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Skye nodded and turned to his parents. ‘See you later?’

They all heard that it was phrased as a question, like a plea for consent. TJ had noticed that she did that often.

‘Go, baby. Have fun,’ his mom told her.

Skye came to where he stood by the truck. Bandit followed. She was dressed in boot-cut Wrangler jeans and a skintight black top that he suspected might be one of those bodysuits women wore – and TJ loved. Her ancient riding boots were on her feet, and her ruthlessly stylish pixie cut was free of her signature ball cap.

‘You look gorgeous,’ he said, trying to say the words casually so that she didn’t baulk.

Skye smiled tightly. ‘Thanks.’

He leaned into the truck and took out the tiny potted cactus he’d stopped and picked up from the garden nursery in town.

Skye’s eyes instantly brightened, losing that wariness his compliment had settled there. She laughed. ‘Aren’t you supposed to get me flowers?’

‘Nah. Too predictable. Besides, flowers die. This way’ – he passed her the pot – ‘you’re going to be thinking about this date – and me – for a long time to come. Possibly years. It’s native to Arizona, so even if you throw it out your window, it’ll just thrive.’

She rolled her eyes. But when she took the cactus from him, she couldn’t quite bite back her smile. ‘Thank you. It’s ridiculous. I love it.’ She turned, said, ‘I’m just gonna go put it in my room quick.’

She hurried inside, leaving him to walk back to his parents while he waited.

‘Where are you guys going?’ The question was asked casually enough, but TJ heard the concern in his mom’s tone.

‘We’re going to start at Tia’s. I booked Skye a barrel lesson. Given that we’ll have the horses, I’ll probably pop out and grab some burgers while she wraps up her ride, and then we’ll head back here.’

‘Sounds like a good night,’ his dad observed.

TJ relaxed slightly when his mom smiled at him and added, ‘It sure does.’

Skye hurried back out, her boots clicking on the tiles. ‘Okay, I’m ready now.’

This time, when Bandit followed them to the truck, TJ said, ‘Bandit. Stay.’

The dog stopped immediately. He plopped his butt on the ground and watched as TJ walked Skye to her door. When he closed her inside his truck, Bandit whined.

‘That dog’s gonna go with her when she leaves,’ he warned his mom.

‘I know it.’ She winked at him. ‘Foster fail, my ass.’

TJ grinned as he walked to the driver’s side. ‘We both know you’ll have rescued another one in under three days – one that I’ll have to train.’

She scoffed.

His dad laughed.

TJ waved and climbed into the truck. He started the engine, felt a small trickle of alarm when Kip Moore’s ‘Hey Pretty Girl’ filtered through the Country radio. He loved the song, but he didn’t want her to think he’d put it on as some ploy for intimacy.

But Skye just sighed, and said, ‘I love this song.’ She reached for the volume, cranked it up and, to his absolute delight, started singing along in a voice as smooth as honey.

TJ didn’t speak. Hell, he barely breathed as he listened to her sing.

Chapter 9

When they drove ten minutes down the road and turned onto another farm, Skye looked round at TJ. ‘What is this place?’

‘A friend of mine, Tia Baker, is a barrel racer who’s competing on the rodeo circuit at the moment.’

‘The WPRA?’ Skye asked.