I chuckle when she shoots me an exaggerated wink. I jolt when I glance down the bar to find Wayne already looking at me. His eyes are dark and heated as they linger on the vee of my shirt and the expanse of my thigh that is visible beneath the hem of my skirt.
I blink in shock even as heat flares through me. Wayne Riggscannotbe looking at me like that.
But he claps his buddy on the shoulder and swaggers his way down the length of the bar, his eyes never leaving mine. The grin on his lips is tempting as sin, and twice as hot.
“Hey there,” he says. “This seat taken?”
He nods toward the stool Angeline was just on, but doesn’t wait for me to answer before sitting down.
“Wayne,” he introduces, holding his hand out.
An old ache in my chest twinges when I realize he has no idea who I am, but I reach out and take his hand anyway.
“I know,” I say with a grin. “Katie. You used to make fun of my braces.”
He stares at me blankly for a moment, and then his eyes widen in shock as he recognizes me. It’s probably the hair that clues him in, since those curls stand out in any setting.
“McArthur?” he asks, a laugh coloring the word. “Holy shit, I didn’t even recognize you. I… Jesus, look at you. You lookgreat.”
The vehemence in his voice is almost unflattering, but I know it’s a big change. I went from prime bullying material to someone that men trip over themselves to get with, even if most of them don’t want more than a night in my bed.
“Thanks,” I say dryly. “You look good, too. Haven’t seen you around in a while.”
That is an understatement. It’s been close to a decade since I’ve seen Wayne.
Angeline comes out of the bathroom and spots us, her eyes immediately blowing wide. She shoots me a double thumbs-up and holds her hand up to her ear in a gesture to indicate that I should call her later. I doubt anything worth rehashing will happen, but I’ll see her at work tomorrow anyway, so I’ll just tell her then.
“Yeah, it’s been ages,” he says, drawing my attention back to him. “Just back in town for a bit to clear my head. Needed a vacation, you know how it is.”
We slip into easy conversation for a while, talking about what Wayne’s been up to in Billings. He doesn’t ask many questions about what I’ve been up to, but he’s always been the self-absorbed type. He’s still funny and carefree, and I find myself laughing along with his jokes and enjoying our talk. When I glance up at the clock and see that it’s nearly 10:00 PM, I’m actually sad to cut things short.
“It was nice to catch up,” I say, surprised at how much I mean it. “I really should get going, though. Work in the morning.”
Wayne hesitates, his brown eyes sparkling under the dim lights of the bar. The sun-bleached waves of his hair shift slightly when he tilts his head, settling against his sharp cheekbones, and I can’t help the fluttering in my stomach at the slow smile he gives me.
“I’ll walk you home,” he says. “It’s not safe for a woman to walk home alone this late.”
It’s not a request, and the certainty in his voice makes my gut tighten. Windy River isn’t a big enough town that I need to be worried about something as simple as walking home alone, but it’s a good enough excuse. I can blame the alcohol in my system and a long-repressed crush for the way interest spikes in my stomach.
It’s a shitty excuse, because I know I’m nowhere near drunk, but it’s enough to convince me to agree.
“Sure,” I agree with forced nonchalance. “I’m not far.”
He stands along with me, snagging my jacket off the back of my barstool before I have a chance to. Heat flares in my cheeks, but I allow him to help me into my coat, shivering when his knuckles slide along the length of my arm in a movement so casual that it can’t be anything but intentional.
“How long are you in town for?” I ask as we step out onto the street, the summer heat having died down a bit now that the sun is down.
He shrugs, shoving his hands into his pockets and glancing away. It’s an oddly defensive response to what I thought was perfectly normal small talk, but it’s not like I care that much.
“I’m just taking some time off,” he says. “Been a while since I’ve been home.”
That’s a loaded statement, and we’re definitely not close enough for me to pry, so I just hum agreeably. We walk the block and a half to my apartment in relative quiet, my mind buzzing. Is he really just walking me home? I know I won’t have the balls to invite him in, not with the fear of this being just another cruel prank, but I don’t think I’ll be able to turn him down if he asks. He looks even better than I remember, and my old puppy crush is back in full force.
“That’s me,” I say, nodding toward the little fourplex at the end of the street.
“Really?” Wayne asks. “I’m actually staying right here.”
I glance at the motel we’re in front of, blinking in surprise. It’s none of my business why he’s not staying at his family’s ranch, so I bite my tongue to stop myself from asking. I’ve worked with Everett for my entire career, from my internship to after I got my degree, and I’ve almost never heard him mention his son. I’m sure there’s plenty of rocky family history there that I want nothing to do with.
