A soft gasp beside him made him glance toward Ariana. She had egg on her shirt and chin. Her date had yet to get anything on him. The volunteers handed out paper towels to the contestants. Ariana’s date offered to wipe the egg off her shirt, but she took the towel from him and did it herself.
“Dillon, I’m so glad we caught up with you,” Emma called out. She and Coop approached with Tag and Leslie trailing after them. After giving Dillon a head-to-toe glance, Emma grinned. “I take it you aren’t fairing so well in the games.”
“You could say that,” Dillon said, forcing a smile.
Emma spotted Ariana, and stepped over to where she stood, working the egg out of her shirt. “Ariana, I don’t think you’ve met Coop and Tag. Come and introduce us to your date.” She hooked Ariana’s arm and brought her and her date over to the others.
“Y’all, this is Ariana Davis, a very good friend of mine,” Emma announced.
Arianna’s cheeks reddened as she turned toward the man in the khaki slacks. “This is my date, Jared Hill. Jared, this is Emma and Leslie…and Dillon.”
Emma took up a position beside her man. “This is Frank Johnson, but we call him Coop.” She waved toward Leslie. “The man with Leslie is Taggert Bronson, or Tag, to his friends.” She turned to Dillon.
He tilted his head toward Mel. “My date, Melanie Armstrong.”
Mel smiled. “Nice to meet you all.”
“Are you signed up for the three-legged race?” Emma asked. “It’s the only one I ever enter. I might even have a chance of winning this year with Coop as my partner.” She stood on her toes, looking toward a group of people gathering. “I think it’s time.”
Dillon’s gaze met Ariana’s. She looked as miserable as he felt. Or was that wishful thinking on his part? He didn’t want her to have fun with Jared. She should be with him. He still had to teach her how to fish and ride horses. And they had more pizza and apple pies to bake in his gourmet kitchen. And the hot tub hadn’t been used since the last time they’d made love in it. This dating their perfect matches wasn’t right. What made them so perfect, if they were miserable with them?
He turned to Mel to tell her he was done and wanted to leave. But he was too late. She grabbed his arm. “Come on, they’re lining up. We have to get our gunny sack.”
Dillon found himself being dragged toward the three-legged racecourse following Emma, Coop, Leslie and Tag.
A quick glance back assured him Ariana and Jared were coming, too.
When the race was over, he’d break it to Mel that he was leaving. If he could get Ariana alone, he’d tell her he was sorry he’d come with another woman and that he thought BODS had had it right the first time. He wanted her back.
A woman stood by the starting line, handing out burlap sacks to the couples participating in the race.
Mel took one and found a place for them on the starting line beside Coop and Emma. She dropped the sack on the ground and stuck her foot into it. “Come on, they’re about to start.”
Dillon put his foot into the bag beside Mel’s and pulled the bag up to his knee.
“You have to put your arm around me,” Mel said, dragging his arm around her waist. “We’ll lead off with our outside feet.”
He nodded, his attention on Ariana and Jared as they got into position and Jared wrapped his arm around her waist.
Dillon’s fists clenched. He wanted to storm over to Jared and demand he take his hands off his girl.
The problem was…Ariana wasn’t his girl. He’d never spoken to her of commitment. He’d assumed it was too soon. In his heart, he knew it wasn’t too soon for him. But Ariana had been through the death of her first husband. Did she need more time to consider a long-term relationship? With him?
The referee raised the whistle to his lips. “On your marks…get set…” and he blew the whistle long and loud.
The couples took off.
Dillon tried to lead off with the foot in the bag and almost tripped them both.
Mel helped him regain his balance, and then they took off after the others, regaining ground they’d lost in his clumsy start.
They passed several couples, caught up and passed Coop, Emma, Leslie and Tag.
Ahead of them Jared and Ariana were racing like a well-oiled machine, their legs moving in perfect unison.
Anger burned low in Dillon’s belly. That should be him in the race with Ariana. He never should’ve let Emma talk him into bringing another woman to the fundraiser. He should’ve called Ariana and asked her to go with him before she’d agreed to go out with Jared.
With his arm around Mel, he pushed hard, determined to catch up to Jared and Ariana. Why it was so important, he didn’t know. Just that he had to.
Ariana tripped and would have fallen, except Jared’s arm tightened around her. He lifted her up and practically carried her across the finish line, coming in first.
Dillon and Mel were right behind them, finishing second. As they slowed, Dillon’s foot got tangled in the burlap sack, and he pitched forward, taking Mel down with him. They landed on their knees.
Mel came up laughing, barely breathing hard.
Jared turned back to help, extending a hand to Mel. “Good job,” Jared said. “You two run any races around here?”
“Yes,” Mel said, releasing his hand. “I’m signed up for the Iron Man Marathon next month.” She gave him a chin lift. “You?”
“I’m signed up for a marathon next weekend and the Iron Man next month as well.” Jared’s eyes narrowed. “Were you at the race in Galveston last month?”
She nodded. “I was.”
“I thought you looked familiar.” He held out his hand, again. “Nice to meet you, Melanie. We should compare schedules some time.”
“We should,” she said. Then she looked around to where Dillon stood. “Is there something
