“I’ll text you,” she said, and Spur got himself back in the saddle, waved, and went back to Bluegrass Ranch.
Along the way, All Out nickered, as if asking Spur what in the world he’d been thinking.
“I don’t know,” he muttered as he arrived at the row house and started unsaddling the horse. What he did know was that Olli hadn’t left his mind in the past twenty minutes, and that he couldn’t get the tantalizing scent of her out of his nose.
He hadn’t even known he had a crush on the woman, but his heart was testifying differently. Surprise accompanied Spur as he took care of his horse and put away the equipment he’d used.
He hadn’t thought he’d ever want another girlfriend in his life, not after the break-up of his first marriage. He’d been stuck on Katie for a long time after the divorce was final, and he’d never started dating again, though he probably could have five years ago.
“I never saw the point,” he said to All Out as he gave the horse a bag of oats. “Is there a point to this?”
All Out snickered at him again, and Spur grinned at the horse. “No candy, boy. All we did was ride after some sheep.” He stroked the horse’s neck as he thought about Olli.
“I can’t believe we can trick an investor if we don’t get together beforehand,” he said to the horse, seizing onto his own words. He pulled out his phone and called Olli, always preferring to just talk rather than text.
“Spur,” she said, clear surprise in her voice.
“Heya, Olli,” he drawled. “I was just thinking…this investor is probably pretty savvy. What’s your plan for convincing him that we’re a real couple?”
She didn’t respond, and that was all the answer Spur needed. A smile touched his mouth again. “Do you want to go to dinner tonight? I feel like maybe we should get some facts in line before we have to convince anyone we’re together.”
“Facts?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said. “Wouldn’t your boyfriend know a bit about your business? And maybe your middle name? Facts.”
“Dinner tonight,” she mused.
“I’m free every night this week,” he said, wishing he could recall the words the moment he said them. He pressed his eyes closed, wondering if he’d just given away too much of what he was really feeling. As he waited for her to answer, he finally admitted to himself that he’d noticed Olli’s pretty hair and quick smile years ago. He’d just shoved the feelings away whenever they came, and maybe now he wouldn’t.
“I can go to dinner tonight,” she said.
“I’ll wear the right hat and boots,” he said. “You can check me off piece by piece.”
She laughed, and said, “Okay, Spur. Seven?”
“See you at seven,” he said. The call ended, and Spur just stood there, staring down the row of stalls where he kept his champions. “Who knew asking a woman out would be so easy?”
“Who’d you ask out?” Blaine asked, coming up behind Spur. “Momma’s gonna freak out.”
Spur flinched, because Blaine wasn’t wrong. “It’s nothing,” he said. “Who have we got to send over to Olli’s to fix her flower garden?”
Blaine sighed and shrugged. “I don’t know. We’re swamped over here, Spur.”
They were, and Spur knew it. He put a growl on his face and in his voice when he said, “Fine, I’ll do it,” but he couldn’t quite get himself to be unhappy about being able to go next door to see the woman again.
Dealing with his mother would be another issue, and Spur really wasn’t looking forward to that. Thankfully, he usually only saw her on Sundays, and he still had five days before he’d have to face her.
Plenty of time to figure out if something with Olli could be real or if he’d just pretend to be her boyfriend so she could get the funding she needed. Then he could go back to pretending he hadn’t thought about her in a romantic way.
You’re such a liar, he told himself, but if Olli wasn’t truly interested in him, Spur wouldn’t open his heart for her to put new gashes on.
He knew better than that.