Take the Reins (A Cowboy's Promise #2) - Megan Squires Page 0,28
squeeze before nudging her off of his lap. “I think we’ve put on a sufficient show for the evening, yeah?”
“I definitely think we did. I’m ready whenever you are.”
They said their goodbyes, hand in hand, and Josie made sure to keep hold of Seth’s until they were a good distance from his parents’ house, just for believability’s sake. Only then did she loosen her grip first, then felt Seth’s fingers relax to let hers slip through.
Instantly, a shudder skittered up her spine. It was cold and she hadn’t registered just how cold until she finally stood apart from him. Throughout the last hour as the temperatures had dropped, she’d been warmed both by the fire and by Seth’s arms, and without that comfort, she felt the true chill of the night air.
“Here.” Josie sensed the weight of his Sherpa-lined jacket lower onto her shoulders before she could process the words accompanying his action. “Take this.”
“Thank you, Seth.” She pulled the collar close around her neck and burrowed into its warmth. “See? We’re not all lies. Now you actually have let me borrow your jacket.”
“I guess we could try to make a little more of our story come true.”
Josie’s eyebrow quirked up. “How so?”
Seth’s hands were deep in his pant pockets when he shrugged his shoulders to his ears in this uncertain, tentative gesture. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe go line dancing at The Rusty Spur for starters.”
“You a big country line dancer, Seth?”
“Not sure. I’ve never tried.”
Josie whirled around so fast, Seth’s jacket almost spun out and fell from her shoulders. He reached out to fit it back on before it slipped off completely. “You’re kidding!”
“I’m not.”
“But you at least know the Electric Slide, right? I mean, everyone knows the Electric Slide.”
“I don’t know the Electric Slide.” His mouth curved up in a grin. “Is this something I should be ashamed to admit?”
“Not ashamed. But maybe a little embarrassed.”
“Oh, Josie, it takes a lot more than that to embarrass me.”
“Noted.” She snickered, packing that knowledge away for later. “You know—you don’t have to walk me all the way to my trailer. I can find my way around the property just fine.”
“Umm, yes, I do. You are my girlfriend.”
That word was like a zap of electricity through Josie’s veins. In all her years, she’d never been called that, and even though she knew it was all a façade, the feelings she experienced in hearing that were as real as the hairs on her head. It was like her senses suddenly weren’t all on the same page. Like they hadn’t been given the memo that this was one big, manufactured relationship. They hadn’t been warned not to react. She needed to get them all up to speed so her heart didn’t continue to race in excitement upon hearing silly words like girlfriend.
Seth read Josie’s hesitation wrong. “Unless you don’t want me to walk you back. I totally understand if that’s the case.”
“That’s not it at all. Contrary to what I said the other day about not needing any new friends, I actually kinda enjoy your company, Seth.”
“Actually kinda.” He chuckled. “I’ll take it.”
It was more than actually kinda. A whole lot more. Seth was the first person Josie hadn’t felt judged by in a long while and she had certainly given him a whole host of things to judge.
“So, what’s on the agenda for tomorrow?” She looked down at her boots as they walked, careful where she placed her feet on the gravelly road. There were a myriad of tripping hazards and with only one good arm to break her fall, she didn’t feel all that confident. Maybe it was a good thing that Seth insisted on accompanying her home, after all.
“Sorting cows with Tanner in the morning. Having coffee with Gramm around noon. And then…” He paused and gave her an evaluative look. “Then I’m going line dancing with you.”
“Sounds like a great day,” Josie said, letting that stand as her answer to his roundabout way of asking her out.
“Yes, it does.” He attempted to conceal it, but Josie picked up on the grin that wanted to spread Seth’s lips into a full-on smile. “Yes, it does.”
11
Seth
The battered leather soaked up the oil like a dry sponge sucking up water. Seth had polished his boots with all the elbow grease he could muster, but nothing would restore them to their original shine. They were worn-in, well-loved, and barely presentable, but they were all he had. They would have to do.