Right now he was close enough for me to see the faint laugh lines at the corners of his eyes. I drank him in, my pulse hammering up a notch.
“So,” I leaned my elbow on the bar and gave him a look once Vanessa and Ivy drifted off to flag down Max, the bartender. “Having fun?”
“Now that you’re here, I am,” he drawled back effortlessly with that familiar sparkle in his eye.
“I don’t know. I might have ruined your party. You were working some of your magic on them.”
Amos laughed and picked his cowboy hat up off the bar, planting it on his head. “You know me. I was just being friendly.”
“Mm-hm.”
“Hey, I couldn’t let them feel neglected,” he winked at me. “Could I?”
He slung an arm over my shoulder, then leaned in and lowered his voice to a quiet growl. “What do you think about that chick over there? Do you think she’s ready to ride the bronco tonight?” he asked, gesturing to a tourist who must have gotten lost and wandered in here.
The woman had her eyes locked on Amos, a stunned expression on her face like she’d never seen a mountain man in the flesh before.
Damn it.
If he weren’t so hot, maybe I’d actually get a few minutes with him.
I rolled my eyes and pushed his arm off my shoulder. “Leave the poor tourist alone. She doesn’t know about you yet. It wouldn’t be fair.”
“Maybe I can be her tour guide for the night,” he drawled, his eyes already off me and onto her.
And there it was, the familiar pit in my stomach.
Why did I have to love a man who didn’t love me back?
“You’re a pig, Amos Nelson. A total pig.” I smacked him on the arm.
He howled with laughter, his lips twitching up as I walked away. “I love you, too, Shelly-Rae! When are you going to marry me and finally ridemybronco? Huh?”
He wassucha showman. He made that announcement half a dozen times every Friday night. But as far as I knew, no woman had ever been offered a ring.
Amos was guilty of false advertising. I sniffed.
A few minutes later, I found Mina and steered her straight out to the parking lot, pushing through the front door with force.
“He does this every single Friday,” I said as I paced around the small gravel lot.
“Okaaaay,” she said slowly. “And this bothers you because…”
“Because it’s exhausting to watch.”
She listened, arms crossed, one eyebrow climbing up.
Then blurted out, “Youcan’texpect a man like him to change. And at least he doesn’t lie about who he is. He’s honest about it. I admire that about Amos.”
I sighed. “I know. I just… thought he’d grow up at some point. He still acts like he did when we were in our twenties.”
Mina’s lips quirked up. “And that’s why I don’t understand why you keep expecting him to change. Amos is just in therebeing Amos. Like he always is. You’re the only one worked up about it.”
She was right. But it didn’t make it sting any less.
The thing I didn’t understand was why he’d never takenmehome. Afterallthese years.
As far as I knew he was closer to me than any other woman on Red Oak Mountain. But he treated me like one of the guys.
