Page 81 of Cowboy SEAL Homecoming

“Anyone ever told you that you’re a strange girl?”

“No, but that’s probably because I didn’t have friends.” She said it so matter-of-factly. As though that was just life. She never even seemed to expect him to feel sorry for her.

It…affected him. Bothered him maybe? Or was it that he wanted to fix it for her? Give things to her? He shook the thought away and backed out of the parking lot. “So is that why you talk to the animals the way you do? Because you had no one else to talk to?”

The blush that had receded returned, if a little different this time. Just two small slashes of pink across her cheeks.

“I guess. I mean, I could talk to Mom about a lot of stuff, but if I was mad at her or didn’t agree with her or needed someone to vent to about her, the animals were good listeners. I was thinking about that the other day, actually, after the bar. I love animals and they’ve given me a lot, but they can’t talk back. It’s nice to have someone around who can talk back.”

“Hopefully you don’t kiss them too. I can share conversation, but…”

“Well, mostly not,” she returned deadpan. “Ron Swanson requires a little extra love and attention.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her grin.

“I had you a little worried there for a second, didn’t I?” she teased.

He chuckled. “I was mostly sure you haven’t been making out with your goat, but I do have to say you’re a constant surprise. One would never know for sure.”

“A constant surprise and a constant delight, right?”

It was his turn to grin at her. “You are that too.”

She settled back into her seat, her smile going a little soft. Pleased.

“You’re very good at this whole conversation thing. I think you are my perfect first date.”

He didn’t know how to respond to that. Perfect made him nervous, and first date made him even more nervous. He hated to be nervous. Nerves created mistakes or made you miss important things.

But this wasn’t war. It was just Becca.

“Well, I’m glad you think so because I certainly don’t have that much experience either.” And apparently nerves also made him say stupid, stupid things.

She sat up straighter, though she still clutched the bag to her chest. “What do you mean you don’t have that much experience?”

He didn’t respond.

“Oh, you’re a virgin, aren’t you?” she asked with mock concern.

He snorted out a laugh. “Not a virgin, no. But not well versed in the ways of long-term relationships either. Not that…” Oh, so many stupid, stupid things.

“So you’ve never had a girlfriend, you’ve just had lots of one-night stands?”

“I think ‘lots’ is in the eye of the beholder. I did have one girlfriend. Once.”

“I can’t believe you’ve only had one girlfriend. We’re practically on the same experience plane.”

“I doubt that.”

She just kept grinning at him. “Okay, tell me all about the one and only relationship you’ve ever had. Was she the love of your life and she broke your heart, so you had to find solace in a string of women’s vaginas? I think that’s the gist of James Bond, right?”

“No. And no.” He shook his head, eyes on the road and mountains as he tried to stop himself from focusing solely on her. “She was a girl in high school. She was hot and she liked cows enough she’d come hang out on the ranch. We dated for two years, and then I joined the navy.”

“Was she brokenhearted? Were you brokenhearted? Did she—”

“My but you are a curious one,” he muttered.

“I don’t have any experiences of my own. I have to live vicariously through other people’s.”