The Toyota Engagement Equation: How to Understand and Implement Continuous Improvement Thinking in Any Organization Tracey Richardson & Ernie Richardson [Richardson
“Remember,hotshot threeandahalffingerlengthsonthebroncrein.Anddon’tdoanyofthatrockingyouseemsofond of.Yougotta stayincontrol toscore points.” Kirbyalways remindedhimhow far he hadtogo.He was a gruffoldass,but Thatchhadwaitedmonthstogetaspotinhistrainingschedule,sohenevercomplainedaboutKirby’smethods.Allhewanted wasresults
Thatch’s head immediatelyjerked back. Thatfirstjump always threw himoff. Buthe recovered and raised his leftarm. Flashesofthearenapassedinfrontofhim theraftersabove,thedirtbelow,thefence
“Stopturningyourtoesout!”Kirbybarked “Andlockitdown,Hearst Youlooklikearagdolloutthere” He was tryingtolockitdown Thatchgrittedhisteeth,attemptingtomoveinsyncwiththeanimal,butWildBilljackknifed andsenthimflying.Hehitthegroundandrolled.
“Iknow I’vewatchedhoursofvideo”Buthecouldn’tmakehisbodycooperateoncethatbroncleftthechute Insteadof findinga rhythm, his bodytensed all over and locked up onhim “How did youdo it?” he demanded Wasn’tthatwhyhe’d hiredthegreatKirbyLeathermaninthefirstplace?Tolearnallhissecrets?
“Well,whatcanIdo?Ihaveamonthtofigurethisout.”Hehadjustoveramonthbeforehisentirefamilycametowatch himride,andhecouldn’tmakeafoolofhimself.Notinfrontofhisbrother.Notafterwhathadhappenedbetweenthem.This was Thatch’s chance for redemption to prove he wasn’tthe fool Liamhad made himoutto be whenhe’d swooped inand stolenThatch’sfiancée,Sienna,marryingher
Kirbystraightened and led himoutthroughthe gate, stoppingatthe benchthatheld Thatch’s bag. “There’re all kinds of alternative methods now Alot of the young guys are doing yoga to make themmore flexible” He snorted like one of the broncs “Youwouldn’t’veevercaughtmepushingmyassupintheairlikethat,butwhatever”
Thatchpulled offhis gloves and tossed theminto his bag. “Iknow a yoga instructor.” He hadn’tseenLyric muchlately. She’dbeenbusywiththeclinicshe’dopenedupwithherfriendKyrainStarValley teachingyogaandtakingholistichealth clients.Therewas another reasonhe’dbeenavoidingher for thepastfew months,too,buthedidn’twanttothinkaboutthat rightnow “IguessIcouldsignupforacoupleofsessionswithher”Notthathewantedhistwobestfriendsandex-colleagues toevergetwindofthefacthe’dresortedtodoingyoga SilasandAidenweremorelikebrothersthanfriends,andthey’dnever lethimheartheendofit.
“Yeah. See yousoon.” While Kirbymightnotbe able to help himfind his inner ballerina, Thatchstill needed the man’s arenaandtrainingfacilitysohecouldcontinuetologhoursonthebackofabroncbeforethebigcompetition Heneededas muchpracticeaspossibletomakehisridingclick
Hecouldn’tlethisbrotherwatchhimfail.
Afterremovingallhisprotectivegear,heluggedhisbagtohistruckoutsideandtosseditintothebackbeforeclimbinginto the driver’s seat, where he hesitated. Whenhe’d asked Lyric outatthe Christmas partyseveral months back, she’d made it prettyclearshedidn’twanttohangoutwithhim I’m not dating right now,she’dsaid Sohe’dbackedoff Heknewhow to readbetweenthelines Shewasn’tinterestedinhim,andhehadnodesiretokeeptryingtowinherover beenthere,donethat inthepast,andtheefforthadcrashedandburnedwhenhisfiancéehadmarriedLiam. Anyway.
He backed outofthe parkingspotand turned onto the rutted dirtroad thatwound throughanaspengrove before leaving Kirby’stwo-hundred-acreranch Thatviewofthemountainsgottohimeverytime jaggedsnow-dustedpeakstoweringover thevalleystretchedoutbeforehim Thebrushandgrasseswerestillsoggyfromthemeltingsnow,buttheworldwasstartingto comealiveagaintoo apatchofgreenhere,budsformingonthetreebranchesthere.Thesceneheldawildbeautyhehadn’t encounteredgrowingupintheMidwest.
Afterlivinginthemountainsforthepastcoupleofyears,heknewhe’dfindithardtoliveanywhereelse.Heusedtothink aboutleavingStar Valleysometimes. Ever since he’d brokenup withSienna eightyears ago, restlessness had plagued him. ThatwaswhathaddrivenhimtobecomeaSEALinthefirstplace Andnow,afterlosinghisbestfriendonthebattlefieldand wanderinginsearchofanewpurpose,he’dfinallyfoundsomethingthatmadehimfeeldrivenagain
ThatchslowedthetrucktoturnontoMainStreet.Thetownitselfwasn’tmuchofadraw therewerethetypicalshops,one hotel,and a few decentrestaurants. Butthe people inthis valleywere gold. He’d seenthe power ofcommunityafter Jace’s death.They’dallcometogethertohelphiswidow,Tess,rallyingbehindherwhenshe’destablishedawildhorsesanctuaryon her property in Jace’s memory These people took care of one another, stood up for one another, and showed up for one another Insomeone’sworstandbestmoments Andhegottobeapartofthat
Asperusual,thecaféattheMeadowlarkHotelwashopping,thoughitwasn’tthefacadethatdrewpeoplein.Likemostof the other buildings on Main Street, the Meadowlark had a basic brick-and-clapboard structure, but the owners, Louie and Minnie,kepttheinsidecozyandfriendlyandwarm.
Hecouldrelate “Uh Youknow Thisandthat”Hehadn’ttoldanyoneabouthisnewpastimeexceptforSilas,whomhe’d swornto secrecy, and Lyric, whomhe’d onlybrieflymentioned itto inpassing. Thatchdidn’twantanyone to know until he wasreadytocompete.
“How could I forget?” He’d beensore after a trainingruna few months back, so he’d asked Lyric for some stretches. Needlesstosay,hehadn’tenjoyedcontortinghisbodythatway.“IneedtomakesomemajorprogressbeforetheRodeoDays, though Atthispoint,I’lltryanything”
Lyricpulledthematsdownfromtheirstackontheshelfatthefrontofherstudioandspacedthemoutevenlyonthebamboo floor. This was her space her happy place. From the leaded stained-glass windows along the west wall to the barely turquoiseCalmBreezecolorshe’dpaintedonthewalls,thisroomalwaysbroughtheracenteredcalm.
Sayingno had beenharder withThatchwhenhe’d asked her out For a few seconds, she’d beentempted to sayyes But she’d dated a cowboyonce Thenshe’d married said cowboy, and thathad beenthe biggestmistake ofher life Since then, she’dbuiltasuccessfulbusiness.She’dbuiltalifethatmade her happyallonherown.
Yet she couldn’t deny her attraction to Thatch. He was laid-back and down-to-earth. Easy to be with. She’d felt some intenseflutteringsanytimeshelookedintohisperceptivehazeleyes,butthoseflutteringswerehowallhertroubleshadstarted yearsagotoo.No.Shecouldn’tdateThatch.Shelikedthesimplicityofherlife,theease.Shehadnodesiretocreateroomfor anything oranyone else
Lyricturnedonsomemusictogettheclassstartedontherightfoot Asfarasshewasconcerned,thingswerealreadygoing well She’dactuallyrememberedtheirnamesandfaces!Usually,thatwasn’therforte “Glad you all made it.” They were all dressed in athletic wear too, which was a plus. In the pictures she’d received, there’d beena lotofskintightdenim. “We’re goingto have so muchfuntogether over the nextseveral weeks,” she assured them.Her friendhadinformedher thatthesefour girls werefull ofpotential…theyjustneededsomedirectionandmaybea littlementoringalongtheway AndLyricalwayslovedaproject “Right”TallieshotSkyeaglare “Givingupourwholenightforaschoolyogaclassis super fun”
“That’sjustmyessential oilsdiffuser,”Lyricinformedthembrightly “ThescentiscalledCheer Itinspiresanenergizing andpositiveenvironment.”Judgingfromtheirobviousdistasteforyoga,theywouldneedallthepositivitytheycouldget.“The first thing we’re going to work on today is breath,” she said when they’d all found a place on their mats. “Breath is a foundationalpartofmovement.”
“Good Thenthis shouldn’tbe too hard” Lyric hitthe volume buttononthe remote for her speaker, bumpingitup a few notches Maybetheinstrumentalswouldhelpbringinthepositivity “Let’sallstandatthecenterofourmatswithourfeethip distanceapart.”
Lyric spentthe nexthalfhour walkingthemthroughsome gentle lower-bodystretches onthe mat The girls groaned and complained and sometimes giggled when one of themlet out an expletive, and she let themdo all those things freely, not correctingtheir words or behavior. Just lettingthemfeel what they felt and be where theywere. During some of her own teenagestruggles,thathadbeenhermother’sapproach,anditseemedtohaveworked.
“Ithinkthat’s enoughfor tonight,” she saidafter Tallie swore her hamstringmuscle hadtorninhalf.“We still have some time,though Idon’thaveanyotherplansthisevening Sowecanjustchatandgettoknoweachotheralittlebetter”
Fourpairsofheavilymade-upeyesblinkedather
Yeah,theyprobablydidn’tgettooexcitedaboutchattingwithathirty-year-oldadult.“Or wecouldwatchamovie?” she suggested.“Ifyoudon’thavetorushoff,Icanhookuptheprojectorinhere.Oh!Andwecanordertakeoutfromthecafé.”If allothereffortstomakethemlikeherfailed,shecouldresorttobribery.
“Isaid Ican’tstay” The girl lowered her eyes awayfromLyric’s Her movements were suddenlyshielded, guarded “I alreadytold himI’d be ready. He’ll be here anyminute and won’twantto come backand pickme up later. Ican’tlethim down.”
“Maybe Seeya”Elinashotoutthedoorwithoutlookingback AheavinessdrapedoverhershouldersasLyricsetuptheprojectorscreenandcalledMinnietoputintheirtake-outorder Twentyminutes later,theyhadtheir foodandtheywereall settledontheir mats gettingreadytostartatrueclassicfromher generation How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days.
ButLyric couldn’tshake the feelingshe’d gottenwhenElina had left. “So who’s Elina’s boyfriend?” she casuallyasked
“Herdadtookoffawhileago,andhermom’samess,”Cheyennesaid.“Idon’tthinkhermomcareswhatshedoes.” “I’msure that’s nottrue.” Rather thanallowingthe gossip to continue, Lyric started the movie. Butthe romantic comedy didn’tmakeherlaughthewayitusuallydid.Thegirlslaughedandateandseemedliketheyreallyenjoyedthestory.Shetried too,butworryweightedherheart.Elina’sstorywasalittletoosimilartoherown.Lyric’sownfatherhadlefthermomwhen she’donlybeenababyandshe’dneverhadthechancetoknowtheman Hermomhadn’tbeenamess,though She’dalways givenLyricasenseofloveandsecurity Afterhermomhadremarried,Lyrichadawonderfulrelationshipwithherstepfather untilhepassedawayafewyearsago.
But like Elina, she’d beenall too obsessed withmakinga manhappy tiptoeingaround so she didn’t upset him. She’d learnedhowunhealthythatkindofrelationshipdynamiccouldbe.
“Whatelsedoyouknow aboutFranco?”Lyricaskedthegirls whenthemoviehadfinished Worryhadgottenthebestof her
“Anyway, thanks for the movie and the food” Cheyenne rolled up her mat and stashed it on the shelf with the others following
“I’mgladyouallstayed.”Shewalkedthemoutofthestudioandthroughtheclinic’shallwayandreceptionarea.“Wecould do itagainsometime, ifyou’d like.” Maybe she could evengetElina to jointhemnexttime. Ifthe girl was inanunhealthy relationship,Lyriccouldhelp.She’dbeenthroughthattoo.
“Anytime.”Lyricshutthedoor,her worries still focusedonElina.Whatifthis Francoguywas reallybadnews? All the signs of a seriouslyunhealthyrelationship were there. She knew thembetter thananyone. But she didn’t know muchabout Francoandshehadnowaytofindoutabouthim.
Thatch’shousesatonafewacresjustontheoutskirtsoftown.Foryears,theplacehadbeenadilapidatedboxystructure, but the man had flipped it completely and now even the outside had a lovely stone facade with log beams as accents Thankfully,thelightswereon,soshedidn’thavetogethimoutofbed
you Withtheyoga Wecanmeetforafewsessionseveryweek”Whywerethewordsrushingout?She sounded nervous “But Ineedyourhelpwithsomethingtoo.”
“Sure.Yeah.Like Isaid,I’mhappytotrade.” He walkedawayandwavedher intohis livingroom,whichsmellednice. Similar toher eucalyptusessential oil.Notsurprisingly,everythinginthisspacewasorderly,fromtheuniformblackleather furnituretothenavalmagazinespositionedonthecoffeetable.
“Youwantsomethingtodrink?”heasked “Abeer?”
“No”Shestoodattheveryedgeoftheroom,maintainingaclearpathtothefrontdoor Herheartwasthrummingandher bodywas heating notgood signs for keepinga neutral distance fromhim. “Ineed youto help me keep aneye ona kid in town.FrancoVaughn.He’sasenioratthehighschool.”
“He seems a little controlling.” She knew frompersonal experience that was how abuse started. But she couldn’t tell Thatchthat She couldn’ttell anyone Her friends all knew she’d beendivorced a longtime ago, butshe’d always beentoo humiliatedtogivethemthedetails ExceptforKyra Buttheywerestepsisters “He’sgottenintosometroubleatschool Ijust don’twanthertoendupinabadsituation.”Likeshehad.“Please,Thatch?Thisisreallyimportanttome.”
“Atleastwe hada crew helpingonthe outside” Aidenassessedthe openroomthatwould eventuallyserve as the main lobby “Finishingoffthismuchsquarefootageisgoingtotakeusforever”
“Nothing we can’t handle.” Thatch was up for the challenge. When the town council had approved the new rec center project, CowboyConstructionhad gone frommainlydoingodd jobs around townto lookinglike a real professional outfit. “Thedetailworkhasalwaysbeenourspecialty.”They’ddevelopedareputationintheregionforbeingthebestwithinterior renovations Besides,therewas alsoanother potential employee he hadn’ttoldthemaboutyet He still didn’tknow whathe wasgettinghimselfintowiththisFrancokid,buthecouldn’ttellLyricno Notwhenshe’dlookedathimwiththoseimploring darkeyes.Sohe’dbettergetAidenandSilasonboardwiththenewhire.
“Imayknowsomeonewhocouldhelpwiththegruntwork.”Whenhe’dcalledtheschool,theguidancecounselorhadbeen ecstatic to hear thattheywere interested inanintern. He believed the woman’s exactwords were “Franco could use some special guidance.” Which gave Thatch the feeling that bringing the kid on might be more work than he’d bargained for. Whatever trouble the arrangement brought into his life might be worththe effort, though Especiallyif this act of goodwill couldhelpconvinceLyricthatThatchwasworthayes Notthathe’deveradmithehadulteriormotives
“There’s this kid. Franco.” He had to be careful aboutwhathe said. He couldn’ttell themabouthis deal withLyric, or they’dfindouthewasgoingtoyogaonaregularbasis,andhedidn’tfeellikeexplainingthat “Iwasthinkingwecouldgive himaninternship,teachhimthe ropes He couldhelpwiththe measuring,cutting,andpainting” Those were goodskills for anyonetohavegoingintoadulthood,right?
Whenheputitthatway,thisarrangementsoundedlikethelastthingThatchwantedtodo He’dneverbabysatanyone But thedealwasdone.“I’llsupervisehim.”ThatwasallLyrichadaskedhimtodoanyway.Tokeepaneyeonthekid.Howhard couldthatbe?
Thatchignoredthequestionandrippedopenaboxtostartunloadingtheplanks He’daskedLyricout He’dputhimselfout there and approached her at Aiden and Kyra’s Christmas party He’d had a whole spiel and everything Told her he was
attractedtoher.Thathelovedhowshewassogoodwithpeople,kind,andthoughtful.Hell,he’dspenttenminutesgoingover her attributes before gettingto the point. Thenwhenhe had, she’d said thanks butno thanks. Yethere he was still tryingto impressher.
“Youshouldaskherout.”SilasechoedAiden,openingthenextbox. Thosetwodidn’tknow how toletsomethinggo.“I’mnotintoLyric.”Hedidn’tlookupfromtheplankshewasstacking. Moreaccurately,Lyricwasn’tintohim Yet
“Bullshit”Aidensteppedintohislineofvision “Youcan’tlietous,Hearst We’vegottoomuchhistorytogether” Theywerealsoworsebusybodiesthantheelderlyladieswhogossipedatthesalon.“Seriously.”Thatchtossedtheempty boxintoacorner.“MaybeIwasintoLyricatonetime,butI’vemovedon.Shewasn’tinterested,andI’vegototherthingsto focus on. Don’treallyhave time for beingso tied downlike youtwo are.” He keptgoingbefore theycould geta word in. “Speakingof,doyouthinkyoucanactuallygrababeertonightwithoutthewives?”
Silas shrugged. “Tess has been looking forward to country-western night all week. You know how much she loves to dance.”
“AndKyra’sbeensobusyatthecliniclatelythatI’vehardlyseenher,”Aidenadded “Anothertimethen,”hesaiddrily Hedidn’treallymindthatthey’dratherbewiththeirwivesthanhim Thatwashow it was supposed to be, but he couldn’t resist giving themshit and distracting themfromall the Lyric talk. Hell, he’d like to distracthimselffromthinkingabouther.
“I’mnot goingto country-westernnight” Thatchhad made that mistake once and had beenpassed around as a dancing partnertoeverywomanoveragefiftyinStarValley fromDoristoMinnietoNellyandeveryothermemberoftheLadiesAid Society.
“Sure.” Thatch stood and abandoned his beer. Everyone else would get suspicious if it became too obvious they were avoidingeachother Theycouldn’tavoideachothermuchlongeranyway He’dbettergetusedtobeingaroundherone-on-one seeingashow he’dbedoingyogawithher onaregular basis Thekeywouldbetoactlikeeverythingwas normal between them.Likehe’dneveraskedheroutinthefirstplace.He’dneverbeengoodatpretending,buthecouldlearn.
“Perfect.” Lyric’s tense shoulders seemed to relax. “Ican’ttell youhow muchIappreciate this.” Her gaze held his long enoughtostiracravinginhim Hespunherrealquicktogethisheadbacktogether Hecouldn’tlookintohereyesfortoolong orhe’dstumble
“It’s movingalong” He wouldn’t bore her withthe details “We’re a little behind schedule, but Ithinknow that we’ve moved to the interior, we’ll getbackontrack.” Theyhad to getitbackontrack, since the grand openingwas slated for the RodeoDaysweekend.
“Don’tstare.”Lyricnudgedhim.“Theycan’tknowwe’rewatchingthem.” She sure seemed to be staringa lot, but he didn’t argue. “Youdon’t thinkElina will find it suspicious that one of your friendsaskedFrancoifhewantedaninternshipoutoftheblue?”Everyoneintownknewthesixofthemhungoutallthetime Inhisopinion,thewholearrangementwithFrancohad surveillance op writtenalloverit,butThatchhadalsobeentrainedin theartofskepticism.
“Hopefully, she’ll thinkit’s a coincidence,” Lyric muttered, still lookingawayfromhim. “All I want to do is see them togetherafewtimes.I’llknowifsomething’soff.”
“I know” Talkabout playingwithfire Thatchsmirked at her “Relax It was a joke We’ll figure out somethingelse” Becausehealreadyknew thatpretendingtodateLyricwhenhehadreal feelings for her wouldbeworsethanall thetorture he’dbeentrainedtowithstand.
“I’dratherstretchthandolunges,”Talliemumbled. Warrioronewasn’texactlya lunge,butLyricletthecommentgo.“Youalldidgreattonight.”She’dledthemthroughafull beginner’s flow, and while they’d moaned and groaned some, they’d also chatted and giggled and tried That was what mattered Physicalexerciseshouldbefun thatwastheonlywaythey’dmakeitalifelongpractice “Well,Ineedtogetgoing.”Elinahoppedup.“Francowill behereanyminute.”Sherolleduphermatandpausedonher waypastLyric.“Hey,didyouaskyourboyfriendtogiveFrancoajob?”
“Myboyfriend?”DidshemeanThatch?Lyrichoppeduptoo.ElinathoughtsheandThatchweretogether?“Um ” “Becausethat’sreallycoolofhim,”Elinawenton “FrancosaidThatchtoldhimyouthoughthe’dbegoodatconstruction” “Oh Yeah”Lyrictookhermatandstasheditontheshelf “ButThatchandIaren’treallytoge ” “Go,Lyric!”Tallieinterrupted.“ThoseSEALguysare so hot.” “Hey, maybe the four of you could go on a double date,” Cheyenne suggested. “Since Franco and Thatch are working together.”
Huh MaybeThatch’sjoketheothernightwasn’tsooffbase.Sure,whenhe’dmentionedbeingapretendcouple,Lyrichad experienced a suddenadrenaline rushfollowed byanonslaughtofpanic, butthe ruse apparentlycould work Adouble date would be a great wayto see Elina and Franco interact Infact, that might be her onlyopportunityto get a glimpse oftheir relationshipgiventhegirlhadneversaidmorethanfivewordstoherbeforethismoment.
“Well,thanksagain.”Elinaactuallysmiledather.“Heneedsthemoney.Soajob’llreallyhelp.” “You’re welcome.” She hesitated. She didn’t want to scare the girl away, but this could be her best chance to find an opening “Maybe the four ofus could hangoutsometime” She and Thatchcould pretend for a shorttime, right? Whatharm wouldthatcause?SurelyThatchwouldagree Thiswashisideainthefirstplace Pretendingtobetogetherforawhilewasa smallpricetopayformakingsureElinawassafewithFranco.
“Sure.That’swhatallthekidssaythesedays.”Skyeledthewayoutoftheroom,allofthemlaughinghysterically. Thatchfacedherthesecondthedoorclosed,handspostedtohiships “We’re together now?”
“Well, youdon’twantanyone to know you’re doingyoga or bronc riding.” She rushed to a shelfand selected two yoga blocks. “So a pretend relationship would explainwhyyou’re comingto see me all the time. And it’ll help me to reallysee what’sgoingonwithElinaandFranco.SoIcanmakesureshe’ssafe.”Shepointedtothebenchwithshoestorage.“Canyou pleasetakeoffyoursneakers?”Sohedidn’tmarkupherbeautifulfloors.
He still stood onhis mat, facingoffwithher, studyingher closely. “So how’s this goingto go?” he finallyasked. “What aboutKyraandTessandSilasandAiden?Theyknowwe’renottogether.”
“We’ll tell themwe’ve beensecretlydatingfor a while. Everyone intownwill have to believe we’re together, or this won’twork”LyrictraipsedtotheBluetoothspeakerandstartedthemusicagain Mostlytodrownoutherinnerpanic “And thenwe’llbreakupinafewmonthsafterwespendsometimewithFrancoandElina”Whenshegotbacktothemat,Thatch metherwithaskepticalexpression.
“Thankfully, you haven’t been hanging out with us much lately anyway,” she said curtly Ever since she’d told himshe didn’twantto date him, Thatchhad made himselfscarce. “I’mbusyatthe clinic. You’re busyatworkand withyour riding thing.It’stotallybelievablethatneitheroneofuscangooutmuch.”
“Breath and focus are the foundation for flexibility and strength,” she informed him. “So that’s where we start every session.”Shesmiledupathimsweetlyuntilhesathisbuttdown.
“Andinhale,”hemurmured,hismuscledchestexpandingevenmorewhileheliftedhischin.“Exhaleandroundtheback.” Thatchhunchedforwardwithasigh “Howwasthat?”Hesatupright,gazingatherexpectantly “Um Well We’ll keep workingonit The biggest thingis youwant to feel the connectionbetweenyour bodyand your breath.Youwanttofeelhowyourbreathmovesyourbody.”Shedemonstratedagain,feelingacalmsettleoverher.Thistime, she kept her eyes opento make sure he was watching. Yes, he was watchingall right. Especiallyas she pushed her chest forward.
“No thanks. Youshould save your abs for the old ladies. Theyappreciate themmore thanIdo. How aboutwe trycrow pose?”She’dmakehimholditforfiveminutes.
Maybe thatwould wipe the cockysmirkoffhis face and encourage himto stop teasingher. Because theybothknew she wasn’tasimmunetohismagnetismasshepretendedtobe.
CHAPTERFIVE
Dear God PerspirationdrippeddownThatch’s temple.How was itpossibletosweatthis muchwhile stretching?Agrunt threatenedinhis throat,buthecouldn’tletitout.Hecouldn’tgiveLyricthesatisfactionofhearinghimvoicehis discomfort andfrustration.Afterprogressingthroughtheposes,he’dbeenholdingwarriorIIIforlessthanaminute orthirteenyears andhisstandingleghadalreadystartedtocramp.
Ha. Thatsugarytone didn’tfool him. Lyric was a sadist. He never should’ve teased her atthe beginningofthe session. He’dunderestimatedherpenchantfortorture.
Meanwhile,thewomanstandingnexttohimeffortlesslyheldthepose,perchedononelegwithherotherlegoutstretched behindherandherarmsreachingoutinfrontofher,somehownottremblingatall. His bodyconvulsed. Everymuscle. Muscles he didn’t evenknow he had. Ahhh… he was losingit. Screw this. Thatch loweredtohiskneesonthemat “You’retryingtokillme,aren’tyou?”
“Mm-hmm” He could barely grab the back of his leg Seriously His hamstring might rip He might have found yoga calmingifitdidn’thurtthismuch Ifthewomanlyingnexttohimdidn’thavesuchadirectimpactonhispulse Butheplanned tokeepallthechaosinsidehisownhead.“How’dyougetintoyogaanyway?”
Shedidn’tofferanythingmoreaboutwhatshe’dgonethroughthathadleftherfeelinglost,andhedidn’tpush Itwasnone of his business anyway Even with this brand-new arrangement pretending to be her boyfriend, there were boundaries he
Hestoppedwincingtopeerupather “Itoldyou Ihavealottoprove”Andjustlikeher,hewouldwithholdthedetailsof his ownexperience withbeinglost. “Mybrother will be here. We’ve always had a sibling-rivalrything.” Thathad peaked whenLiamhadmarriedSienna.Sincethen,thetwoofthemhadhardlytalked.They’dbeeninthesameroomplenty,theyjust optednottohaveanymeaningfulconversations.
He had no idea how she could say those words so casually They seemed to roll right off her tongue He sucked at pretending.Hewouldn’tbeabletosayanythingtoanyoneaboutthissupposedrelationshipwithoutstumblingovereveryword. “Iknewitwasonlyamatteroftime!”KyraflewtothemandhuggedLyric,squealing.“I’msohappy!”Shepulledbackand huggedhimnext.
“That’s right Youhave to call your mom” Lyric was nervouslyknottingher hands together infront of her waist “Yes, you’dbettergo.TellherIsaidhappybirthday.”
“Will do.” Or not. His momwould be a little too ecstatic to hear he and Lyric had discussed her birthday. She’d getall kindsofideasinherhead.“Seeya.”Heturnedtoleavebuthadn’teventakenastepbeforeKyraclearedherthroat. “Youtwocankissinfrontofme,youknow.”
She wanted everyone tothinktheywere dating? Fine He scooped his arms around her waistand drew her to him, those exoticeyesgrowinglargerwitheachinch “Bye,honeybunch”Beforeshecouldrespond,helaidoneonher pressinghislips againsthers.Hewasn’tanticipatinghowsofttheywouldbe.Orhowthesubtlestrawberrytasteofherlipglosswouldhithim. Againsthiswill,helingeredthere,holdingher,inhalingher,lettinghislipslullhersintoarhythm.Shedidn’tpushhimaway. Infact,herhandsgrippedhisarmstight,asiftryingtoholdhimthere.
Heatzingedacross her cheeks Whoknew?Maybehe’dkiss her again,andthenshe’dgetall weak-kneedandbreathless likeshedidthelasttime,andwhoknewhowlongitwouldtakehertostophavingflashbacks Checkthat.Shewasstillhavingflashbacks.Shewouldlikelyneverstoprelivingthatkiss.
“Well, if it isn’t the fine Ladies Aid Society of Star Valley.” These three women had formed a committee tasked with organizinganefforttotakecareofanyoneandeveryonewhofoundthemselvesinatimeofneed.Theycookedandcleanedand mobilizedanddonated.Andtheyusuallygossipedwhiletheydidso.
“Oh,nothing.Nothingatall.”Dorispattedherhandandsmiledwithherteeth.Thatwomanneversmiledwithherteeth. “Niceweatherouttheretoday.”Nellystaredoutthewindow.“Sowarmforthistimeofyear,don’tyouthink?” “Yeah It’stheperfectdayforalittlegossip”SheaimedaknowinglookatMinnie “Don’tyou think?” “Weweren’tgossiping”Thewomanwrinkledhernose “Thatchwasjusthere That’sall” “Quitealooker,thatman.Wouldn’tyousay?”DorispeeredatLyricoverhermugbeforeshetookasip. “You’re looking mighty lovely yourself today,” Nelly added. “I mean, it would appear you’re positively glowing with happiness.”
Did these three have to be so obvious? Theyhad a habitofimplyingsomethingtheydidn’twantto outrightsay. They’d obviouslyheardsomethingaboutherandThatch “Idon’tthinkI’mglowing” “Butyouare”MinniestolethemugfromtheplacesettingnexttoDorisandfilleditforLyric “You’repositivelyglowing” “What’veyoubeenuptolately,hon?”Nellypeakedhereyebrowsintooverlyinnocentarches.“Ihaven’tseenyouaround much.”
“Youbet.”Thewomanscurriedawayhummingthetuneto“ChapelofLove.” “I’ll need the decaf,” Tess called. Thenshe frowned at Lyric. “Apparently, I missed all the juicydetails about youand Thatch.Ican’tbelieveIdidn’tpickuponsomethingsooner.I’musuallyveryobservant.Iwanttoknoweverythingrightnow.”
“We have all afternoon” And she’d rather not talk about Thatch here “I thought we could wander through that new consignmentshopandmaybecheckoutthebootselectionatRanchersOutfitters”
SpringwasLyric’sfavoritetimeoftheyearinStarValley.Mostofthesnowhadmeltedoffthemountainsides,makingroom fortheemerald-greengrassestocarpetthelandscape.Popsofcolordottedtheslopewithwildflowersthathadalreadybegun to bloom And today, the slightbreeze carried the scentoflilacs The sunshine seemed to have drawnmostpeople outside, luringthemtothequaintbenchesthatsatunderneaththeblossomingornamentalcherrytreesliningMainStreet Lyricwalked alongwithherfriendssmilingatthefamiliarfacespassingbyanddrewinalungfulofthemountainairbeforeslowlyexhaling. “SoitwouldseemtheentiretownknowsaboutThatchandme.”
“That’s goodbecauseThatchandIarejusthavingfun.There’s probablynofuturethere.”Lyricheldopenthedoor tothe ranchingsupplystore, whichalso had a nice women’s apparel selection She might as well start settingthe stage for their impendingbreakupnow Beforethingsgotoutofhand “Youknowme Ilikemyindependence” Bothofherfriendsmerelylaughed.
“That’swhatIsaidtoo,”Kyramuttered.
Lyric ignored her friend’s teasing. “So how’re you feeling, Tess?” Nothing like an abrupt subject change to steer the
