he wasn’t telling the truth. It was as if she could actually see the lie forming in his mind.
Chloe glanced over at Owen and Linnea, now firmly locked in a close embrace despite the fast-paced song. “You know you’re next.”
Garrett snorted. “That’s unlikely when all the eligible possibilities keep getting snapped up.”
“There are plenty of available women around, and you know it. Take Jenna Marks, for example.”
It wasn’t any secret that the nurse at the clinic where his sister worked as a doctor was interested in him. But the feeling wasn’t mutual. Jenna was nice enough, and pretty, but he felt no real attraction to her. He’d even wondered if something was fried in his brain, but he couldn’t force an affection that wasn’t there.
“Small problem,” he said when he noticed Chloe was still waiting for some type of response. “We already tried going on a date, and the two of us had about as much connection as a cow and a chicken.”
Chloe sighed. “If Jenna isn’t the type of woman you’re looking for, then who is?”
“Who said I’m looking?”
“No one, but I’m just that smart.”
“Cocky, too.”
Chloe grinned wide, as if she was pleased with herself.
“Have you joined the Verona Charles matchmaking bandwagon?” Verona was the aunt of their friend Elissa and had taken it upon herself to pair up any unattached person who crossed her path. And with each successful pairing, including his two siblings, she grew even more ambitious. It didn’t matter if she was a big part of two people getting together or simply contributed a gentle nudge, she seemed to take great pleasure in seeing Blue Falls fill up with happily-ever-afters. He imagined a room of her house filled with a big dry-erase board akin to a basketball playoff bracket filled with the names of all the local singles.
“Not officially,” Chloe said. “But I want to see you happy.”
“I wasn’t aware I appear unhappy.”
“It’s not that you seem sad, but there’s something missing.”
He didn’t want to acknowledge that she’d hit the nail on the head, partially because he’d nearly convinced himself that he was okay with his life as it was. Honestly, how many people grew up to live their lives exactly as they imagined them when they were younger?
As the eldest of the Brody children, he’d always assumed he’d follow in his father’s footsteps running the cattle ranch, getting married and having children of his own. As the years passed and none of his dates led to anything even approaching what his father had with his mom before her death, Garrett had gradually accepted that perhaps the ranching aspect was the only part of his imagined future that would come to fruition. After all, the dating pool wasn’t endless in a town the size of Blue Falls.
And he sure as hell wasn’t going to resort to some online dating site. They worked fine for some people, but he damn near broke out in hives just thinking about it.
“You worry too much,” he finally said. “If it’s meant to happen, it will.”
And if it wasn’t, he’d keep his focus on ranching, making sure that the Brody spread stayed out of the red. Ranching was a tough way of life, but he couldn’t imagine doing anything else. And that didn’t always appeal to women. Part of him could understand. Unless ranching ran in your blood, who would want to volunteer for a life where a drought or an illness in the herd could wipe you out?
They’d very nearly lost the ranch once in those dark days after his mother’s death, when his father had been consumed by grief and they’d been slammed with a severe drought nearly at the same time. The stress of losing the love of his life and then almost losing his means of supporting his children had been palpable. Garrett was determined that his father would never be that close to the mental or financial breaking point ever again. Not to mention, if Garrett ever did marry, he wanted the ranch to be a successful enterprise he could hand down to his children as well as any nieces and nephews who might come along.
“You’ll find someone,” Chloe said as he guided her around Liam and India Parrish, yet another couple Verona had been instrumental in pairing up. “I have faith.”
She might but Garrett wasn’t so sure. Considering he was already thirty-two, that possibility didn’t look too good.
As the party started winding down a few minutes later, he leaned over to give his sister a kiss on the cheek.
“I’m going to head out. Have fun on your trip.” Since Chloe and Wyatt had yet to go on their own honeymoon, they were going on the same Caribbean cruise as Owen and Linnea.
“Thanks. I’ll be sure to bring you some tacky, touristy T-shirt.”
He laughed a little. “I’ve been needing a new grease rag for when I work on the trucks.”
She gave him an exasperated look. “Oh, go on before I tell Verona that you’re dying to find a wife as soon as possible.”
Garrett handed her off to Wyatt. “Your wife is evil.”
“I know, but she’s cute.”
He left one starry-eyed couple only to walk toward another, maneuvering through the crowd to Owen and Linnea. He playfully punched Owen in the shoulder as he had countless times before.
“I’d tell you to have a good trip, but I doubt there’s a need.”
Owen grinned. “I’m already there in my mind.”
Not wanting to think about what images were swirling through his brother’s head, Garrett pulled Linnea into a hug. “Don’t let my brother fall off the boat.”
Linnea smiled as she stepped back from him. “Oh, I plan to have him wear a life jacket anytime he leaves the cabin.”
Their dad, who was standing nearby, momentarily choked on the bite of cake he’d just taken. Garrett had to admit the image of his brother sitting down to a fancy dinner in the ship’s dining room with a big orange life jacket around his neck was pretty darn funny.
After making his final goodbyes, he made his way outside. The lack of sound as he stood on the edge of the Wildflower Inn’s parking lot made him realize just how noisy it had been inside. For the first time in several hours, he felt as if he could truly breathe. He’d rather be alone out in the middle of the ranch than in the midst of that many chattering people.
Even so, as he got into his truck and drove off the lot, the idea of going home to an empty house didn’t appeal to him. Maybe he’d run down to the Blue Falls Music Hall and see who was playing tonight. If he was lucky, being in the familiar, less formal environs would help him forget how the seed of loneliness inside him had evidently been watered and fed a healthy dose of fertilizer.
* * *
NATALIE BARELY HAD time to pull over on the side of the country road and get out of the car before throwing up what little she’d been able to eat since leaving Wichita that morning. The closer she’d gotten to Texas, the more ill she’d felt. When she’d driven through Blue Falls a few minutes before, her out-of-control
