“Well, thank you for celebrating me,” I say.
“You’re like a second daughter to me, Carli. I’ll always celebrate you.”
McKenna walks into the kitchen. “Are you two spilling tea without me?”
“No tea. Your mom’s just building me up, as usual.”
“As she should,” McKenna walks over and pulls me into a hug. “I’m so proud of you. You went for it and you got it.”
“I’m proud too,” I admit. “Just nervous now. But excited.”
“That’s normal,” McKenna assures me.
I hang around a little while longer. The guys start to take off for their cabins, so I take that as my natural cue to head out as well.
“Thanks for having me,” I tell Mr. and Mrs. Lawson.
“Don’t be a stranger, Carli,” Mr. Lawson says on a yawn.
“Call me tomorrow,” McKenna says.
“I will.” I step out onto the porch and slip my boots on. Cody’s in the driveway. I walk past him on the way to my truck.
“Thanks,” I say to him, a wave of shyness washing through me.
“For?”
“For what you said on the couch.”
“You’ll do great.” He smiles at me and I resist the urge to step closer to him.
“Well … I’ll see you.”
“Yeah. See you at work, probably,” he says with a soft chuckle.
“That will just be weird,” I say, smiling back at him.
“Not completely,” he assures me with a wink.
All the way home I picture him winking at me, the way his foot felt brushing against mine, and the private smiles he gave me through the darkened living room while the rest of the family fixed their eyes on the scenes on the big screen. I tell myself he’s just being neighborly, even though my heart keeps trying to convince me it’s more.
Chapter 10
Cody
I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig.
You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it.
~ George Bernard Shaw
Driving home from work,the promise and stirrings of spring are everywhere, from the songs of the birds to the shoots of daffodils pushing through the hardened earth. Buds swell on the trees and fat drops of rain splat on my windshield, too big to ignore, but too sporadic to justify the wipers.
I’m tired in a way that makes me restless. If I go home and try to sleep, I’m liable to throw my back out from tossing and turning.
One of the perks of having ranchers as friends is the hours we keep. I know I’m not waking Jace when I call him. He’s been up for at least three hours by now.
“Hey, Cody,” he answers. He sounds distracted and all business.
