Page 39 of Hometown Cowboy
“Of course not. That’s different.You’redifferent. I’m not…”
“Not what?”
Not like you. I don’t deserve her.
He didn’t know how to articulate what he was thinking. It all didn’t make any sense.
“Nothing. I don’t see what big of a deal it is. I want to be there for her, I want to be there for the kid. I did the right thing—I proposed.”
Gabe stared at him in disbelief. “Wow. What a romantic. For someone who’s supposedly a ladies’ man, you sure know jack about women. No wonder she told you to get lost.”
A revving car engine caught their attention and they both twisted their heads to see who was headed their way.
Max pulled up with a squeal of brakes. He strode toward them and stopped, hands on hips, staring down at them still lying on their backs in the dirt.
“Are you both all right, or do I need to call an ambulance?”
Ryan sent him a half-hearted smile. “Depends if that big jerk over there is going to hit me again.”
“Depends if you deserve it,” Gabe muttered as Max helped him up. He brushed off the dust and stood staring down at his lifelong friend. “This is still a problem. I’m not happy about any of it. I know Darby will do whatever she wants.” He leaned down and held out his hand to Ryan. Ryan grabbed it warily. Gabe hauled him upright then pointed at him. “But youwillfix this. I don’t care how, and I don’t care if youdohave to grovel. Just fix it.”
“And how do you propose I do that? She’s already said no once. I doubt she’s going to change her mind anytime soon. I doubt she’s even speaking to me right now.”
Max put his hand on Ryan’s shoulder, turning him to face him. “Maybe not right now but give her time. You hurt her, man.” He glanced between them. “I don’t know all the details. I had to leave to save your sorry arse before this one here could make good on his promise to kill you, but I do know my sister. You two are friends. Regardless of what else happened, you’ve known each other since I can remember and that has to count for something. Sort yourself out first. I don’t care what type of soul searching you have to do, just do it and do it fast. I’m playing the big brother card here. Darby will kill me for saying this, but she’s had a thing for you for years, and I know for a fact that you’ve been a bit sweet on her yourself for a long time. Don’t mess it up because you can’t get your own head straight. Life’s too freaking short to give up opportunities. Don’t let her get away because you’re too damned stubborn to see the truth.”
Ryan opened his mouth to refute Max’s crazy assumptions. Max frowned and crossed his arms. Ryan’s shoulders slumped and he scraped his hand over his face. A weariness like he’d never known hit him.
“I don’t know how to fix it. I don’t know what to do.”
“You’ll figure it out. The thing is, you’ve said for years that you don’t need anyone, that you don’t love anyone. That’s a load of rubbish, right there. You need us. We need you. You love us, and I believe that includes Darb too. The love is there, man. It’s all around you.”
Max gently tapped Ryan on the side of the head. “You just have to fix what’s got all twisted up in here first.”
Chapter Seventeen
“Nothing much thathappens in this town gets past Mildred Appleton.”
Darby cringed at the sound of the well-known voice behind her. She knew Julie would come by at some point; she’d just hoped it would’ve been in a few days.
Or years. She could’ve handled a few years’ grace.
Darby pasted the best semblance of a smile on her mouth and half turned. The morning had been horrendously busy at the bakery, and they finally had a break between customers.
She shoved down the uneasiness and shame that tried to overwhelm her. She should’ve gone to see Julie. The woman had always been so good to her over the years. And Julie hadn’t had it easy.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been to see you yet,” Darby whispered. She couldn’t hold the older woman’s gaze, so she focused on rearranging packets of homemade jam drops on the shelf in front of her.
Julie’s warm hand covered her own and stopped the random shuffling of biscuits she’d been mindlessly doing.
“Darby?”
Darby looked up at the sadness in Julie’s voice, only to see it mirrored on her face.
“Are you okay?”
She went to sayof course, then shut her mouth with a snap. “Yeah.” She shrugged one shoulder self-consciously. “I guess.”
“What do you need me to do?”