Thunderous applause echoed in the room.
Ainsley watched Chase saunter onto the stage. He was shorter than she’d expected, but more powerfully built than Ben. He had a quick smile and quick wit. His smooth confidence in front of a crowd didn’t come off as rehearsed, but polished, as if a PR department had groomed him. As Chase spoke, she recognized similarities he shared with Ben. Hand gestures. Thoughtful pauses. Not to mention those rugged good looks.
She was so lost in thought about Ben and his family dynamic that she nearly missed being called to the stage. Leslie pushed her with a, “Go!”
“Now the sponsors of this event, National West Bank and Settler’s First Bank, are contributing five thousand dollars each to the Chase McKay Foundation.”
Ainsley and Steve stepped forward with the big, fake checks. Flashing light bulbs nearly blinded her, the applause was deafening. Where had all the camera crews come from?
Chase seemed genuinely stunned by the donation. When it quieted down, Chase took the microphone and looked at the tables on the left. “Ava, darlin’, did you get all that?”
She said something, which he didn’t hear. “Why don’t you come on up here and say hello?”
More raucous applause.
A stunning brunette bounded onto the stage and stood beside Chase. She was a good six inches taller in spike heels. Chase swept her into his arms and laid a passionate kiss on her that made the crowd go nuts. He finally set her down, but wouldn’t let go of her hand. “Have y’all met my beautiful wife? Ava Cooper Dumond McKay. Ava is workin’ on two documentaries about bull ridin’, and she’s hopin’ to have at least one of them done next spring. Thank you all for comin’ out this afternoon.” Chase and Ava left the stage and a swarm of photographers followed them.
The crowd vanished quickly. She, Leslie and Rita tore down the display and loaded it in Rita’s Suburban. She returned inside to double-check she hadn’t forgotten anything. She noticed the poster tacked to the backdrop, but she couldn’t quite reach the pushpin.
A warm, familiar body moved in behind her and murmured, “I’ve got it.”
Ainsley didn’t budge for several seconds. She just closed her eyes and absorbed the feeling of having him so close.
Then he stepped away.
She straightened her sweater and skirt before she faced him. “Thanks.”
“You did great up there. Everybody was real impressed. But I bet you’re used to doin’ presentation stuff like that?”
“I’ve done it a time or three hundred.”
His gaze moved from her gray pumps, up her calves and over the black wool skirt that clung to her thighs and hips, then lingered on her br**sts molded by the gray angora sweater. The palpable heat in his blue eyes made her thighs clench. “Goddamn you look good enough to eat.” He grinned. “Twice.”
Ainsley grinned back. “That can be arranged. Do you have plans tonight?”
Ben shoved his hands in his pockets. “Ah, my folks are havin’ a family thing at their place since Chase is in town, as well as our brother Gavin.”
“Of course your family wants to gather and celebrate Chase’s success. I’m sure you’ll have a great time.”
“If you think dodging screamin’ kids and nosy relatives is fun,” he muttered.
“Excuse me?”
“Nothin’. It’s just all the McKays are comin’, which means all of their kids. God love ’em, but I’m ready to schedule a vasectomy after about an hour. And guaranteed this shindig will last much longer than an hour.”
“Large families are almost another culture to people like me, who have one sibling and half a dozen cousins, total.”
“I don’t suppose you’d wanna come with me?” he blurted.
That shocked her. “Really? Me?”
“Why not?” That too-blue gaze pinned her in place. “Do you have plans?”
“Well, no, but won’t your family think it’s odd that you’re showing up with me?”
He shrugged. “Steve Talbot will be there. It’s only fair the rep from the other bank gets an invite too.”
So this wasn’t personal. She wouldn’t be showing up on Ben McKay’s arm as his date. Another shard of disappointment sliced her. “Although I appreciate the invite…” She fiddled with the sleeve of her sweater. “I’m sure—”
“Look at me.”
Her gaze zoomed to his at his command.
“That was a lie, okay? I don’t want you to come because your bank contributed to Chase’s fund. I want you to come for me. I mean, I’d like it if you came with me. Not as my girlfriend or anything, because Christ, no one in my family would leave either of us alone, and I wouldn’t put anyone through that.” He offered her a shy smile. “So would you consider goin’ as my…friend?”
Why did Ben’s honesty surprise her? Even when it hurt her a little? And was he trying to kill her with that sweet little boy smile?
“I’d like that. Do I need to change?”
“Why? You look fantastic.”
“Flattery won’t get you anywhere, friend.” A thought occurred to her. “You aren’t using me to fend off questions from your family about why you’re not in a relationship?”
He hung his head. “Busted.”
“Ben!”
“I’m kiddin’. Sounds like you’ve had the same ‘when are you gonna find a nice girl and settle down?’ questions from your family that I’ve had from mine.”
“No, mine are more along the lines of ‘don’t let the bitterness from your divorce keep you from finding a good man’ and then my mother asks how many cats I’ve got.”
Ben chuckled. “If anyone asks, let’s tell them we’re too busy f**king like rabbits to find someone decent to settle down with.”
“I swear if anything remotely close to that leaves your lips, Bennett McKay, the only thing you’ll be f**king in the very near future is your fist.”
“Understood.” He smirked. “Come on. You can ride with me.”
“Wouldn’t it be better if I drove? So if it gets too uncomfortable I can leave?”
“Why do you think I wanna give you a ride? That’ll give me an excuse to leave too.”
Ainsley convinced him to stop and pick up flowers for his mother, so they were late.
As he sensed the questioning looks from his family members, Ben realized it’d been f**king idiotic, lying to Ainsley, telling her that he didn’t want to show up at his folk’s place, acting like she was his girlfriend. He wanted to hold her hand and lead her through the maze of relatives, introducing her as his. He wanted to sneak a kiss from her in the food line. He wanted…so much more than she did, apparently, because his question about her going just as his friend had been a test of sorts, but he wasn’t sure which one of them had failed it.