if she were honest.
But she’d hold his hand while they lay here beneath the stars.
And that was certainly something.
Lost Creek Days was insane.
Probably fun to attend if you were local or had traditions, but when you were an outsider trying to help, the thing was absolutely nuts.
And Ford wasn’t that much of a people person anyway.
Why was he here?
All he’d wanted was to do his bit with the other guys, and now he was sitting here in a dunk tank.
How had he been roped into sitting in a dunk tank? Ryan was the local. Why couldn’t he be the cowboy dunked?
Thankfully, everybody in Lost Creek had a terrible arm, and it was a family carnival, which kept him from having to deal with annoying teenagers. But it also meant he couldn’t walk around with Brynn like he’d wanted.
Or help with Josie, if he were to be more altruistic.
He couldn’t help with any of the Broken Hearts ladies, which he had been planning on, and getting pulled to sit in a box in full rodeo clothes was not the kind of interruption he appreciated.
Sitting here, hovering over water, watching everyone else participate in the fun of the evening, was not enjoyable.
At all.
“And here, you will see the ever elusive cowboy in a box,” Reid’s voice called out from somewhere nearby. “Suspended over water, which, you will see, provokes a similar reaction to cats over water. And if we stare long enough, the cowboy’s hair might stand on end. Folks, please don’t tap the glass, it will disturb him.”
Reid suddenly appeared in front of Ford, the crowd of Broken Hearts ladies and the rest of the Original Six in tow. The guys all grinned the same stupid smile, knowing how Ford would hate his current position and situation.
It occurred to Ford that it would be an opportune time to make any of a handful of gestures toward Reid under such a circumstance, but as there were ladies present, he would resist.
He could glare and scowl, but he’d keep his hands where they sat.
“Keep laughing, Chuckles,” Ford mused, letting himself smile darkly. “One of you is next.”
That wiped the smile from Reid’s face faster than anything else could have, and suddenly none of the guys seemed as interested in heckling him.
Funny how that worked.
Except for West.
“What I wouldn’t give to have Silvia’s brother down here right now,” West said on a sigh, still smirking at Ford’s vulnerable position.
“Or Talia’s cousin,” Ryan pointed out, though without the same smirk.
Ford looked between the two. “Just because neither of you could hit the broad side of a barn with a baseball doesn’t mean we need Major League players down here. Move along—go get yourself some popcorn or corn dogs.” He nodded to the guests hanging out beside them. “Ladies. Enjoy the evening. I hear the Ballistic Swing is a good time, and the Wrecking Ball will turn your stomach. I’ll front any of you money to challenge the boys here to the mechanical bull.”
“Oh, it’s on!” Trish gushed, rubbing her hands together and looking over the guys.
“Count me in, too!” Sadie called eagerly. She and Trish gave each other a high five, making the others laugh.
Lars exhaled with playful dramatization, and waved them to follow. “Fine, we’ll head in that direction. Unless someone wants to knock Ford in the water first.”
All eyes shifted to him for a moment.
He kept his expression carefully blank.
“Nah,” Julia finally said with a firm shake of her head. “He’s too nice for that. Are we going to pass a concession stand or food truck before we get there? I could use something bad for me.”
“We just had dinner!” Trish told her in surprise.
Julia only shrugged. “When in Rome, eat the junk.”
Knowing what he did, Ford smiled at that, and glanced at Brynn. She was already looking at him, and her small smile dropped the floor out from his stomach. The fact that it didn’t drop the physical floor out from beneath him and land him in the pool of water there was nothing less than miraculous.
Just in case he hadn’t known where he stood after lying under the stars with Brynn and holding her hand most of the evening, he was convinced now that he was in this with both feet. He had significant personal interest of a distinctly romantic nature that meant he’d be more than a little biased in helping her through her therapy experience here.
That wasn’t selfish, was it?
The group started moving away, and Brynn was slower than