Nowhere Ranch by Heidi Cullinan Read Free Book Online Page B

kept my eyes on the rodeo.
    She moved a little closer, making sure her knee brushed against mine. I wanted to glance back to see if Tory was catching all this, thinking maybe he would help me out. No luck.
    “My dad says you're real smart. Says you should be a manager of your own spread.” She laughed. “But don't tell him I said that, because he's afraid you're gonna leave.”
    Well, I hadn't been planning on it, but today it was looking better and better every second. I shrugged and kept watching the rodeo.
    She tried a few more times to get me to chat, asking if I liked Nebraska, which I said I did, and how did I like the town, and I said it was fine, and she asked what I thought of Nowhere, and I said it was a good ranch. When Loving got up and said he was heading to concessions, I tried to go with him to get away, but he made me sit back down and just asked what I wanted, a beer or something else? I said, “A beer, thank you,” and sat back for more torture.
    But once Loving and her dad cleared out, she looked at me with this “Oh, now I get it” look on her face and said, out loud, no volume control at all, “ Oh . Are you dating Travis?”
    I didn't know what to do or what to say. I felt like she'd put a gun to the center of my chest, but I didn't know what to say to make her take it away, or even if that was possible. And then, then , what did she do? When she figured out how upset I was, she leaned over and put her hand on my back. “Oh God. I'm sorry, are you not out?”
    That was it. I stood, ready to bolt no matter how pissed Tory might get, but damn if Haley didn't grab my arm and pull me right back down. She kept hold of my sleeve as she fished one-handed into her purse, coming out with a peppermint.
    “Suck on this,” she ordered, and I did, because what the hell else was I supposed to do? She kept rubbing my back, though, which I did not care for and which furthermore made no sense. She'd figured out—somehow—that I was gay, and now she was rubbing my back?
    “Okay, so I've clearly stepped in this. Can you help me out? Are you freaking out because you're straight and I said you were gay, or because you're gay and you don't want anyone to know?”
    I wished to God Tory had taught his kid to whisper. I tried again to get up, but she had iron fingers.
    “Gay, then, because you would have made sure I knew you weren't otherwise.” She sighed. “Okay, so to start with, relax. I won't tell anybody. But you know Travis is gay, right? He's not out-out, but most people know.”
    I thought of the many, erotic ways I had been gay with Loving and nodded, keeping my eyes on the bleacher seat in front of me.
    “So are you dating him or not?” Haley pressed.
    “Not.”
    “So does he know? That you're gay?”
    I tossed her a look that was somewhere between “shut up” and “please stop.”
    She laughed. “Yes, I know. I'm nosy. But just tell me. I don't want to make this any worse.”
    I didn't see how her knowing whether or not Loving knew I was gay would make any difference to anything, but I really, really wanted her to leave me alone, so I answered. “He knows.”
    “Okay.” She relaxed her grip, but not all the way, and she smiled at me. “So. Here's the deal. Do you see the guy in the black Stetson and green button-down shirt hanging on the rail at about two o'clock?”
    I glanced where she indicated and did see the cowboy she described. Tall and handsome, and if he'd have sat down and flirted with me, I'd already be bent over in the parking lot. But he didn't look happy about my existence. I moved my eyes back to the arena. “I see him.”
    “His name is Cal, and he's my boyfriend. Or, he was until he broke up with me two days ago.”
    Well, now it made sense. “You're trying to make him jealous.”
    “Yes!” she said, pleased that I understood. “I think we've about done it too.”
    “So you're telling me I shouldn't use the porta-potties way in the back and should stay out of the