I nod and plaster a smile on my face. “That’s what he said. And I guess he was being totally sincere about that, since he didn’t make a move on me, during or after our meal.”
“Not at all?”
I shake my head. “He didn’t even flirt with me. Apparently, it was a random act of kindness. Or maybe he was simply bored that day. Who knows? All I know is we talked, had dinner, and that was it.” Man, it’s scary how easily I can lie about this. Probably because my fairy tale with Roman in Hawaii doesn’t even feel real anymore. More like a lovely dream that never happened, except in my own mind.
“Well, damn,” Darcy grumbles. “What a bummer.”
Harper interjects, “Maybe Roman figured with Iris getting out of an engagement only a few days before, she wouldn’t be interested in jumping into bed with him.”
I tap my chin and pretend to contemplate Harper’s supposedly new theory, even though I’ve heard it before. I’ve given this same fictitious account of the viral dinner photograph several times since coming home to Orchard Blossom—enough that Harper now knows exactly when to chime in to help me deflect from the truth even more and make my chaste version of events seem all the more believable.
“I hadn’t thought of that,” I say to Harper, even though she offered the same theory during a similar conversation yesterday afternoon at her family’s horse ranch. “But it makes sense. Either way, I certainly like that theory far more than Roman simply not finding me attractive.”
“Who wouldn’t find you attractive?” Darcy says, waving a hand in the air. “You’re beautiful. Inside and out.”
“Thank you, Darcy. I’m not sure Roman Maguire would agree with you, though.”
Speaking of Roman, his voice on the TV screen above Darcy draws our attention again. “No, it wasn’t a hard decision for me. When someone offers you the chance to play for the best coach in the world again, you do it.” Roman looks straight into the camera. “I’ve recently had the unfortunate opportunity to realize regret is a truly horrible emotion. Worst of all is regretting something Ididn’tdo than something Idid. That’s why, whether I’m considering taking a dream job or taking a chance on a special someone, whatever it is, I’m now determined to take a risk anddothe thing, even if it doesn’t ultimately work out, so I never again have to lie awake at night in bed, wondering, ‘What if?’”
Chapter 27
Iris
Six Weeks Later
“Does that feelgood, sweet boy? You’re such a big, beautiful baby. Yes, you are.”
I’m cooing these words to a quarter horse named Butterscotch, a calm gelding for beginners, while brushing him in his stall after a riding lesson. His stall is one of ten lining the north side of the largest stable on Harper’s family’s horse ranch. During my stay in Orchard Blossom, I’ve helped out around here, the same way I did in high school. What else am I going to do? My job search thus far has been woefully ineffective, so at least being here and helping out is something productive to do.
“Iris.”
I straighten up from brushing Butterscotch’s front leg and discover the source of the deep, sexy voice.Roman.He’s here. In Orchard Blossom, looking effortlessly cool and scrumptious in a tight-fitting T-shirt, jeans, and a baseball cap imprinted with a thunderbolt.
“Hey,” I gasp out. I blink rapidly, not believing my eyes. He’s standing on the other side of Butterscotch in a wide dirt walkway just outside the stall, but he might as well be licking my naked skin, based on the way my nervous system is reacting to the sight of him.
“Look at you, country girl,” Roman says, a crooked grin on his face. “You’re in your element.”
I feel dizzy. Disoriented. This feels like two worlds colliding—my fantasy world and real life. Should I come out from around Butterscotch to hug him in greeting? If so, I’m not sure mywobbly legs will safely make the journey. Why is he here? To seeme, specifically? If so, did he come to pursue me romantically, or to ask me to sign an NDA about our fling in Kauai? During a recent FaceTime call with Kaylee and Tatiana, Kaylee said she was surprised Roman never asked me to sign an NDA, since it’s well-known that high-profile people often require them of the people in their orbits. Is that why Roman is here?
My racing mind is making it difficult to form words. But somehow, I manage to choke out, “H-how’d you find me?”
Roman’s crooked smile returns. “You said you were going home to Orchard Blossom after Denver.”
“No,here. At the ranch.”
He shrugs. “I asked about you in town, and a bartender told me to look for you here. Sorry I didn’t call before showing up. The number I have for you didn’t work.”
“I had to change it. Crazies kept calling and telling me to kill myself for being a slut.”
Roman looks stricken. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“It’s okay. The new number did the trick. For now, anyway.” My feet still frozen in place, I lay a palm on Butterscotch’s back. “So, uh, w-what, brings you to Orchard Blossom?”
Roman’s dark eyes feel like they’re boring into my soul. “You talked about how ‘magical’ your hometown is, so I figured I’d check out the magic for myself. Mandatory minicamp is over, and I’ve got a couple weeks till training camp, so now is the perfect time.” He takes a tentative step forward. “I still owe you a day of horseback riding, remember? I know we were supposed to do it on a Hawaiian beach at sunset, but I’m hoping you’ll say yes to doing it here instead.”
What’s happening? Why is he really here? Roman couldn’t possibly have squeezed in a visit to my small hometown simply to fulfill his plan to ride horses with me.
“W-when?” I ask lamely, even though I’ve got zero plans for the next eighty years.
