Colt pulled in a breath and met Trap’s eyes. “I didn’t realize you guys were going with labels.”
“It’s very new,” Trap said, looking at Lila Mae. “We’ve been…exploring things, I guess, for a couple of weeks.”
“Is that what you call it?” Lila Mae asked. “Exploringthings?”
“I guess I need a vocabulary lesson,” Trap said dryly. “Thanks a lot, Colt.” He flashed a smile at Lila Mae and ducked his head closer to hers. “You have to admit we’re kind of new,” he said as he guided her away from the gift table.
“They’re not as new as us,” Sariah said. “We don’t have any labels yet.”
“Nope, not yet,” Colt said, and he realized in that moment that Elaine still stood there.
She smiled at him and quickly turned away before he could read her expression. “It was lovely to meet you,” she said over her shoulder, giving no excuse for leaving. Nope, she simply left, because Elaine Walker did what she wanted to do.
Relief poured through Colt, as did a healthy dose of disappointment, which made absolutely no sense whatsoever. He got along great with Sariah. He could talk to her, and he liked her. Colt felt good about himself with Sariah, and he didn’t need Elaine Walker to complicate things.
“Howdy, Colt.” Ty said, and Colt turned toward him.
“Hey, brother. How you doing?”
“It’s a Tuesday, and we’re at a party.” Tyson lifted his plastic cup of drink to his lips. “The best thing about it is this apple cider.”
Colt chuckled and indicated Sariah. “Sariah, this is one of my best friends, Ty.”
“Yes, I know who you are,” she said, her voice taking on a hint of animation.
Colt watched as Ty’s expression darkened, and his pulse picked up. “Sweetheart, he doesn’t want to talk about the rodeo.”
“Yes, he does,” Winnie said as she joined them. “Are we talking about the rodeo? Ty loves the rodeo.”
“Winnie,” he said, plenty of disdain in his voice.
She grinned at him. “Fine. He doesn’t love talking about the rodeo, but he should. Otherwise, why would he have done that article?” She cocked her eyebrows at him and linked her arm through his, the four of them making a square.
“Guys, this is my date, Sariah,” he said. “This is only our second date, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t say anything too….”
“Revealing?” Ty guessed.
“Personal?” Winnie grinned at him.
Colt laughed, hung his head, and shook it. “Both of those work, I suppose.”
“Come on.” Sariah gave him a playful shove. “Iwantall the personal stuff.”
“Yeah, but not from them.” He leaned closer, sliding his arm around her and tucking her right against his side. He breathed in the scent of her dark hair, getting honey and orange. “Ty’s a little grumpy about his rodeo career is all.” He looked over to Ty, and then past him to…Elaine.
“A safer topic would be their wedding.” Colt straightened and smiled at Winnie and Ty.
Sariah gave an almost imperceptible nod and then faced them again.
Colt cataloged the looks on both Winnie and Ty’s face as surprise, and he supposed he hadn’t dated anybody he liked in a long time, and they certainly wouldn’t know how he actedwhen he did. Their expressions alone reminded him that helikedSariah and wanted to continue this relationship with her. Even if he was still attracted to Elaine, she wasn’t the one on his arm that night, and maybe it was time for him to move on to someone a little bit more in his league.
16
Dawson Rhinehart put his coffee cup in the kitchen sink at the same time his doorbell cam alerted him of movement. “That’ll be April,” he said, glancing over to the breakfast nook where Caroline and their three children still sat, eating breakfast.
Bronco, his eighteen-month-old, had more syrup on his face than had probably gone in his mouth, but Dawson loved him with his whole soul. Joy, who had just turned three and had been talking more and more, grinned at him and held up her plastic fork with a piece of sausage stuck to it.
“You eat, daddy,” she said.
