Cody grins. “That’s because he’s embarrassed of me.”
I raise my brow as he chuckles. “Just kidding. But does that surprise you that he didn’t mention that to you? You must have spent some time around Wilder to know he doesn’t divulge too many personal details unless he feels that they're relevant to the conversation. Being a twin is one of them.”
I nod my head.And that’s probably an issue. How in the world do I ever learn anything about him?This is just for a weekend… at least, that’s what I tell myself.
“I’m Teagan Keating.”
“Nice to meet you, Teagan. How do you know my twin?”
“I just met Wilder last night at Baxter’s. I was there for my sister’s bachelorette party. To be fair, I haven’t known him for more than a day.”
“Well, I’m interested in hearing that meet-cute story, but that’s for another time,” he chuckles. “Your sister’s getting married in Lonestar Junction?”
“No, back on our farm in Pennsylvania, but her fiancé is from here, so she figured she’d have the bachelorette party in town.”
He raises his brows. “Who’s your sister's fiancé?”
“Ryder Davenport.”
Cody wrinkles his nose at the mention of Ryder’s name and scowls. “Does Wilder know that’s who your sister is marrying?”
“Um… no. I don’t think so. It hasn’t come up in the few conversations that we’ve had, but why would Wilder care?”
He opens his mouth like he wants to say something more to elaborate but thinks better of it before closing it and nodding.
“Yeah, you’re right,” he chuckles. “Well, Teagan, it was nice to meet you. Have fun with the wedding festivities and wish your sister good luck in her marriage for me. I hope I’ll see you around while I’m in town. I head back to where I live in Atlanta soon for the upcoming football season.”
“You play?”
He nods, “For the Atlanta Falcons. Been doing that for a few years now. Just in town visiting my family and checking up on things at Ashwood ranch while I have a break this weekend.”
“Oh, I see…”
He smiles again, tips his head and turns on his heel, heading back the way I just came from before I can ask anything more.
That was… weird.
Five minutes later, I finally make it to section 70, where mysister and her bridesmaids are all seated, watching the horse I’d helped warm up, Daisy, perform. She’s doing amazing, a cowboy is perched on her back while he ropes a lasso around in the air, showing off his skills. The crowd is loud and wild now, and it looks like the girls have devoured another round of hotdogs and drinks. The floor is covered in trash as I brush off the seat next to Shawna and sit down with a smile and a sigh.
“Where were you?” She hisses in my ear over the loud country music and shouting, her eyes suspicious as I grin back at her.
“Got lost looking at the horses. One of the employees let me ride the one that’s performing right now.”
Her eyes widen. “You rode on a horse? That one? Are you okay?”
I nod and smile. “I’m fantastic.”
She grins and squeezes my knee affectionally before turning back to watch the show. I smile again, still trying to catch my breath from what happened just a few minutes earlier with Wilder in the barn. Sometimes, when life throws you curveballs, you need to take a pause and catch your breath. But no matter how tough things get, eventually, you have toget back in the saddle.And I couldn’t think of someone better to do that with than him this weekend.
Chapter 11 – Wilder
As a kid, my favorite bedtime story was the one about how my parents met. It wasn’t a fairytale exactly, but it might as well have been to me.
The story went that my great-grandpa Clarence Ashwood left his beloved ranch to my mom—but only on the condition that she live and work on it for a full year before deciding whether to keep or sell it to my grandpa Rig Cameron.
At first, my dad had written her off as just another city girl who wouldn’t last a month in Lonestar Junction, let alone a year. He was grumpy and jaded, carrying the weight of past betrayals that had left him guarded towards new relationships. But my mom proved him wrong, and she did it in every way that mattered. She was tougher than she looked, resilient in ways no one had expected and gentle in ways that the whole Cameron family needed. She showed him that love could be strong enough to rebuild what had been broken. And by the end of that year, not only had they decided to keep the ranch, but they’d also decided to build a life together there—a life that would carry on for generations in Cody and me.
That story always stuck with me. It taught me that people can surprise you when you least expect it and show up at timeswhen you’re not looking for them. And now, lying here with Teagan asleep on my chest, I can’t help but think she’s done the exact same thing to me.
