Ready to Run (I Do, I Don't 1)

Stacey was pretty, vibrant, confident—and, judging from her enthusiasm over Luke being a part of Jilted, didn’t seem entirely opposed to the idea of reality TV.

Still, Jordan had kept the invitation casual, just dinner among friends. Isobel would be joining them, and she figured the BFF support probably couldn’t hurt. At the fair, Jordan had gotten the distinct vibe that Isobel was ready for her friend to put her history with Luke far behind her. Jordan was hoping for an ally there.

“You figure out who the first bride is yet?”

“Nope. She must live around here, because nobody mentions her disappearing the way bride number three did, but they also don’t mention her name.”

“Have you asked?”

It was her turn to pat his hand. “All in good time. All in good time.”

Tucker’s was its usual noisy self, even on a weekday night, and though she knew he was working, her eyes scanned the room for Luke anyway.

She needn’t have bothered—somewhere along the line she’d gotten to the point that she felt the man’s presence, and he wasn’t nearby tonight.

Stacey and Isobel hadn’t arrived yet, so she and Simon grabbed a table for four, as well as a bottle of pinot grigio.

“Well, this is darling,” Simon said reverently as he took in the down-home coziness of the local bar. “Is that a moose head?”

The vegetarian in Jordan winced, even though she felt a strange sense of pride at Simon’s praise; it was as if she somehow had come to adopt Tucker’

s as her own.

“Cowboy at seven o’clock’s checking you out,” Simon said into his wineglass.

Jordan scanned the room, met the gaze of Travis Olander, who wasn’t even trying to be subtle in what appeared to be a very practiced come-hither gaze.

“Pass,” she said, turning her attention back to Simon.

“He’s sort of cute. In a Daniel Boone kind of way,” Simon said, tilting his head.

“He is. He’s also a conversation wasteland.”

“Ah, you’ve met.”

“Oh yes. First night here, he made it all of four minutes before asking me back to his place for a Jim Beam nightcap.”

“Yikes,” Simon muttered.

“Exactly.”

“Still, this is highly disappointing, Carpenter. You’ve been here over two weeks and have yet to ride a cowboy.”

Jordan took a sip of her wine and tried not to blush, thinking about the kiss with Luke.

Simon’s eyes narrowed on her. “Or have you?”

She was saved from having to explain the Mistake to her friend by the arrival of Stacey and Isobel.

“No matter how cute I dress, you always dress cuter,” Stacey said with a pout as she pulled back from the greeting hug. “How is this possible?”

“It’s the legs,” Isobel said, giving Jordan a quick hug of her own. “I hear you’re a runner?”

“Word gets around.”

“Small town,” Isobel said with a wink before turning her attention to Simon. “You must be the god with the perfect skin?”

Simon laid a flattered hand over his chest before pulling her in for a kiss on the cheek. “Keep that up, and I’ll turn for you. I might be able to like girls again, so long as you promise never to show me your boobs or other stuff.”