I’m full of crap. She thinks we’re really making eyes at each other.”
“And here they come,” Alana whispered as she slipped her hands away from his and looked up at Trudy. “Well, hello there. Did y’all have a cravin’ for ice cream tonight too?”
“Ice cream is always good on a hot night,” Billy Ray said.
“I wanted to come over and congratulate you in person,” Trudy said. “I’m so excited about your engagement, and so is your dad. I could hear it in his voice when he called to be sure the church was available for that day. I’ve already got half a dozen ladies who are going to help with the wedding shower. Have you registered for gifts yet?”
“Thank you, and no, ma’am. We met with the wedding planner tonight. Since things are moving so fast, you could wait a few weeks to give us a shower, maybe after the honeymoon, even.”
“Oh, no!” Trudy talked with her hands. “We’ve already got the ball rolling, and we’re so excited about giving y’all a shower. I’ve talked to your granny, Iris, several times and the other ladies in the church group.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Don’t forget to register with Amanda’s Gifts, since she’s local or it’ll hurt her feelings, and besides she’s one of the shower hostesses.”
Billy Ray stepped up from behind his mother. “Got your best man all picked out?”
“Maverick, of course,” Pax answered, “and the guys out at the ranches where we worked are going to be groomsmen.”
“Well, if y’all need me for anything, holler,” Billy Ray said.
“We’ll sure keep that in mind.” Alana smiled up at him. “And thanks so much, Billy Ray.”
Trudy patted her on the shoulder. “Here comes Wilma with your ice cream. Y’all better get after it before it melts. We’ll be in touch the first of the week to get your colors for the shower.” Mother and son turned and made their way back through the crowd.
“Cravin’?” Pax’s green eyes twinkled. “Don’t pregnant women get cravin’s? Are you tryin’ to tell me something here tonight?”
“Dammit!” Alana gasped.
“And here y’all are.” Wilma set the two sundaes and the ice water on the table. “If y’all need anything else let me know.”
Pax picked up a spoon and dug into the ice cream. “Want me to call her back for a side order of dill pickles? And what was that about not wanting a shower?”
Paxton had thought that she’d blush, but instead she ran the back of her hand down his cheek and whispered in a seductive voice, “Not yet. I think I have to be in the second trimester before the pickle craving starts. And I feel guilty about getting gifts for a sham wedding. We’ll have to give them all back when we get the annulment.”
The sensation of her touch and the sound of her voice sent another wave of heat through Pax’s body. He might need to spill the ice water in his lap if she did that again.
Chapter Seven
Pax was hot, sweaty, and out of sorts when he made it to the house on Saturday evening. Three of their weekend hired hands were off to a baseball tournament, so he and Maverick had worked double-time with the two who remained. The sun had already set, and he wished that he and Alana hadn’t made plans to go to the Wild Cowboy that night. Every bone in his body ached from stretching barbed wire fence from early that morning until now, and it was dusky dark.
“I’ll sure be glad to see those boys get back to work next week,” Pax groaned.
“Are you tellin’ me that you’re too old at twenty-nine to be ranchin’?” Maverick teased. “You do realize that you’ll have a helluva lot more to do after y’all are married.”
“I kept up with you all day, didn’t I?” Pax said. “And now, the most strenuous thing you’ll do this evening is stack up blocks for Laela to knock down. I happen to be going to the Wild Cowboy to dance until they close the place down.”
“Does Alana know?” Maverick asked.
“She’s going with me,” Pax shot over his shoulder as he headed down the hallway to the shower.
He let the cool water beat down on his tired shoulders for a long time and wondered how the evening would go at the bar. He and Alana were both regulars there, right along with lots of cowboys, cowgirls, and bar bunnies in the area. But tonight would be different—being engaged changed everything. No