A moment later he stepped up beside her. “We pulled it off.”
She nodded. “We sure did.”
His eyes searched hers. “How’d your exams go?”
She exhaled. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“I’m sure you did great, darlin’.”
She turned to him, frowning. “Jesus, Clayton, why does everyone keep saying that? I bombed the reading section. I barely understood the passages. And the multiple-choice answers? They were all correct—you had to pick themostcorrect one. I guessed on half of them.”
Clayton studied her for a long beat then jerked his chin toward the bar. “Want a drink?”
She shrugged. “Not unless you’re having one. I’m not losing by default.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Not everything’s a competition.”
She shot him a look. “Since when?”
His lips twitched. “Fair point.”
“Anyway, don’t you have the girls tonight?” she asked.
“They’re staying with Momma and Daddy. They’ve got horse camp in the morning.”
Jamie blinked. “Horse camp?”
“Yeah, we run a camp for underprivileged kids.”
For a second, she just looked at him. Clayton Langley, soft-hearted cowboy? That was new.
“Are you a saint or something?” she asked, a little off balance.
He chuckled. “No, my parents do all the work. I show up and say howdy.”
“That’s mighty big of you.”
Something in his gaze shifted. The usual fire between them was still there but something quieter wove through it now. Something softer.
Jamie’s heart did a strange little skip. She cleared her throat. “I’m not drinking first.”
Clayton smirked. “We’ll see about that.”
And just like that, the moment passed. But it left something in its wake. Something neither of them wanted to name.
“Can I have your attention?” Nolan tapped a knife against his glass and the noise in the room softened to a dull roar. “Thanks for coming, everyone! And most importantly, happy birthday, Ruth!”
Ruth smiled, nestled between her parents, their arms wrapped around her.
He continued, “I want to welcome Mr. and Mrs. Abbott—Levi and Sue—to the ranch. And a huge thanks to Momma and Daddy for helping to pull this party together while we were on the road.”
A chorus of whistles and cheers erupted from the band and crew.
“But there’s one more surprise in store.”
Jamie glanced at Clayton. He gave a slight shrug, clearly just as clueless.
Nolan turned back to Ruth, a small jewelry box in his palm as he lowered himself to one knee. “Ruth Helen Abbott,” he said, voice steady but thick with emotion, “Will you be my wife?”
