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“You mean for your ridiculous idea for us to be pretend dating or engaged?”

“Dating first.” Just so she didn’t renege, he reminded her, “You shook on it.”

“I know. I told you I lost my mind. Okay, what’s the plan?”

“Can you go to dinner and drinks tonight?”

“Yes. Where?”

“Booze’s, where else?”

“I was there last night.”

“Deal with it. Maximum exposure.”

“Nate, I’m just not sure this is going to work. No one will believe it.”

“Sure they will. But you can’t be standoffish. You have to act like you like me. A lot.”

“You’re one of my best friends. Of course I like you.”

“That’s not what I mean.” He’d moved closer to her while talking. Taking the bowl from her hand, he set it down. “I mean when I do this—” he took hold of one hand “—you don’t jerk your hand away like you’ve been scalded. And when I do this—” he leaned in and kissed her lightly “—you don’t flip out.”

“I think I can manage that,” she said dryly. “But I’m not into PDAs.”

“Tough. You’re going to have to be for this to work.”

“Can’t we just tell Grandma K we’re dating?”

“Eventually. I want her to hear the gossip. She gets her hair done on Fridays. That means if we go to Booze’s and do anything out of the ordinary for us tonight, she’ll hear all about it tomorrow at Rosario’s Salon.”

“I still don’t see why we have to be so sneaky.”

“Because I want Grandma to believe it. Come on, it can’t be that hard.”

She rolled a shoulder. “Whatever. I have things to do.”

Before she could protest, he kissed her again. A little longer than before. When he ended it, Damaris said, “You don’t need to keep kissing me when we’re alone.”

“We aren’t alone. I heard someone come in the barn. Probably one of your brothers or Ella.”

“Damaris,” Chase called as he walked into the tack room. “I’ve got to go—”

He halted when he saw the two of them. Nate was about to kiss her again when she slapped a hand on his chest and hissed, “Enough.”

“Spoilsport,” he answered with a laugh. “See you tonight. Seven o’clock.”

Well satisfied with the morning, he left the two of them staring after him. This is going to be fun.

Chapter Three

“What’s going on with you and Nate?” Chase asked her.

“Nothing,” she said before she remembered she wasn’t supposed to tell anyone. For sure she couldn’t tell Chase since he had the biggest of big mouths. “He asked me to dinner tonight.”

“You mean like a date?”

Of course he was surprised. Damaris and Nate were just friends, and Chase knew it.