Maybe because seeing Dane Parker doing the walk of shame was less notable than seeing him sloppy drunk over a woman. Which was frankly what the evening they’d spent together drinking had been about.

Dane’s feelings for Bea and attempting to not act on them.

“I forgot about the drinking thing,” Dane commented.

“Of course you did. Because you got hammered.”

“When did he get hammered?” Beatrix asked.

“That was quite a few months ago,” Gabe said. “I think he was drinking to forget a woman.”

“More accurately,” Dane said, “I was drinking to keep myself from going after a woman that should have been off-limits.”

“Oh,” Beatrix said, looking delighted. “That was me.”

“Yes,” Dane said. “Yes, it was.”

“Obviously, the alcohol didn’t work,” Gabe said. “Congratulations, by the way.”

Beatrix lifted her hand and a ring sparkled on her finger, but not as brightly as her smile. “Thank you.”

Dane looked...well, happier than Gabe could ever remember seeing him. Even when they’d been in the rodeo together. Happy wasn’t the right word for him then. There had been a drive and intensity beneath all his careless charm. Like he was always trying to prove something.

Come to think of it, the same was true for a lot of the men.

Gabe knew what that was like. That need to prove something about himself. He’d been trying to prove to himself that he could make a life he hadn’t been manipulated into by his father.

What Gabe couldn’t imagine was...this.

This slow slide into domesticity Dane had made. Getting engaged.

But all the same, Gabe couldn’t help but wonder...

If he hadn’t gone into the rodeo, would he have gotten married? Would he have married Trisha, even after the pregnancy scare and the fight?

And would they have just been his parents in the end?

As it was, he hadn’t done that. He’d left Trisha behind, and he knew he’d broken her heart at the time. But he’d always figured if they’d stayed together he’d have broken it worse.

Now he might sleep around, but he always used condoms. He might sleep around, but he didn’t have a wife back home waiting for him. Not even a girlfriend.

Gabe had made the conscious choice to be responsible with his irresponsibility.

He’d never been destined for a position as a saint, but he could certainly aim to be considerate in his debauchery.

“We have a whole bunch of other animals to deal with,” Beatrix continued, sounding as brusque as she ever did. “I really appreciate you taking the horse. I gave her a medical check, and everything seems great. I’m glad that we found these people when we did. Otherwise, things could have been really catastrophic.”

“I’m glad, too,” Gabe said.

They took some time loading the horse into the trailer. Jamie providing some tough encouragement and Bea cooing and apologizing for all the commotion as if the animal could speak English.

“So this is your new project for the day,” Gabe said, looking over at Jamie.