Cowboy Ever After

Chapter 11

The waitress returned to the table with their salads and to top off their drinks.

"You know what I realized after you left this afternoon?"

Gretchen looked up from her perusal of her salad. "That you'd just asked out a complete stranger?"

Matt laughed. "Wouldn't be the first time. But no. I realized I don't know your last name."

"Oh. It's Tolliver." She gripped her fork and plunked it into a halved tomato. "So, I hear you're quite the big deal in the rodeo world."

"Who told you that? Abby and Savannah?"

"No, actually it was Liam Parrish."

"Ah. Good guy, Liam."

She nodded. "Yeah, he is. He's done a lot of good for the town bringing in all these regular rodeos."

"So I take it from your earlier question that you're not big into rodeo?"

She shrugged. "I've been to a couple, one when I was a teenager and the first one here."

"Do you like it?"

"It's fine."

"You should come see me ride tomorrow night. Might bring me good luck."

She smiled, and it did something funny to his insides.

"From what I hear, you don't need luck to win."

"Couldn't hurt. Plus, it does a guy good to have a pretty girl cheering for him." He leaned forward. "So will you come?"

"Maybe."

"Ah, a woman of mystery. I like it."

She laughed a little and shook her head. "So how did you get into rodeo? Did you grow up on a ranch?"

"No, but a friend did, and that's how I got started, hanging out with him."

"In Texas somewhere?"

"Nebraska."

"They have ranches there? I envisioned it as one big cornfield."

He opened his mouth to respond when he realized there was a twinkle in her eyes.

"Very funny."

She smiled again, wider this time.

"You should never stop doing that," he said.

"What?"

"Smiling. It makes you even more beautiful." He looked around the restaurant. "On second thought, stop it. I don't want to have to fight off the competition."

"There's no competition."

He lifted a brow. "That right?"

Her mouth dropped open, and her cheeks reddened. "That's not what I mean. I just meant..." Her words seemed to abandon her.

He grinned. "I'm just teasing. But I'll stop so you can enjoy your salad."

They ate in silence for a couple of minutes before she spoke again. "So, what's it like, being on the road all the time? Doesn't it get lonely?"

Again, he got one of those odd sensations, as though she knew too much about being lonely. He had no idea why he seemed to be so in tune with her, but the truth was the truth.

"Yeah, it can. In fact, I haven't told anyone this yet, but I'm looking to retire."

Her eyes widened. "Retire? Aren't you a little young to do that?"

"I don't want this to sound pompous, but after you've reached the top, being thrown off horses loses its allure."

"That makes sense. Will you go back to Nebraska, then?"

"No, Nebraska and I are permanently divorced."

Much to his parents' frustration and disappointment.