By the time they got to the shopping area, Sara felt relaxed. Claire’s excitement about the boutiques that lined the streets was contagious to the point that she’d almost forgotten her trepidation about a public outing.
Josh dropped them along the block that looked the most interesting to Claire and went to park. Sara followed Claire into a store and to a rack of colorful sundresses near the front.
“I love this,” Claire said on an excited breath, holding up a low-cut V-neck sundress with a deep back.
Sara stifled a laugh at what Josh would think of that choice. She thumbed through the dresses and pulled out two with a more modest neckline. “I think one of these would be perfect.”
Claire hesitated, then put the first dress back. “The blue one is pretty.”
Sara’s sigh of relief was interrupted by a voice behind her. “Let me know if I can be of any help,” a saleslady purred. “We’re having a great summer sale on all dresses in the store.”
Sara turned and met the woman’s critical gaze with a bright smile. “Thanks. Are the dressing rooms in the back?”
To her surprise, the woman returned her smile. “Yes. Can I take those dresses for you?”
“The blue one,” Sara answered, and released the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Okay. That went well. One stranger down, dozens of others to go. She hated feeling so nervous and out of sorts, especially when Josh was along to watch her squirm.
Claire’s squealing caught her attention.
“This one,” the young girl said on a rapturous breath. Sara’s grin broadened at the soft pink fabric draped across Claire’s arm.
“It’s beautiful,” she agreed.
“What’s beautiful?” Josh asked at her shoulder.
“Dad, look at this dress. I love, love, love it.”
“Try it on then. Let’s see how it fits.”
Claire practically ran toward the dressing room. “Be right back,” she called over her shoulder.
“I don’t get women and shopping.”
Sara turned to Josh, who looked more than uncomfortable standing between racks of feminine clothes. He adjusted the bill of his baseball cap lower on his face.
Sara studied the color that crept up his neck. “Are you blushing?” she asked, and followed his gaze. “At a mannequin wearing a bra and panties?”
“I don’t blush,” he argued, adjusting his cap again. “And I like to see a real woman wearing a bra and panties.” His gaze raked her. “I’d like to see you in a bra and panties.” He paused, then added softly, “Or out of them.”
She swayed forward a fraction as her southern hemisphere revved to life. Glancing over her shoulder to make sure no one else had heard him, she pointed a finger at him. “You can’t say that here. Your daughter’s in the dressing room.”
“I know where she is, and I can say whatever I want.” His big shoulders shrugged. “I’ve got to think of something interesting to keep me going today. You need a distraction, too. You’re wound like a top.”
“I am not.” She followed his gaze and quickly let go of the wad of fabric bunched in her hand, placing the dress back on its hanger and smoothing her hand over it. “What happened to your attitude from the other night?”
A Cheshire grin spread across his face. “I got a better one.”
“I’m not sure this is any better. We agreed nothing will happen between us.”
“You agreed.” He took a step toward her, his hand brushing her bare arm. “I might buy you something to model later for me.”
Sara coughed and sputtered at his brazen words. “I don’t need you to buy me anything, and I’m not anyone’s model.”
Josh winked. “That’s more like it. I like you all full of spunk.”
“Okay, I’m ready,” Claire called from the back of the store.
Sara narrowed her eyes as Josh walked toward the dressing rooms but couldn’t quite stop herself from smiling.
He did that to her.
Their easy banter felt strangely right, and her whole body tingled at the message in his eyes when he looked at her. His attitude might be joking but his energy was intensely serious.
As she followed the sound of Claire’s voice, the saleslady grabbed her arm and pulled her behind a bathing suit display. “Just a minute,” she whispered, her head bobbing over the shelves to make sure they couldn’t be heard. “I need to ask you something.”
Here it comes, Sara thought, tension curling tight in her chest once again.
“Is that Josh Travers?” the woman asked, her eyes bright with expectation. “Are you with the Josh Travers?”
Sara blinked and looked over her shoulder. He had to have put the woman up to this. “The Josh Travers?”
The saleslady nodded. “He’s the retired PBR champ, right?”
Sara racked her brain. “Professional Bull Riders,” she said, almost to herself. “Yep, that’s him.”
“I knew it.” The woman patted her chest. “He’s even hotter in person than on TV.”
Sara felt her jaw drop. “Are you for real?”
“Ever since they put the tour on cable, my husband’s been addicted. He grew up down in Calhan, so even though we’re in the big city he’s a cowboy at heart. He likes me to watch, too—makes him feel like I get him.”
She leaned closer and squeezed Sara’s arm. “Let me tell you, it’s no chore sitting on the couch watching those gorgeous boys do their thing. Josh Travers was the best of the best. It does my heart good to see him getting around, looking so happy and in love.”
Sara’s mouth dropped farther. “In love? Oh, no. We work together. We’re here with his daughter.”
“Whatever you say,” the saleswoman said with a knowing smile. “You look like a nice girl.”
“Sara, where are you?” Claire’s voice came from the back of the store.
“Let’s see how that young lady did with her choices.” The saleswoman pulled a stunned Sara toward the dressing room. All that worry and someone recognized her as Josh’s girlfriend?
Unbelievable.
The rest of the afternoon was just as surreal. Sara noticed several people staring and a few pointing at her as they meandered up the tree-lined streets. Each time it happened, Josh gave her hand a gentle squeeze, told a bad joke or generally teased her to distraction.
Claire did her best to put a generous dent into Josh’s credit balance, growing happier with each store they entered. Sara felt the same way but for a different reason. Away from the looming tension about the fate of the ranch, she and Josh relaxed into an easy camaraderie that made hope bubble in Sara. She hadn’t felt the sensation in years: the possibility of a normal life.
She floated along on that feeling until they stopped for dinner at a quaint bistro at the edge of the shopping district.
The young man at the host desk informed them that without a reservation, the wait for a table would be over an hour. Claire gave a sigh of disappointment, as the cozy restaurant had been her first choice.
As Sara turned to scan the street for nearby options, a gray-haired woman approached her from the sidewalk. “Are you Serena Wellens? The one who used to be a movie star?”
Sara