leg gesture that was supposed to resemble horseback riding.
I huffed. “As a matter of fact, I do.”
“Good. Come before sunset. Wear something comfortable.”
I nodded, ignoring the way my pulse kicked up a notch, both for the dinner and the impending retrieval of that necklace. It had got to be tonight, otherwise I’d be in real trouble.
And it was high time I started following Annamaria on socials. She wouldn’t exactly announce she’d lost somethingover a loudspeaker, but if there’d been even a hint of it, especially involving that Napoleon guy, I needed to know.
17
NOAH
I’d been on more dinner dates than I cared to count. From city to city and table to table, each one following the same tired choreography of white linen, polite laughter, and candlelight trying to disguise the fact that we were both checking our watches.
But tonight, I was home. And Maya? Maya was nothing like the women I’d known before.
She was fire and wild air. Sharp where others were smooth, and untamed in all the ways that made me want to find out more. And yeah, she was still a mystery, but for once, I didn’t need all the answers upfront. I was ready to dive first, read the fine print later.
If I were going to take her out, it couldn’t be some templated date. It had to be something that felt like her, unexpected and a little wild. Maybe even just romantic enough to make her pause and wonder if she could let someone in. If she could letmein.
Elia gave my outfit a once-over—half media guy, half ranch hand. “Not bad. You clean up halfway decent.”
“Thanks,” I said dryly.
“Just don’t trample the lawn too much. We’ve got someone coming by tomorrow to scope it out for a wedding.”
One solid thump came from my heart. I didn’t ask who, but if it was Napoleon, I wanted eyes on him.
“Huh,” I said. “Then I’ll make sure to stay uphill.”
“Just kidding, brother.” Elia waved me off with a grin, already moving on. “Go have yourself a time.”
I stepped out to wait on the porch. A few minutes later, Maya pulled up in jeans and plaid, the same outfit she’d worn the first time I saw her. I’d mistaken her for the bride back then, what with her knockout hair and don’t-mess-with-me eyes.
Seeing her in it again, her hair tied in a ponytail this time, didn’t dull the effect. If anything, it made me want to tell her she belonged here, right alongside the mountains and wild rivers.
“For you,” I said, handing her a cowboy hat I’d picked up from the saddle shop earlier.
She took it, turning it over in her hands with a small smile. “To complete the look?”
“That. And to keep the sun and wind off your face.”
Golden hour around here could be unforgiving, but honestly, I just wanted an excuse to see her in something that fit her even better than I imagined.
She surprised me by leaning in and pressing a quick kiss to my cheek. “That’s sweet, cowboy.”
That one nearly had me rethinking this whole ride and gave me thedinner could waitkind of thought.
I guided her toward the stable, where Wyatt, my usual ride, was saddled and waiting.
She frowned, glancing around. “Only one horse? Trying to get cozy with me?”
“The fact that you didn’t look relieved to be riding with metells me you weren’t bluffing when you said you knew how to ride.”
