Winnie pulled back and smiled at him. “Let me guess: you’re an I-don’t-eat-fruit-on-my-pizza cowboy.”
He grinned at her. “Wrong. I love a good ham and pineapple pie, but it has to have Alfredo sauce, not the red sauce. Otherwise, everything’s too sweet.”
Winnie shook her head. “I’ve never met anyone who changes their order and does so many substitutions as you.”
“Are you kidding?” he said. “We’ve been out once, and I ordered the chicken dinner as-is, same as you.”
“Yeah, but you’re always telling me how you like this—but—and you like that—but.”
“Well, there are some modifications worth making.”
Winnie cradled his face in her hand, and the moment between them softened and also strengthened. “I really appreciate you coming to take care of me today, Ty.”
“It might sound crazy,” he whispered back. “But I really like taking care of things. Mostly, I’ve only had the opportunity to do that for horses, but doing it for you is twice as good as helping out a horse.”
Winnie grinned and giggled. “Wow, that’s so romantic.”
Ty laughed, the sound free and full of joy. “Don’t make fun of me,” he said. “Thatwasromantic for me.” He sobered, and their eyesmet. “You know everyone is going to pepper you with questions at the wedding.”
He sighed and let his eyes drift closed again. “You’re going to have to meet my parents, my siblings, all of my friends. Every single one of them is going to wonder what we are.”
Winnie’s pulse stormed through her body. “Part of having Carver leave a week before our wedding taught me that people can think whatever they want. As long as I know what’s true, then it doesn’t matter.”
“I like that.” Ty opened his eyes and looked at her. Really looked at her. “And what’s true for us?”
He leaned closer, his lips barely skimming the soft skin along her cheek. “Am I your boyfriend?” He touched his lips in a full kiss right below her ear. “Are you my girlfriend?”
“Yes,” she gasped. “I’m not seeing anyone else, and we’ve been out a few times now.”
“So the weddingisn’tjust a couple of casual hours, so I don’t have to go alone.”
“If that’s what you want it to be, you better say so right now,” she said. “Because I think we’ve come a long way in a week, and I can have casual friendships with my coworkers.”
Ty pulled back just slightly, his eyes oh-so-serious as he gazed at her. “Good, because there’s nothing casual about this for me.”
He laid his head back down on the beanbag, and Winnie tucked herself back into his arms, a sense of safety and comfort filling her that could only come from having another person care about her and take care of her.
“But for real,” he said. “What do you want on your pizza tonight?”
“Anything but mushrooms,” she said. “Remember, Ty, I like to eat, and I can find almost anything that I like.”
“All right,” he said. “There’s an amazing barbecue chicken pizza from The Bullpen. How does that sound?”
“Sounds like an amazing third date,” Winnie said, and whileattending the wedding with him did send a stream of nerves through her—mostly because of how many people would be watching her and wondering how she and Ty had met and how serious they were and how long they’d been together—Winnie was still sure that her time on Saturday would be her fourth incredible date with the handsome, if a little surly, Tyson Greene.
13
Wilder Glover adjusted his tie for the third time as he stood at the back of the ballroom, watching snowflakes drift past the tall windows. He prayed the weather would hold long enough for him to get Savannah and the girls back home, as the drive into town had been a bit sketchy. The wind had been relentless lately, and it currently sent the snow into a blur, making everything white in all directions.
January in the Texas Panhandle could be unpredictable, and this morning’s storm had been on the calendar for the past ten days. Aunt Ida had started making contingency plans immediately, and while Judy and Trooper hadn’t wanted to have their wedding at the ranch, in the family barn where so many others had tied the knot, they’d chosen a beautiful old church in town that had been converted into a wedding venue.
The Perennial had indoor and outdoor space, and Ida had rented the whole building, so they’d simply had to reconfigure some of the seating for the reception, and Aunt Etta had stepped in to help her twin call around and find a tent rental company that could handle the snow.
In the end, the wind had canceled some things, and Wilder reached up and wiped a thin sheen of sweat from underneath the brim of his cowboy hat.
“It’s hot in here, isn’t it?” Savannah appeared at his elbow, wearing a smile that made his heart skip one, two, three beats.
“There’s too many people here,” he said.
