Her tangled mind fascinated him, although he was never sure if he was pulling the knots tighter or unravelling her completely.
“I’ll wake you for dinner.”
She already had her face buried in her laptop again. “Uh-huh, whatever.”
Sometimes, Alexa surprised Nolan. Okay, she did that most of the time, but sometimes she really surprised him.
This morning when he’d asked if she wanted to come barrel racing, she’d said, “Okay.”
“You know there’ll be people there, right?”
A nod. “But you keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.”
“The Cranstons aren’t the enemy.”
“Isn’t Marielle going?”
“She got an invite.”
“How about Roy Leland?”
“He’s sponsoring the senior class.”
Nolan had seen his name on the schedule Antonella sent over. There was no charge for tickets, but attendees were expected to open their wallets and donate to the local 4-H club. Sponsors had their names in the program, and they were welcome to present the cup for their event.
“And Bo Hayes?”
“If there’s free food, he’ll be there.”
Alexa put her hands on her hips in a move reminiscent of Marielle, but cuter. “Then I’m going too.”
Earlier, she’d walked into his bedroom wearing a plain white linen dress, high-heeled pumps, and a determined expression, her hair smooth and straight rather than piled on top of her head in a messy bun. She was even wearing make-up.
“Who are you, and what have you done with Alexa?”
“Shut up. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can come back.”
Now she was standing at his side, shocking him once again by making polite small talk with strangers. Comfortable? Far from it—she gripped the handle of her oversized tote so hard her knuckles turned white—but she wore a forced smile, and she’d obviously googled barrel racing before they left, a chore because she liked horses about as much as she liked dogs.
Although she didn’t freak out when Juno meandered into the room anymore. Progress?
And the other surprise? Chase had flown to Japan yesterday, later than planned and alone. Alexa’s suitcases had been packed, ready for her to go with him, but two minutes before they were due to leave, she’d muttered something about system testing and stomped into the study, which she’d adopted as her new girl-cave.
Chase had shrugged and given Nolan a wry smile. “Good luck, buddy.”
“Aren’t you staying with her?”
“She’s all yours.”
Nolan only hoped that was true, but first, he had to nudge Marielle Marten out of his life. No doubt she’d make somebody a perfect wife or girlfriend, but Nolan wasn’t that man. Especially when she flipped the switch from charming to argumentative.
“Where’s Marielle?” Alexa muttered.
“Running late?” Honestly, he didn’t care. “You doing okay?”
“I don’t know. Am I?”
“Where did you learn how to work a party?”
