Cindy Kirk - A Jackson Hole Homecoming

Frank’s eyes widened. He opened his mouth, then clamped it shut without responding.

Kathy looked amused.

Tripp chuckled.

“Considering my father used to practically live on the golf course, a statement like that is tantamount to waving a red flag in front of a bull,” Tripp whispered in a tone loud enough for all of them to hear.

Warmth crept up Adrianna’s neck but she lifted her chin. “It’s just my opinion.”

“And mine.” Kathy shot Adrianna a wink.

Before much more could be said, an announcement sent them to their assigned seats for dinner.

Adrianna recognized two of the men and one of the women already at their table as being current board members. Although they were seniors, Adrianna wasn’t worried. Because of her parents being older, she’d always felt comfortable with that generation. She chatted easily throughout a delicious meal of chicken, asparagus and wild rice. The dessert she left untouched.

“Is something wrong with the cheesecake?” Tripp leaned close, the question meant for her ears only.

Adrianna lifted one shoulder in a slight shrug and tried to pretend his nearness didn’t affect her. “Simply too much food.”

“No wine. No dessert. You’re a cheap date,” Tripp teased.

Her heart twisted. If only this was a real date….

“What are you thinking?” Tripp asked.

“That I’m having a nice time tonight.”

“You sound surprised.”

“In a way I am,” she answered honestly. “For me, these events are normally just something to endure.”

He brushed a stray tendril of hair back from her cheek with one finger. “You’re having a good time tonight because you’re with me.”

Adrianna rolled her eyes while inwardly agreeing.

The band started up again and Adrianna found herself swaying with the music.

Tripp pushed back his chair.

When she stood and he took her hand, electricity shot up Adrianna’s arm.

“I love the songs they’re playing tonight—” she began, then stopped when Winn stepped in front of her.

The man smiled at Adrianna and ignored Tripp. “May I have the pleasure of this dance, Ms. Lee?”

Even though outwardly Winn appeared self-assured, something in his eyes told Adrianna he wasn’t as confident as he appeared. She knew all about faking confidence in social settings. The knowledge that they had that in common made her offer him an extra-warm smile.

“Actually, the lady isn’t available. She’s dancing every dance with me.” Tripp’s blue eyes were positively frosty.

“Let her go with him, son.” Jim Ferris seemed to appear out of nowhere. “There are several things I’ve been meaning to discuss with you. This will be a good opportunity for us to talk.”

Adrianna fought a surge of disappointment. But to be anything other than gracious about the change in plans would put Tripp—and Winn—in an awkward position.

“I’d love to dance with you.” Adrianna smiled at Winn, then shifted her gaze to Tripp. “The one after that is yours.”

Tripp leaned close and for one crazy second Adrianna thought he was going to kiss her. Instead he squeezed both her hands.

“The next and all the ones after that.” Tripp gazed into her eyes, his tone brooking no argument.

“Absolutely.” Adrianna felt as if she was floating. She wasn’t sure what had happened to Tripp’s normal hands-off behavior, but she was enjoying the change.

As Winn took her arm and led her to the dance floor, Adrianna felt Tripp’s eyes on her. Hiding a smile, she added a little sway to her hips.

Tripp stood on the edge of the dance floor, schmoozing with a couple of donors, doing his best to ignore the music filling the ballroom. The romantic melody was almost as irritating as the cloying sweetness emanating from the large urn of fresh flowers positioned next to him.

He murmured words of agreement or occasionally nodded, enough to make the two men across from him believe they had his full attention. The truth was, conversing with them was merely a cover. It allowed Tripp to surreptitiously watch Adrianna while she danced with Winn.

The “important meeting” with Jim Ferris had taken just long enough for Winn to lead Adrianna to the dance floor. Tripp suspected the trustee’s urgent need to talk had been merely a ploy to aid his son in getting what he wanted. Now, seeing the smirk on Winn’s face as he held the brunette, Tripp was sure of it.

He wasn’t surprised. Adrianna was a beautiful woman with a killer body, sculpted screen-goddess features and incredible green eyes.

The lithesome beauty seemed unaware of her appeal. She always insisted she’d spent her childhood as somewhat of an ugly duckling and hadn’t begun to blossom until college.

But Tripp had noticed her latent beauty back in high school. He’d made the mistake of mentioning his observation to Gayle. She’d gone ballistic.

That had been the first of many fights they’d had stemming from her irrational jealousy.

Even now, the simple act of appreciating the way Adrianna’s dress emphasized her large breasts made him feel guilty. He lifted his gaze … and found her staring.

Not at Winn.

At him .

Tripp smiled back before refocusing his attention back on the donors.

Now, with his eyes elsewhere, he found himself thinking how much Adrianna’s friendship had meant to him. Her supportive texts and emails following his wife’s death had been a bright light during that dark period.

A comfortable closeness had developed over cyberspace. Even after the initial shock and grief had begun to subside, they’d continued to correspond, sharing thoughts and feelings they never would have shared in person.

It wasn’t until Tripp returned to Jackson Hole that things turned awkward. He and Adrianna shared many of the same friends. Friends who’d recently begun marrying at alarming rates and who seemed to think they’d make a perfect match.

Now that he was home, the closeness they’d built somehow felt wrong now. He could almost hear Gayle sneering and telling him, “See, I was right. You were attracted to her.” Which he knew wasn’t the truth back then, but definitely was true now.

When Tripp had told his friends he was too busy to date, some assumed he was still grieving the loss of his wife and unborn daughter. Actually, Tripp was ready to move on. The irony was, now that he was ready, the one woman he was interested in was the one he couldn’t bring himself to pursue. So he stuck with his original story that he didn’t have time.

It was mostly the truth.

With declining Medicare reimbursement and pressure from insurance companies to accept deeper discounts, Tripp had to bring his A-game to work every day. If that weren’t enough, his dad had been diagnosed with malignant melanoma.

See? Too busy .

Yet, he was grateful Adrianna had agreed to accompany him tonight. Especially because he and the beautiful brunette had achieved an understanding. They were simply friends with no expectations of more.

Tripp inhaled sharply as Winn slid his hand slowly up Adrianna’s back. He narrowed his gaze. Anger surged. He’d made it clear to Winn that Adrianna was his date for the evening.

Actually, he’d taken it a step further. He’d let Winn believe Adrianna was his girlfriend. But that was something he’d clear up later.

Once he pried Winn’s hands off Adrianna’s body.

The crowded dance floor could have explained why Winn held her so tightly, although Adrianna doubted that was the only reason. She guessed it had more to do with Tripp’s unyielding gaze fixed on them and Winn’s desire to jerk his chain.