Amanda froze. She knew in the back of her mind the next day was indeed Valentine’s Day. Dru had gone on and on about how she and Lacy planned to crash one of their mutual friends’ dates. Amanda had shoved that knowledge including the holiday itself to the back of her mind with a subtle roll of her eyes and gone back to setting an appointment to get Dru’s apartment cleaned. But now . . . now it still didn’t matter. They were just friends, and like Sam said, they didn’t actually have to spend any time together if she didn’t want to see him. Which she did, but not for Valentine’s purposes.

“When I actually get five minutes to date, you’ll be the first to know. This weekend is about friendship and relaxation. Nothing else. Where’s Dad?” she said, coolly changing the subject.

“He’s upstairs, in the room. Playing video games. Some old western thing with cowboys. He’s excited because there’s a part when you can pet the dog.”

“Oh good.”

“He stopped playing online. He didn’t like the language some of the young people were using.”

“Even better. Well, I need to get on the road and I know you want to watch some sexy blacksmiths.”

“Sure do, baby girl. Gotta pick out my second husband.”

“Do not tell Dad that.”

“I will tell him that. He’s gotten too comfortable,” she joked. If anyone loved the heck out of their wife, it was her dad.

“Mom!” Amanda replied with a sputtering laugh.

They said their love-yous and goodnights and Amanda fought another wave of homesickness and loneliness. She’d seen her parents at Christmas, but she’d only been home for four days. Four days out of the whole year. She knew it had been a mistake and that this year she should ask Dru for more time, a whole week off, but with her shooting schedule and other engagements—no. She refused. She was not going to think about Dru right now.

Right now she was going to grab her toothbrush and make sure she had her silk bonnet and then she was going to hop on the 10 and get the hell out of this town. And maybe in the spring when Andromeda wrapped she’d go home again for another visit. She missed her family. She pushed that unique sadness aside with a sigh and finished packing. She doubled-checked that she had her necessities, her phone, extra chargers, and the route to Big Rock Ranch already programmed into her phone.