her ears, and she couldn’t quite meet my eyes yet. When she’s ready, her shoulders will be where they belong, and she’ll look me straightin the eye and tell me so.”
He put up his index finger in mock warning. “And before you point out that she could fake both of those things, you’re right. She could, but I’d still be able to tell. It’s just there—a whole-body thing. I don’t know how to describe it.
“Besides,”—he shrugged—“even if she did think she was ready, I’d already promised her she wouldn’t have to ride today. If I’d lether get up on Goldie there, it’d be breaking my promise. She was testing boundaries, even though she probably didn’t even realize it.”
Jess couldn’t help but stare at him for a long moment. Wow. Really? He’d been thinking all of that stuff as he’d worked his charm and his smile with the pretty guest? How had she never known he had this—this intuitiveness hidden inside the sexy-cowboy shtick heshowed to the outside world?
She’d been at Whisper Creek enough times that she’d thought she knew him—or at least his type—well enough. She’d always pegged him as the charming, ridiculously hot cowboy who loved horses and women equally. Definitely not some sort of armchair psychologist with the ability to read said women so accurately.
If Cole’s brains were a match for his open, friendly personalityand his ridiculously good looks, the female population was in serious trouble.
Or maybe just she was.
She took a cleansing breath, trying to chase those thoughts out of her brain. “Did you do some psychology training in college?”
“No.” For a brief moment, she thought she saw his ever present smile falter, but then he laughed quietly. “I just know people. And I know horses. And I know people
with
horses.” He shrugged. “So I can tell.”
Cole took off Goldie’s bridle and looped it over his arm. “So how’s the wedding hoopla going this morning? Hayley ready to elope yet?”
“Is Daniel hoping so?”
“Yep.” Cole laughed. “It’s a guy thing.”
“Well, I have news for Daniel. Hayley, who was never,
ever
going to walk down an aisle,
will
be doing so on Saturday. She’s got the flowers, the dress,the music—at least I hope she has those things—and she is bound and determined to have the best wedding Whisper Creek has ever seen.”
“It’ll be tough to beat Decker and Kyla’s last year.”
Jess thought back to the outdoor wedding that had brought the entire guest list to tears. “It might come down to the vows. Has the groom written his yet? Decker’s were kind of a game-ender, after all.”
“That’sDecker for you—always setting the bar high for the rest of us peons.” Cole shook his head, smiling. “I’m sure Danny’s up for the challenge, though. No worries.”
He grabbed a brush from the fence post, carefully avoiding her eyes as he started running the brush over Goldie’s coat. “And completely unrelated to that, has Hayley written
her
vows yet?”
Jess laughed. “Were you told to ask?”
“Nope.”He stopped brushing, looking over at her with that grin that had probably gotten him out of countless trouble spots in the past. “All right, yes. But you beat it out of me. Daniel’s itching to know what she’s going to say.”
“Sorry. My lips are sealed.” Jess shrugged. “And plus, I have no idea.”
“Not helpful, cowgirl.”
“So,”—Jess moved some dirt around with the toe of her boot—“I heard you’redateless for the wedding of the year. How is that possible?”
“Mysteries of the universe and all that.”
“No secret girlfriend or anything?”
The words
please say no
circled in her head like a marquee on high speed.
“Actually, I just haven’t decided who to ask yet.”
Oh. Ouch. He had so many women to choose from that he couldn’t even decide?
“The wedding’s in four days, Cole. You might wantto give the poor gal some notice.”
He shrugged. “Eh. All she has to
He put up his index finger in mock warning. “And before you point out that she could fake both of those things, you’re right. She could, but I’d still be able to tell. It’s just there—a whole-body thing. I don’t know how to describe it.
“Besides,”—he shrugged—“even if she did think she was ready, I’d already promised her she wouldn’t have to ride today. If I’d lether get up on Goldie there, it’d be breaking my promise. She was testing boundaries, even though she probably didn’t even realize it.”
Jess couldn’t help but stare at him for a long moment. Wow. Really? He’d been thinking all of that stuff as he’d worked his charm and his smile with the pretty guest? How had she never known he had this—this intuitiveness hidden inside the sexy-cowboy shtick heshowed to the outside world?
She’d been at Whisper Creek enough times that she’d thought she knew him—or at least his type—well enough. She’d always pegged him as the charming, ridiculously hot cowboy who loved horses and women equally. Definitely not some sort of armchair psychologist with the ability to read said women so accurately.
If Cole’s brains were a match for his open, friendly personalityand his ridiculously good looks, the female population was in serious trouble.
Or maybe just she was.
She took a cleansing breath, trying to chase those thoughts out of her brain. “Did you do some psychology training in college?”
“No.” For a brief moment, she thought she saw his ever present smile falter, but then he laughed quietly. “I just know people. And I know horses. And I know people
with
horses.” He shrugged. “So I can tell.”
Cole took off Goldie’s bridle and looped it over his arm. “So how’s the wedding hoopla going this morning? Hayley ready to elope yet?”
“Is Daniel hoping so?”
“Yep.” Cole laughed. “It’s a guy thing.”
“Well, I have news for Daniel. Hayley, who was never,
ever
going to walk down an aisle,
will
be doing so on Saturday. She’s got the flowers, the dress,the music—at least I hope she has those things—and she is bound and determined to have the best wedding Whisper Creek has ever seen.”
“It’ll be tough to beat Decker and Kyla’s last year.”
Jess thought back to the outdoor wedding that had brought the entire guest list to tears. “It might come down to the vows. Has the groom written his yet? Decker’s were kind of a game-ender, after all.”
“That’sDecker for you—always setting the bar high for the rest of us peons.” Cole shook his head, smiling. “I’m sure Danny’s up for the challenge, though. No worries.”
He grabbed a brush from the fence post, carefully avoiding her eyes as he started running the brush over Goldie’s coat. “And completely unrelated to that, has Hayley written
her
vows yet?”
Jess laughed. “Were you told to ask?”
“Nope.”He stopped brushing, looking over at her with that grin that had probably gotten him out of countless trouble spots in the past. “All right, yes. But you beat it out of me. Daniel’s itching to know what she’s going to say.”
“Sorry. My lips are sealed.” Jess shrugged. “And plus, I have no idea.”
“Not helpful, cowgirl.”
“So,”—Jess moved some dirt around with the toe of her boot—“I heard you’redateless for the wedding of the year. How is that possible?”
“Mysteries of the universe and all that.”
“No secret girlfriend or anything?”
The words
please say no
circled in her head like a marquee on high speed.
“Actually, I just haven’t decided who to ask yet.”
Oh. Ouch. He had so many women to choose from that he couldn’t even decide?
“The wedding’s in four days, Cole. You might wantto give the poor gal some notice.”
He shrugged. “Eh. All she has to
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