“Hey. I’m just here to warm up the crowd. You’re the main attraction.”
“I know,” she replied with a laugh. “I was just trying to be nice.”
Zach made a big show of rolling his eyes, making Cherry and her brother laugh even harder. He turned toward the ring doors and gave Steve a gentle pat just before he climbed in the saddle.
“Come on, boy, let’s do this.”
A few moments later the doors sprung open, Zach clicked his tongue and Steve took off. They circled the ring once, the faces in the crowd a blur until they slowed to a canter, approaching the announcer’s platform. Zach swung his leg over Steve’s back and hit the ground in a smooth, effortless stride as Steve continued on, picking up speed. Zach put his hand up in the air, taking in the crowd’s cheers as he caught the mic without looking.
“Welcome to Big Rock Ranch, everybody!” he said as he turned to the Getlier wedding party. “We’ve got an amazing show for you today and for those of you out there in your seats who think you got that true grit, we’ll invite you to try your hand at roping and wrastling.” Yeah, volunteers would be roping a big wooden block shaped like a sheep, but it was plenty enough to be a part of the fun.
Steve sprinted by. Zach held the smile on his face as he noted Steve’s gait. He kept on with his spiel, then introduced the twins. Steve finished his second loop just as Zach handed the mic back to Boyd. He slowed to a trot and then a stop. Zach waved to the crowd, then tipped his hat at Elizabeth Getlier and her groom-to-be, Chuck. Then he turned back and made a move for Steve’s reins, moving his hand just in Steve’s line of sight. The horse knew his cue. He made a show of skipping forward a few steps, so the horn of the saddle was just out of Zach’s reach.
Zach made the move again and Steve skipped forward, then turned to face Zach. The laughter from the crowd told Zach their little bit was landing. Zach stood still, head tilted at Steve, then pointed to the ground, motioning for him to get his big horsey ass back over to him. But Steve wasn’t having it. He did a loop around the ring backwards. Zach watched his progress, throwing his hands up in exasperation.
When Steve reached the far side of the corral, Zach saw them. Saw Evie on the other side of the fence, sitting in the flatbed of his brother’s truck. Jesse and Vega and Lilah were with her. The dogs too, but all Zach could see was Evie’s smile beaming at him from across the ring. He froze for a beat, meeting her eyes before he went back to tracking Steve’s movements.
His horse stopped when he reached the main stands. He bowed his head and lightly brushed his lips on the cheek of one of the wedding guests. He moved along the railing, dropping kisses on every face and forehead he could reach until Zach stuck fingers in his mouth and let out a wolf whistle that could be heard on the other side of the mountain. Steve cut across the ring and stopped right in front of Zach. He used his nose to knock Zach’s Stetson off as he brushed his mouth against Zach’s forehead. The crowd was loving it.
Zach swung back up in the saddle, leaving his hat on the ground. On his cue, Steve took off again, working up to a gallop. Zach swung his leg back over, his feet tapping the ground, before he swung his whole body back over to Steve’s right flank. He flipped back on so he was backward in the saddle, then rolled forward and spun back around so he was facing forward. As they completed a final loop, Zach leaned down and snatched his Stetson off the ground and slipped it back on his head.
“Zach Pleasant and his noble steed, Steve!” He waved to the cheering crowd, letting Steve guide them back into the barn.
One of their stable hands, Emily was waiting to take Steve for his cool-down. Zach dismounted and gave Steve a few firm pats.
“Good boy, buddy. Great job.”
“You killed it, huh?” Emily laughed.
“Every time.”
He’d planned to cool down himself, then head out to the side of the stands to watch the rest of the show before he went to check on the Getliers. Instead he jogged around the far side of the arena. Evie spotted him before he reached the truck, and hopped down. He thought about all the times she’d been waiting for him and Sam after their events. All the times she hadn’t been there. When her grandmother wouldn’t let her come on their overnight trips. Nana Buck suggested that Evie would be considered “fast” for even wanting to join them.
He started jogging faster, thinking of the sound of his father’s voice telling him how Evie would make a good wife one day. He remembered thinking his dad was nuts. Evie was just his friend, even if she did make him feel things he’d never felt before. There was a time Zach thought Nana Buck was right. Evie wasn’t meant for him. She wasn’t meant for Charming. But Zach had no clue what that friendship really meant to him then. He didn’t understand what he could feel growing between them now.
Evie stopped short and let Zach take her in his arms. He didn’t kiss her, but he hugged the shit out of her. She smelled like soap and a little like nutmeg again. When he pulled back she had the prettiest smile on her face.
“What are you doing here? I thought Miss Leona left strict orders lest we risk a celebrity sighting.”
“I hit my limit with cooking shows and I wanted to see you ride. Jesse said we’d be away from the guests over here.” Which they were. “That was amazing,” Evie said.
“Yeah, that was pretty sweet,” Vega added.
“Nah,” Zach said. “It wasn’t much. You should see Sam.”
“How’re the knees?” Jesse asked.
“Screaming, but I’ll live.” Zach took Evie’s hand and led her back over to the truck.
He leaned back against the edge of the flatbed and pulled Evie back into his arms, her shoulders pressing against his chest. They watched a good chunk of the show this way, Zach breathing in her clean scent, taking in the warmth from her lush body. But as soon as Elizabeth Getlier was chosen from the crowd, it was time for him to head back. Roping her husband-to-be was the last act of the exhibition.
“I have to get back.”
“Okay.” That bright smile touched her lips again. He wanted to kiss her so badly.
“And I have to do some more networking tonight. A few of Getlier’s businesses are coming in for the rehearsal dinner.”
“Okay.”
