Page 49 of One Last Shot
“Yep.” He took the steak platter from her. “My dad works on our family ranch in South Dakota.”
“Huh.” She pulled the plug on the water, debating another splash. “No wonder you have that cowboy thing going.”
“Cowboy thing?”
“All this.” She moved her hand in front of him. “Very Yellowstone.”
“That’s in Wyoming.”
“Youget what I mean.”
He set down the platter. Met her eyes. “I think that might be the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
She laughed. “Hardly, Mr. CMT. I know you’ve won awards.” She ran her sponge over the counter. “You have fans all over the world.”
He stacked the dry dishes. “Yeah. But no one knows about South Dakota. They all think I grew up in Nashville.”
She drained the sink. “Why’s that?”
“My mom moved us to Nashvegas when I was eight so my sister could pursue her singing career.” He folded the towel and set it on the counter.
“Hollie Montgomery.”
He touched his nose. “Good memory.”
“I remember hearing about an accident on the news. I was at a school in San Antonio. Something about her going off the road in a blizzard?”
“Yep. They didn’t find her until two days later. She froze to death.”
Oh. “I’m sorry.”
He lifted a shoulder. Crossed his arms over himself.
And the silence between them was why she didn’t do conversations or small talk or even?—
“I’m glad you came out tonight. Put on pants and everything.”
“Pants?”
“My dad is an introvert. He likes long rides with no conversation. I got used to it. But he always says that he needs a mighty good reason to put on pants and leave the house.”
She smiled at that. “Yeah. I guess. I get all worked up in my head and worry that I’m going to say something stupid—and usually I do. And then I regret it for weeks. Years. My entire life.”
“Aw, c’mon. If you’re talking about the Blake thing—it’s not that bad.”
She stared at him. “It isthat bad. Always.In my head. In real life. GoogleBoo Hooand I’ll pop up first in images, with a thousand crazy memes. Someone made a meme of my face, crossed out ‘drama queen’ and wrote my name, and it trended. Boo Hoo became a gif response for anything no one actually cares about. There’s a Bored Panda quiz about what crazy person you are, and I’m listed as an option. Believe me, it’s that bad.”
He raised his eyebrows.
“This is why I should never leave the house.” She looked away. “The fact is, I came to Alaska to put all that behind me, and I thought I had until?—”
“Until I invaded your life.”
“No. Yes. But... that’s not... well, Blake has been texting me.” She didn’t know why she said that, and now couldn’t even look at him.
“Really?”
“Yeah. Three times. Asking to talk.” She pulled out her phone, pulled up the text, and showed Oaken.