BiBi proved the guess to be correct. “Everyone, this is Buck. He’s our ranch host for today, so if anyone has any problems or questions, he’s the man to ask. Right, Buck?”
He agreed congenially, then made a short welcoming speech outlining the activities planned for the day and urging everyone to feel free to ask any ranch employee for assistance as needed.
“And now let’s all load up on the wagons,” he said, indicating three large open wooden wagons, each with a driver holding the reins to a pair of sturdy-looking horses. “We’re about to head back in time to a real Old West ranch experience.”
Madison heard a few muted snorts from some of the men in the party—probably men who had either grown up on real ranches or had at least some familiarity with them. BiBi had insisted she knew this was basically an amusement-park version of ranch life, but she didn’t
care. It was going to be fun, she’d said. And fun was what her wedding weekend was all about. She’d also admitted to her girlfriends that she was looking forward to seeing her citified lawyer fiancé on horseback. Just because Carl had grown up in Dallas didn’t make him a cowboy, she had added with a laugh. And since several of her wedding guests were from out of state, like Madison, BiBi wanted them to have a true Texas experience.
Once again the men stepped up to help the ladies onto the wagons. Again, it took two—her husband and another volunteer—to get Lila onto a bench. Madison privately wondered if it had been a good idea for Lila to attend this outing, but Lila seemed so genuinely excited to be here that she supposed no one had the heart to suggest she stay behind.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jason moving in her direction, but another man stepped between them. “There you are, Madison. You slipped away from the party so quickly last night that I didn’t have a chance to say good-night. It’s good to see you again today.”
She forced a smile. “Hello, Allen. Nice to see you again, too.”
Carl’s cousin had dressed as enthusiastically for a ranch visit as he had for the costume party. His hat, boots, tooled-leather belt and embroidered red shirt all looked new, though his jeans looked to have had some use. “I see you’re still a red shirt,” she commented.
He laughed. “So I am. Last night I wore the colors of the losing army and now this. If I were appearing on an episode of Star Trek, I’d probably be killed off today. That’s an old trope,” he added in explanation. “The usually unnamed crew members who appeared in the background of the episodes wearing red shirts were always the ones killed in battle scenes.”
Probably he wasn’t trying to sound patronizing. Certainly he didn’t know she came from a family of sci-fi nuts. She nodded and spoke lightly. “Yes, I know. Perhaps you’d better be extra careful today.”
“I’ll do that. Ready to climb into one of these wagons? I see a couple of empty seats on the nearest one here. Let me help you in.”
She really wanted to ignore his proffered hand and climb into the wagon on her own, but BiBi stood nearby, nodding encouragement and smiling indulgently, so she sighed and conceded. No sparks flew when she took Allen’s hand to step up into the conveyance. She released him immediately when she was safely aboard. As she took a seat on a bench, she saw Jason helping an older woman—Carl’s aunt, Madison believed—onto another wagon, and then he, too, boarded that one while Allen slid onto the bench next to Madison.
BiBi and Carl sat across from them. Corinna and Hannah took the next bench. The wagon jolted into motion, traversing a well-worn dirt path through woods that were already thinning a little for the approaching change of season. It was an absolutely beautiful morning, clear, nearly cloudless, with a pine-scented breeze to cool them during the bumpy ride. It was almost as if nature itself was loath to displease BiBi today.
The passengers chattered during the short trip, with BiBi cheerfully dominating the conversation in their wagon. Madison didn’t mind that. BiBi deserved her time in the spotlight; besides, it kept Madison from having to constantly respond to Allen’s flirting. The guy seemed nice enough, but was spreading on the Western charm a little too thick.
Funny how she hadn’t minded Jason’s teasing flirting while Allen’s only vaguely irritated her, she mused with a slight frown. She really wished she’d learned sooner that Jason was the man Corinna was interested in. Again, it wasn’t that she had expected anything to come of the flirtation, but she couldn’t help but be disappointed that it was over. It had been pleasant. Fun.
She would have to find a way to make it clear to him that there would be no more stolen kisses. Maybe he’d get the message if she just kept her distance today, smiling breezily when they crossed paths, very polite and impersonal. Maybe he’d wonder why she’d stopped teasing with him so suddenly, but she doubted he would persist in pursuing her. He hardly knew her, after all. She wasn’t so full of herself that she thought he’d actually fallen for her in the space of a few hours, despite their instant chemistry.
Technically, she knew he was free to flirt with whomever he wanted. From what everyone had said, including Corinna, he’d made it clear there was no commitment there, not even a chance for a future relationship. But remembering how wistful Corinna had sounded when speaking of Jason, and how fervently BiBi had wanted to secure her little sister’s happiness, Madison knew she had to step out of this particular picture.
Her first loyalty was to BiBi, and indirectly to Corinna. She didn’t even know Jason, really. Hadn’t that been part of her attraction to him? The sexy stranger angle? Well, that part was over now, inevitably so. Time to focus on her purpose for being here, supporting her longtime friend and doing her part to make sure the wedding weekend was as idyllic as BiBi dreamed it would be. All of which came back around to keeping her distance from Jason D’Alessandro.
The wagons drew up side by side at the center of the ranch, and Madison just happened to meet Jason’s gaze when she glanced that way. He smiled and her heart stuttered.
Okay, maybe it wasn’t going to be as easy as she’d hoped to put him out of her mind.
Chapter Four
Jason couldn’t figure out what was going on with Madison. Both last night and this morning in the pool, she’d been so open and approachable. He’d been certain the attraction between them was mutual, that she was amenable to spending time with him this weekend, getting to know each other better, even if only for these few days. But something had changed since they’d parted in the pool room. She seemed to be going out of her way not to meet his eyes, and when their gazes did clash, she looked quickly in the other direction. She returned his smiles, but only with the same pleasant courtesy she showed everyone else.
Maybe that was it, he mused as he accompanied the group to the first activity area, a large arena where three ranch employees waited to greet them. Maybe Madison was just being more discreet now that they were in a smaller group of people. That made sense. He wasn’t particularly eager to be the topic of wedding gossip, himself. Having attended plenty of weddings among his cousins, friends and his one married sister, he knew how quickly wedding drama could become exaggerated.
He could be discreet. For that matter, he was always discreet. Last night had been so far out of character for him that he’d hardly recognized himself. He would bide his time until he had a chance to flirt with Madison in private again—at least he hoped he would have that chance. Or was she subtly letting him know that it had been fun while it lasted, but now it was time to end it?
His sisters had accused him of occasionally being oblivious when it came to women. They teased him about being a compulsive gentleman, polite and considerate to a fault, but often missing the feminine cues directed toward him. He wasn’t a game player, tended to speak his mind clearly and directly and expected others to do the same. Subtlety, his sister Carly had pronounced, was completely lost on him.
Madison hadn’t been at all subtle last night. She’d made her attraction to him clear, keeping it no secret that she enjoyed their teasing and flirting. He had appreciated her directness. If she was changing her style now, he just hoped he could follow the message.
As the guests all gathered in the arena, he positioned himself where he could watch Madison as surreptitiously as possible. He noticed with a frown that Allen Burleson had managed to attach himself to her side again. Madison chatted with Allen, but she seemed to be holding back a little, treating him the same as she did everyone else around them. Jason couldn’t tell that she was particularly interested in Allen—or was that just wishful thinking on his part, hoping that the connection between himself and Madison had been unique?
Madison turned to laugh in response to something BiBi had said to her. The morning sun gleamed in her honey-blond hair and glittered from her laughing blue eyes. She sparkled, Jason thought,
a little self-conscious at this latest flight into fantasy. It was as if everyone around her was just a little muted in comparison. The way he usually felt. Mr. Responsibility. Mr. Ordinary. But for those few hours with Madison, he’d felt different. More interesting just for being noticed by her.