“Don’t you be looking in there,” she said. “We need to go do our chores.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Tarr walked back over to Briar and took her hand in his. “Thank you, Briar. Really.”
He watched her fingers meld with his, a slip of happiness stealing through him. “I was just thinking about how only my momma and daddy have texted me for my birthday, and the only other people who knew were Tuck and Bobbie Jo.”
“And everyone online. Have you forgotten you’re a celebrity, Tarr?” Briar asked dryly as they went into the foyer and out the front door.
“I’m not a celebrity,” he said.
She scoffed and flipped up the hood on her coat.
“Hey, ifyoucan say you’re not, thenI’mnot.” He went down the steps with her and climbed into the passenger seat of her SUV. “But I’m really not,” he said.
The interior was still warm, as she’d left the car running while she’d come inside.
“And you definitely still are,” Tarr added, because he didn’t have people squealing and fan-girling over him the way Rosie had with Briar last week. He’d only been out of the rodeo for a couple of years now, true, and Briar had been gone for almost five, but he’d watched several of her videos on her stunt-riding channel, and she had been incredible.
“I’ve never performed at the halftime of an NFL game,” he said as she pulled up to the arena. “So I definitely think one of us has more celebrity status than the other.”
“In a very small circle,” Briar said. “The rodeo is much bigger than stunt riding.”
“Is it?”
“I’m not arguing with you about this.” Briar threw him a dirty look and got out of the car.
Tarr chuckled and followed her. She had to go toward the back of the building and the Goatel, and he just had to go inside, so he rushed around the hood and grabbed her before she could stomp away. “Hey, you’re not really mad, are you?”
“I’m absolutely mad,” she said. “We’redating, Tarr, and you didn’t tell me it was your birthday.”
“I’m still struggling to think that we’re dating,” he said.
“Why is that?” A cute little line appeared between her eyes. She seemed genuinely confused, and she pinched the zipper on his coat between her thumb and forefinger and pulled it up and then back down, up a few inches and down a few more, up and down.
“Because, sweetheart,” he said. “I usually don’t think about myself dating a woman until I’ve kissed her.”
“The kissing again.” Briar looked up at him, her big blue eyes full of fear. “I don’t know, Tarr.”
“About kissing?” he asked. “It’s pretty natural.”
She gave him a gentle push against his shoulder. “You said you’d be patient with me.”
“I am,” he said. “This is the first time we’re eventalkingabout kissing. I didn’t just rush in and do it.”
She pressed her lips together and looked over his shoulder. “I just haven’t kissed anyone in a long time.”
“How long?” he asked.
“I haven’t had a boyfriend since I moved here,” she said. “And I know you’ve dated a lot.”
“Not a lot,” he said. “I’ve only dated one person since my injury.”
“Well, that’s one hundred percent more than me then, isn’t it?”
Tarr reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear, then cupped her face in his palm and gently guided her to look back at him. “And you think you’re not going to be good at it? Or I’m not? Or you’re not going to like it?”
“I think I’m going to like it,” she whispered. “And that scares me. I’m not sureyou’regoing to like it, and that scares me too.”
“Sweetheart, there’s nothing to be afraid of. It’s just a little kissing.”
