“He’s a good guy,” Beatrix said. “I had my doubts, but I can see it in the way he is with the animals.”

“Is that your gauge for how you feel about everyone?” McKenna asked.

“Not everybody likes animals,” Bea said. “I figure that’s because they haven’t met the right one. But unless you’ve given animals a reason not to like you, they should. So a lot of it is how animals react back.”

Jamie absolutely believed that that was how Bea decided who was worthy of being considered good, and who wasn’t. Everyone was getting chili and beer now, and Jamie should have been enjoying the festivities more than she was. The problem was, she wanted to spend them with Gabe. In the way that they could be when they were alone together. But... Even though it seemed like they were a pretty poorly kept secret, she didn’t feel comfortable wandering around touching him. Making some kind of claim on him like they were a couple, when they were... She supposed they were friends.

Friends with a particular affinity for each other’s bodies.

Jamie went and got herself a bowl of chili and a cup of beer, and sat down on the bleachers. Gabe followed suit, sitting next to her, but with a respectable distance between them.

“You were incredible,” he said.

Those simple words ignited something in her chest. “Thank you,” she said.

“You’re going to tear it up out there. When you go pro.”

“I guess... I mean, it should be pretty quick for me. Not two years, even.”

“I wouldn’t think,” he said.

“I’m going to help get your ranch set up, though. That matters to me. I don’t want to leave until that’s established.”

“Well, if all goes according to my plan, it should be good to go before you need to worry about anything for next season. So I appreciate it. But I don’t think the plan should delay you. Especially since I’m committed to that now, and I’m not going back. Hell, I’d gladly trade out my spot for yours, anyway. You’re the one that should be doing it.”

She shifted uncomfortably. “That’s very nice.”

“I’m not trying to be nice. It’s just true.”

Everyone had cleared out of the arena area, most people going to sit at the picnic tables that were all around the property, and around the firepit, where there were marshmallows.

It made them feel isolated over there, even though Jamie was sure that Wyatt knew exactly where she was and who she was talking with.

“Hey,” Wyatt said, wandering over to where they were.

“Hey,” Gabe said back.

Jamie had known that her brother was around.

“We’re all going out to the bar later. You want to come, Dalton?”

“Yeah,” he said. “I’ll be there.”

“Just don’t hug Jamie the whole time,” Wyatt said.

And if she had needed an indication that Wyatt was pretty aware that something was happening between them, she had just gotten it.

She wasn’t sure why he was being okay, when he’d been a bear about it for the months leading up to her taking the job.