. happy, I guess. Bossy, more like it. She’s very, uh, particular with food preparation.”
Axel chuckled. “Oh, perfect. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate hearing this. I’ll tell my mom, too. We’re sitting in Seattle wondering if we made a huge mistake. Thanks, bro. I owe you. And feel free to text me with any updates. Anytime, day or night.”
The guy hung up before Westin could tell him that one update had been plenty. He didn’t want to be in the middle of the sibling relationship, and besides, if she didn’t want to talk to her brother, there must be a reason for it.
He pulled away from the ranch house and headed toward Ryan’s place. The guys should be arriving soon, and in another hour, they’d all head back to Kellie’s. But right now, he needed the drive to clear his head.
Silvia had seen right through him. At least that was out of the way. But what did she think about him? Despite them living worlds apart, would she ever be interested in a guy like him? One who was probably messed up in the head, too?
He smiled as he thought of how she’d whisked that dressing, then made him taste the green pepper. He wondered if she’d come to the rodeo tonight. It had been a long time since he’d anticipated seeing a woman show up at a rodeo. Maybe they could do some stargazing after. Watch the sun rise the next morning.
As he neared Ryan’s place, Westin wondered if he should tell Silvia about her brother’s phone call. Maybe he could ask her more about Axel, and then gauge it from there.
For now, he’d let her make that next move. If she showed up at the rodeo, then he’d know . . . And he’d ask her to spend more time with him. Somehow.
Dinner had been excellent, if Silvia could say so herself.
The women, and all the cowboys—six of them—had been more than complimentary. Interestingly enough, Westin had been quiet among the larger group. She’d felt his gaze on her more than once, but he only thanked her for the meal. Even when Kellie commented that he’d had a hand in preparing it, he’d just nodded.
Interesting.
Westin had been more than talkative when it was just the two of them.
Maybe he’d cooled toward her? They’d definitely flirted, and she’d even called him out—and he hadn’t denied a thing.
So, what had been going through his head at dinner?
Not that Silvia should be dwelling on this.
The women were all in their rooms, getting ready for the rodeo that was going to start in an hour. One would have thought they were a bunch of giggly teenagers who were discussing high school by their conversation before everyone separated to get ready.
As for Silvia, she still wasn’t going.
She hadn’t even turned on her bedroom light, but instead, lay on the bed as the twilight deepened outside, and the stars popped to life, one by one. Her window gave her a great view of the western horizon.
The ticket Westin had given her was still in her jeans pocket. She’d slipped it in there so Kellie wouldn’t ask any questions.
A knock sounded at the door. “You still staying here, hon?” Glory called out.
“Yeah,” Silvia answered.
The door cracked open, and Glory’s head appeared. She was gussied up in a cowboy hat and pink boots. Silvia smiled at the sight.
“I got extra boots for you if that’s holding you back,” Glory said. “What size are you?”
Silvia sat up on her bed and leaned against the wall. “That’s not why I’m not going.”
Glory stepped into the room. “Then why not?”
“I’m just not interested in rodeo.” Silvia shrugged. “I went to one once, and it wasn’t that great.”
“Where?”
Silvia frowned. “Does the location make a difference?”
“Sure does,” Glory said. “Don’t tell me you went to one of those indoor places that are purely for entertainment.”
At Silvia’s nod, Glory continued, “You need to see the real thing. The raw competition. The skill and talent that it takes to perform to the limit of human capacity.”
Silvia blinked.
“It’s better than sitting here, alone in your room, in the dark.”
Maybe Glory had a point, but then she thought of Westin giving her the ticket. Quite smugly, in fact. If she went, he’d think she liked him. But then again, he was leaving in the morning, and when her week at the ranch was up, she’d be leaving, too.
“Okay, I’ll come.”
Glory grinned. “That’s better news than a fly finding untouched honey. Come with