Page 17 of The Spice Is Nice

She sighed like she hated to admit how right I was.

“I think we’ll have to make a show of it to everyone so they think we’re really together. Shouldn’t be difficult. We’ve been friends for some time, so we just say we’re taking things to the next level.”

“Oh, Calhoun, next level? How romantic.” She rolled her eyes with a snicker.

“Look, Wylde, when I’m with a girl, I like to, you know, touch her. I like to show affection. You okay with that?”

After another sidelong glance, she said, “No surprise moves in public without warning first. If you’re going to put your arm around me, or—whatever. A heads-up, please.”

“At the wedding, you grabbed my face and kissed me in front of half the town without a heads-up.”

“That was an emergency. Seth walked in. I panicked.”

“You seemed very decisive to me. Any of the guys would have taken that kiss from you.”

She gave me a look that said she knew I wasn’t wrong and maybe resented it. “The rule stands. I need a warning first.”

“Fine. Here’s my rule — if Seth’s involved, I don’t need to give a warning. I’m going to do what the situation callsfor. Because you wanted me to keep him away, so I’ll do what it takes.”

“Understood,” she said.

I kept my eyes on the trail. “Nobody can find out it’s fake. Not your sisters or anyone at the ranch. This can only work if it’s between us. Loose lips sink ships.”

“Thanks for the Navy analogy, but I hate keeping things from Daisy at least. She’ll figure it out and she’ll be mad.”

“Not if we’re convincing. We need a public claiming—like tomorrow night, making a show of it. Holding hands, kissing, dancing. Those other cowboys need to know you’re claimed. Everyone needs to see you’re mine. Hell, I may even throw you over my shoulder and carry you out at the end of the night.”

“You wouldn’t?”

“Yeah, I would. I’ve seen other men claim a woman like that walking out of the Sapphire. Definitely gives a warning that she’s off-limits unless you want to tangle with the man. So, we put on a big act, okay?”

“Sure. Later, when it ends, we break up in public. Another act. No complications.”

“No feelings.”

“Right. Back to being friends.” I let that sit for a moment.

The pines thinnedout ahead where the pond came into view, flat and grey-blue under the cloud cover, the pier extending out over the water. Two of our guys had rebuilt it earlier this summer, so it was safe. Eli and Ro steered their ponies to a clearing to graze by the bank alongside ours.

Before we got down to the pier, we all picked wild rose hip berries to surprise Eldon. He loved making jams and jellies, and of course, his strawberry wine. He’d be happy to see these. Satisfied with a few buckets full, Eli had his pole assembled, ready to fish.

The two of them were already making their way out to the end of the pier. Ro had picked up some flat rocks, wearing a serious expression of someone trying to perfect her rock skipping.

I settled on a flat rock at the bank where I could see the full perimeter. Force of habit. I couldn’t sit with my back to open water if I could help it.

Ivy sat down beside me. She pulled her knees up, wrapped her arms around them, and watched the kids. For a while, neither of us said anything. It was a comfortable silence, which was its own kind of problem.

Everything with Ivy came naturally.

Out on the pier, Ro skipped rocks to one side after Eli complained she was scaring the fish away. The ripples went wide and overlapping, and even from the bank I could see her tongue sticking out in concentration, the small satisfied nod when a good one skipped several feet across the water. Eli cast his line on the opposite side.

“She doesn’t actually like fishing,” Ivy observed.

“She likes Eli, though.”

“She’s an only child who likes having someone to playwith. I had sisters growing up; we were inseparable.” Ivy gazed out on the water and paused as if she could see way back. “Daisy and I used to play by a pond on our family ranch when we were that age. We’d talk and laugh so much. When we were teens, we’d sun on the pier with our tops off.”

My mind got stuck on an image of them doing that — bare-breasted, skin glowing in the sun. Until she elbowed me. I realized I’d been staring at her instead of the water. I didn’t look away.