Page 52 of Jillaroo from Jacaranda

‘Yeah, I actually did.’ He couldn’t help but chuckle now. ‘Far out, Brussels sprout? Ha, that’s bloody classic.’

She smirked. ‘Yeah, well, I’m a classic kind of gal.’

‘That you most certainly are, Jonesy.’ He’d never felt so close to love, as if something or someone was pushing him closer and closer to the edge. But he had to take heed. She didn’t want that kind of relationship with him. She’d just made that perfectly clear.

‘You can walk me to my trailer, Parker, but you’re not coming in.’ She prodded him lightly in the chest. ‘You got that?’

He gave her a stern nod. ‘Got it.’

They walked the rest of the way to her trailer in silence.

Reaching it, she turned to him. ‘Goodnight, Ty Parker.’

‘Night, Rose.’ He didn’t miss the renewed watery glaze of her eyes. ‘Are you sure you want me to leave like this?’

She folded her arms nice and tight across her chest. ‘Yes.’

He paused for one millisecond of indecision. ‘Nope, sorry, but that’s not going to happen.’ He rested a hand on the trailer door before she shut it in his face. ‘You’re not going to bed yet.’

‘Oh yes, I am.’ Her stern expression was an absolute picture of determination.

He took a step closer, fighting off the bone-deep desire to pull her to him and hold her close. ‘You’re going to hear me out and then, only after that, you can say goodnight and kick me to the proverbial curb.’

She blinked, her breathing quickening as she considered this. Remaining tight-lipped, she drew in a deep breath then let it out in one massive huff. ‘Okay.’ She stepped aside. ‘Entrez.’

‘Entrée?’ Ty stepped in beside her. ‘Isn’t that what you have before the main course?’ he joked.

She half snorted, half grunted. ‘Stop being so damn funny, Ty. I’m not in the mood to laugh.’

They sat on the floor, off to the side of the mattress she’d rolled out.

Folding her legs up beneath her, Rose looked to him. ‘I’m all ears, so shoot, Parker, because we haven’t got all bloody night. This gal needs some sleep.’

He nodded, sighing. ‘I don’t want to ignore what just happened and sweep it under the rug, because I don’t want it to come between our friendship.’

‘Uh-huh.’ She nodded slowly. ‘Neither do I.’

‘So, tell me, what do we do, Jonesy, to make sure it doesn’t?’ He made sure to use her nickname to keep the conversation on the friendship side of things.

Her brows rose. ‘Honestly?’

He nodded, holding his breath.

She held his gaze. ‘We have to sweep it under the rug and pretend it never happened.’

He heaved a weighty breath. ‘You think that’s really going to work?’

She shrugged. ‘I think it’s our only option.’

‘It’s just … I don’t want you to think any differently of me.’

Her head tipped to the side. ‘How do you mean?’

He took his time to find the right way to say what he needed to – he didn’t want to sound all woe-is-me. ‘Everyone always puts me in the same box as my bull-riding buddies.’

She took a breath, her gaze attentive. ‘I’m still trying to understand what you’re getting at.’

‘The rodeo world can be a very superficial one, and I’m far from shallow.’ He cleared the rising frustration from his throat. ‘I’ve had so many people over the years, women in general, label me as just another bull rider who is only after one thing. I haven’t bothered trying to change their minds, but when it comes to you … I care what you think, and I don’t want you to get the wrong idea of me.’ He paused for a moment in a bid to steady his voice. ‘I really like you Rose, more than a friend should, but I also understand the timing is off, and I will respect that, and most importantly, you, no matter what.’