“Oh, Allegra, you sound so happy,” Martha had said. “Are you happy, sweetheart?”
I was, I really was. Something about being back in the country, surrounded by people I truly enjoyed being around, possibly falling for someone who treated me like a queen, I was happy. “I am, Martha. I miss you, and Chicago, of course, but I’m really happy.”
I was doing my best not to think about what it meant for me when this project was over. The sense of overwhelming doom was how it was best described in my head. It was terrifying and had so many unanswered questions.
I actually had my final presentation scheduled for two weeks from now. That’s where I was going to show Mr. Sterling that I was qualified for his job, that I spent the last few weeksdoing what I do best, and earning every cent I was given.
“That warms my heart,” Martha was sniffing, as if she was teary just thinking about my happiness.
Gosh, I was lucky to have her.
I hung up and slipped into the camper, careful not to disturb the serious conversation that was going on around the campfire.
Family stuff, career stuff, rodeo stuff, who knew? But it wasn’t my business, and I wasdrained.
I slipped out of my pale pink dress and slid on my favorite blue tank-top-and-shorts pajama set. Yes, it was way too short to wear in front of Colton’s family, so I had a backup lounge set to slide on in the morning.
I just couldn’t resist a perfect night’s sleep in the most comfortable bed with my favorite jammies.
The sun had set a while ago, and the crickets and fireflies were coming out for the night. I took a deep breath, the familiar Texas air filling my lungs.
Yes, my teen years had been horrible here, but I couldn’t deny that this had been my home for most of my life. I loved Texas, no matter how far I had tried to run, no matter how hard I had tried to change who I was.
I was a cowgirl from Texas, and being around an Oklahoma cowboy was making that fact harder and harderto hide.
Speaking of the Oklahoma cowboy, the front camper door squeaked open and closed quietly.
The bathroom door, which was the only thing between my room and the living room, opened, and I heard the shower startup.
I had hoped to say goodnight to Colton, maybe even kiss him one more time, so I could dream about his lips, but I was too tired to wait for him to shower.
I’d kiss him in the morning…
I must’ve drifted off quickly. The camper was completely dark, pitch black, except for a small light in the corner.
I squinted, and my eyes finally adjusted to see Colton sliding the curtain open and holding his phone as a flashlight. He stepped on a squeaky floorboard and cringed, sliding the curtain closed behind him.
He jumped a little when he saw me awake. “Hi,” he whispered.
I couldn’t help but smile. “Hi,” I whispered back.
He was only wearing basketball shorts, no shirt, and his hair was wet from the shower.
Oh, sweet heavens.
I sat up and smoothed my hair, hoping I wasn’t asleep long enough to already have bed head.
“Did I wake ya?”
“No,” I lied.
He was now just standing awkwardly in the entrance of the room, his twitching hands giving away his nervousness.
“You’re blinding me,” I said with a laugh. I reached over and turned on the light on the sconce.
“Sorry,” he said, lowering his phone flashlight. “I just….Ididn’t want to…I wanted to say goodnight,” he stumbled.
I was now very aware of my tank top and shorts. “Come onin.”
