Gone Country (Rough Riders #14)(130)

Stop gawking at him.


Nothing wrong with being attracted to her best guy buddy.


Was there?


No. Especially when he still didn’t have a clue how she felt. She walked up to him, her hands jammed into the back pockets of her jeans. “You summoned me?”


Boone frowned at her attire. “Wasn’t tonight the dance?”


“No. It was last night.”


“Oh. Was it fun?”


“I don’t know. I skipped it.”


“But…you said that night at the lake you wanted to go.”


She shrugged. “Marin is at her grandma’s for a week so she wasn’t going. Besides, they probably only played country music.”


“You should’ve gone.”


But I knew you wouldn’t be there.


“You asked me here to chew my ass about a dance I didn’t go to?”


“No.”


“What are you doing out here, anyway? Did your bike break down again?”


“Funny. It was a great night for a ride. I lost track of time. When I pulled over, I realized I wasn’t far from your place.”


“So you called me.” Instead of just showing up at her house. That made no sense. Especially if Boone thought she was at the dance. What was going on with him? He acted…jumpy.


“You got any decent tunes in that piece of crap car you’re driving these days?” he asked.


The Mercedes was hardly a piece of crap and he knew it. Boone also knew that the only reason her dad had bought it was for the safety features, including an excess of air bags. “I’ll play music as long as you don’t bitch about what it is.”


“Deal.”


She rolled down the windows and plugged her iPod into the stereo system. She mimicked his pose against the car, standing opposite him.


Boone grinned when the music started. “Foo Fighters. Cool.”


“Don’t get used to it. The next song might be by Flogging Molly.”


“I don’t even know what the hell that is, McKay. You’re more ur-bane than me.”


“Right. Seriously, West, what’s up? It’s not like you to text me, demanding I meet you out in the middle of nowhere. Especially this late.”


He lifted an eyebrow. “Since when is ten late?”


“Since my dad grills me about where I’m going at ten at night and who I’m going with.”


“Did you tell him you were meeting me?”


“Yeah.” She smirked. “He said not to let you drive my car.”


“Smartass.” Boone paused and tipped his head toward the sky. “As much as I love how bright the moon is, I miss seeing the stars on nights like this.”


“Me too.”


Neither said anything for several minutes.


“But this moon-gazing shit is killing my neck.” He moved to lean next to her. “Much better. So, what are your plans for this summer?”


“I’ve thought about becoming a carny.”


“Yeah? What’s the appeal? Getting hooked on meth? Hooked on pot? Hooked on fried food? Or is it getting to rip off little kids every day? Maybe you’ll grow a mustache and get a bad tattoo.”


She laughed. “You’ve weighed the pros and cons way more than I have. I was just in it for the unlimited cotton candy.”


“What’s option two for your summer?”


He was more persistent than usual, so she hedged, in case he had a specific reason for asking her plans—like he wanted to spend the summer with her. “I don’t know. It depends.”


“On?”


“How much my mom and dad argue over me and where I should be. My mom’s boyfriend bought a place in Paris with an extra bedroom, so she wants me to stay at least half the summer with her.” She shot him a sideways glance. “I haven’t mentioned this to my dad yet.”


“Why not?”


“I just found out yesterday. He’ll ask me what I want to do, and like I said, I’m not sure.”


“But he gives you a vote in your options?”


“Yes. What about you? Now that you’ve graduated, what are your plans?”


“Well, that’s the reason I asked you to meet me.”


Her stomach performed a hopeful summersault.


But as usual, he didn’t elaborate. He just kept looking skyward.


“Boone? I’m lousy at guessing games, remember? So just tell me.”


“I won’t be here this summer because I joined the army.”


Sierra gave him a ten-second pause and hip-checked him. “You have a bizarre sense of humor sometimes.”


He faced her. “I’m not joking. I joined the army.”


A sick feeling took root as she realized he was serious. Then she exploded. “Why would you just up and do that?”


“It wasn’t an impulsive decision. I’ve been thinking about it for a while.”