Page 40 of Saltwater Cowboy

I froze for a moment, unsure of whether I wanted to stay hidden under the covers or face whatever awkwardness was brewing downstairs.

I waited a few minutes before emerging from my cave.

“Hey,” Blythe greeted from the couch, her voice warm with a hint of amusement. I sat beside her. “We weren’t sure when you’d wake up from your hibernation.”

“Ha-ha,” I groaned, moving to the couch. “I didn’t mean to sleep that long.”

“Clearly, you needed it.”

“Is Wren home?”

Blythe nodded. “Yeah. Wells dropped her off a few minutes ago. I think she went out back with Charlie.”

“Ah, okay. Wells is gone, right?”

Blythe gave me a puzzled look. “Yeah. Why?”

“You remember the guy on the plane I almost punched?”

She nodded.

“Apparently, it was Wells.”

Blythe burst into laughter, almost choking. “You almost punched Wells Calloway?”

“He was incredibly annoying, as you might recall.”

Blythe could barely catch her breath from laughing. “What are the odds?” She paused, still laughing. “I totally forgot he mentioned he was in Seattle for his cousin’s wedding.”

“I hope I never have to cross paths with him again.”

“That might be a bit tricky living here.”

I exhaled a long, frustrated sigh. “Shit.”

“The universe has a funny sense of humor.”

“Don’t even start with that, Bee.”

Blythe leaned back, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “Come on, you’ve got to admit, this is kind of hilarious.”

I shot her a look, my face still scrunched in annoyance. “Yeah, hilarious. I’m going to be dodging him every time I step out of the house.”

“Or,” Blythe teased, “you could just be normal and talk to him like an adult.”

I groaned, collapsing back onto the couch. “I can’t even imagine trying to hold a conversation with him. He’s one of those people who just—” I threw my hands up in exasperation. “—ruins everything with his existence.”

Blythe chuckled, reaching for the TV remote. “Sounds like you’re overreacting.”

“Me? No way,” I shot back, sarcasm dripping from every word. I stared at her, silently wishing for the day to end already. The thought of running into Wells again twisted my stomach into knots, and the way my pulse quickened just thinking about it didn’t help. I didn’t want to deal with him, not now, not ever.

Suddenly, the back door opened and I froze. I could hear the faint shuffle of footsteps, then the sound of Wren laughing in the yard.

“Is that Wells?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Blythe peeked out the window. “It looks like he’s outside with Wren.”

“Are you really this worked up?” she asked, laughing. “Relax. If you’re gonna survive living here, you’re going to run into him every now and again. He doesn’t leave the farm much, so you should be okay.”