“Same reason I’m soaking wet, sweetheart,” Trey said in a very dry voice.
She looked up from the puddle where she stood to find Trey standing at the top of the steps, facing her. He really was wet from head to toe, and she could only stare at the sexy way his hair spiked up with water in it.
Everything about the man called to her, and she forgot for a moment why her pulse was pounding and why she’d ushered him outside before he could say anything else.
The door behind her opened, and Daddy said, “Sorry about the water, sweetie. I’ll get TJ to clean it up right now.”
Beth reached up and brushed her hair out of her eyes. “Thanks, Daddy.”
The door closed again, and Beth wished she could lock it from the outside. Hugh should be here soon too, and of course Trey would pick now to make his decision and come tell her about it.
She took a step forward as she tucked her hands in the pockets of her sweats. “You’ll do it?”
“Yes,” Trey said.
Beth nodded, her throat suddenly closed. She’d admitted so much to him already, and she really didn’t want to lose more of her dignity. She moved over to the railing and leaned against it, pleased when he joined her.
She didn’t look at him but gazed out over the graveled driveway and down the lane, which was bordered by pastures on both sides. “Why are you wet?”
“Your son and your father set up a prank for someone named Hugh.”
“My brother,” Beth said. “You’ll probably need to get to know all of that, so we can…” She trailed off, finally looking up at him. “You look different without your cowboy hat on.”
He automatically reached up and ran his hand through his hair. “My hat’s ruined now.”
Beth followed the trajectory of his hand with hers, and he froze the moment she touched him. He pulled in a slow breath while she brushed water off his forehead and curled her fingertips along the curve of his ear.
With heat racing through her body, she pulled away. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine,” he said, his voice sounding with a hallowed quality. “Can I hold your hand?”
Beth slid her fingers down his arm and into his hand, the only answer she could currently give. In the silence that descended on them, Beth heard her own heartbeat in her ears and not much else.
Her thoughts raced and then slowed as she accepted that she was holding hands with another man besides Danny Dixon.
“I was engaged once,” Trey said. “Did you know?”
Beth cleared her throat. “No, I didn’t.”
Trey nodded, his gaze out on the pasture like it was the most fascinating thing he’d ever seen. “Her name was Sarah Samuels.”
“How’d you meet her?”
“She worked in the marketing department at the printer we use,” he said. “They make all our signs, fliers, even those little name tags we give to our champion horses. The ones made of gold?” He chuckled. “It’s pretty ridiculous what we do for those horses.”
Beth liked the sound of his voice, and she didn’t want to taint the conversation with hers.
“Anyway.” Trey leaned further into the railing. “She worked with Cayden a lot, because he does almost all of the PR for the ranch, and I met her once…and it was like…I don’t know. Magic.”
“Sounds wonderful,” Beth said, her mind wandering down paths she didn’t normally allow it to. “I was married once, but I think you knew that.”
His fingers tightened on hers. “I did know that.” He glanced at her and grinned. “How did you meet Danny?”
“Everyone in Dreamsville knows the Dixons,” she said, a smile automatically curling her mouth. “Danny was my best friend’s older brother. I’d seen him around their ranch from time to time, but he was gone to college before I really started hanging out with Myra.”
“You must’ve caught his eye when he came home on a break.”
“Not really,” she said. “I grew up and went to college with Myra. I didn’t finish and came back. I started dating other men.” She lifted one shoulder. “None of them were Danny. I didn’t realize it until I went to Myra’s graduation party, and there he was. I guess you could say that was when we met.”