17. Seventeen
Seventeen
Kyla
Two Days.
Two days had passed since Rhett and I got married.
Two days since he had successfully pulled me out of a panic attack before it had gotten stronger. I was still trying to wrap my brain around those moments. When panic had set in before there was no way out of it; I had to let it pass on its own, which sometimes could take hours—days—and there was always the aftermath. But here I was, two days later, feeling at ease. How did he manage that? Simply by his touch or his voice—what was it about him that grounded me?
I used my thumb to twirl the wedding ring on my finger, the gentle reminder that I had him waiting for me back at the ranch, and that for now David was nowhere to be found .
“What about this one?” Abi pulled my attention as she tapped on the jewelry case. “Gold—like yours?”
When I mentioned getting Rhett a ring, she jumped at the chance to take me into town. Leaving Stetson with Wyatt for his lesson, she dragged me through a few stores until we landed at the local jeweler. The gold band was simple and thin, not something I could picture on Rhett’s finger. But as I looked at the rings in the case, I couldn’t really picture any of them on his finger.
I sighed in frustration. I was starting to think I’d never find a ring. “What about one of those rubber ones? So, he doesn’t have to worry about his ring while he’s roping.”
“A ring won’t get in the way of roping. Plus, he would hate a rubber one.” Abi gave me a side eye.
Imagining the thick rope slipping through the well-fitting band and dragging him around the arena, realizing how ridiculous that was, I agreed with her and returned my attention back to the bands. Leaving her looking at the gold bands, I wandered over to another case. A ring sparkled in the lighting, the small diamonds that wrapped around the white gold were extremely flashy, making me chuckle.
I saw something similar as David and I shopped for his wedding ring and the memory came flooding back. He had picked his own band. Sure, I was with him, but any suggestions I threw out were tossed to the wayside. He was in control of that moment, saying, “It’s on my finger, I should get to pick what it is.” He had picked a gold and black band, the black covering most of the surface with the two thin gold bands wrapping around each one, ending with a single diamond. It had cost more than two months’ salary for me, and I was the one to buy it.
It never even graced his finger.
Rhett had told me he would proudly wear whatever I brought back, but I wanted something he would enjoy, and shopping for a man I had just met was hard.
We had spent the last few nights together simply talking. Banter and flirting were thrown in, but it was mostly us getting to know each other. We had a lifetime to try to squeeze in before someone really questioned the marriage, but that wasn’t what seemed to fuel Rhett’s desire to talk. I could just feel it with him. He wanted to be around me. He would take my hand when we were outside on the ranch, or place his arm over my chair at dinner, scooting closer to me. He would show affection in small ways, opening the door for me, refilling my water glass, or simply leaving a mug next to the coffee maker before he left in the morning. I wasn’t used to this, and a part of me thought that if Rhett kept it up, Washington was becoming less and less of an option.
I shook my head. There was no way I could stay here. Married to a cowboy.
This was temporary.
Forcing myself to focus, my eyes widened when I finally saw a ring I could imagine on Rhett’s finger.
“Abi . . .” I kept my eyes on the ring but motioned for Abi to come closer. “Look.”
She looked at the case, and I watched as she scanned the case until her eyes came upon the exact ring I wanted. Her jaw dropped before she covered her mouth with her hand .
“Okay, yes. That’s the one.”
It was a tungsten ring, a darker shade of silver with an engraving on the smooth outside that resembled a rope. The design was intricate, two strands woven together with detail almost like a Celtic knot. I doubted the designer had meant it to look like a rope, but when I looked at it that’s all I saw. A ring fit for a roper. A ring for my husband.
“Hey, Tate!” Abi called to the jeweler over her shoulder. “We found it.”
An older male approached the other side of the counter, smiling once he looked down at the ring we were both eyeing. “Wonderful.” He smiled. “Mr. Hartwell will love it.”
“I think so too,” I said softly as I watched him open the case.
“Do you want to upgrade yours?” Abi asked, motioning towards my ring.
I looked at it and smiled. The ring David had picked was heavy, gaudy and even though in the beginning I loved showing it off, I grew to hate it. I knew this ring in the long run wasn’t mine, but it made me feel settled—made me feel secure.
I shook my head. “No, I like this one, plus, it’s only temporary.” I sighed, more for my benefit than hers. I didn’t want to forget that, and even though I was here spending money on a ring that was just as temporary for Rhett, I didn’t want to slip into the delusion that this was—what did Rhett call it— real.
“ Temporary is not in Rhett’s vocabulary, Kyla,” Abi noted as she gave me a slight eye roll before she turned her focus to Tate. “ She’ll take it.”
We arrived back at the ranch just in time to see Rhett and Lachlan dismounting their horses. I had no idea what Rhett had been up to, but his Wrangler jeans were covered in dust and his white T-shirt was splattered with dirt.
I jumped out of the truck, gripping the bag and made my way over to him, with Abi not far behind me.
“What in the world were you doing?” I asked, a smile growing as I eyed him from his boots to his hat.
“Guiding cattle,” he responded simply. “They wandered a little bit.”
“And that got you covered in dirt?”
Tilting his head, the shadows of his cowboy hat hit his cheek bones in all the right places, he smiled.
“Ranch work gets you dirty, Mrs. Hartwell,” he mocked. He motioned his chin to the bag in the hand, breaking the eye contact we shared. “What’cha got?”
“Your ring,” I respond softly.
His smile grew. “Let me go get washed up and then—”
“You can have it once your hands are dirt free.”
“It’s pretty perfect.” Abi folded her arms and looked at her brother. “You don’t want to taint it already with the cow shit that’s caked between your fingernails.”
“I do not have cow shit in my fingernails.” Rhett glared at his sister and then turned to Buckle, grabbing her reins as he led her away, giving my cheek a quick kiss before passing. “I’ll be right back.”
I blushed, feeling the butterflies rise in my belly as I turned to follow him. Giving Abi a quick look and wave behind my shoulder, I caught the sly grin on her face. Catching up to Rhett as he guided Buckle to the stable, I lightly brushed my hand on his shoulders, brushing off some dirt that sat on his shirt.
“Can’t stay away, can you?”
My lips curved to a smile as I bumped my hips into him, forcing him into Buckle. He laughed, and god, did I love that laugh. It brought warmth to the air that surrounded us, no matter where we were. Rhett’s smile and laugh could turn any situation bright again, even if he was caked in dirt. Being around him just felt so good. So natural.
“Just thought I’d help with Buckle while you wash up,” I answered, holding in the I just really love your laugh and being around you feels good all the time I wanted to shout.
“She just needs to be brushed a bit—gotta get the mud out of her coat—then I’ll put her out in the pasture.”
“You’re done working for the day?” I asked as he stopped Buckle once inside the barn. He brushed her mane with the palm of his hand. She responded by bobbing her head up and down, a heavy breath escaping her nostrils.
“Oh, hell no, I’m sure Lachlan will find something else I need to do. But in reality, I need to get the rodeo going.”
Hooking Buckle’s reins up, he left me standing next to her. Still bobbing her head lightly, she took a single step closer to me. I reached up to pet her nose. She blinked and let out a huff, before bobbing her head again .
“I wish I had some apples,” I said to her. “I’d give you one, or two . . . or three.”
“Oh, here.” Rhett dug in his pocket and handed me a small peppermint. “She’ll like that more.”
Holding the peppermint in my palm just like Stetson had shown me, I waited for her to take it. Her nose moved against my hand and then the wet feel of her tongue swept across, taking the peppermint. While Buckle nodded her head again, giving a soft sound of approval, I gave her nose a pet.
“Here.” Rhett came up to my side, showing me his freshly cleaned hands. “Cow shit free.”
“You really want to see your ring, don’t you?” I held back a laugh. “Your hands are just going to get dirty again as you brush her.”
Rhett shrugged a shoulder. “My hands will get dirty no matter what I do, but yes. I really, really want to see the ring,”
Giving him a slight eye roll, I reached into the bag and pulled out the small ring box. The black velvet felt cool in my hand, handing it to him. With his eyes focused on mine, he took the box and slowly opened it. His eyebrows raised as he took in the ring, then they furrowed and raised again. So many emotions were going through his face, and I desperately wanted to know what they were.
“What?” I asked softly as he stared at it.
“Nothing it’s . . .” His voice broke, the words seeming to catch his throat as he looked from the ring to back at me. “It’s . . . it’s . . .” Rhett stumbled again as he looked back down. “It looks like—”
“A rope.”'
“Tate made this?”
I nodded. “Almost custom for you, isn’t it.”
Rhett closed the distance between us, taking me by complete surprise as his lips met mine in a sweet, soft kiss. He didn’t linger, just teasing me with his touch long enough that I could still feel him there. I tasted spice, loving the tingle on my lips that followed as Rhett hovered over me.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you had it engraved specifically for me,” he said as his lips left, taking the warmth and spark with them.
I licked my lips, wanting to taste him again, even if for a second.
I watched as he took the ring from the box and slid it on his finger. Having guessed at his size, I was amazed to see it fit perfectly.
“Like a glove.” He sighed as his eyes met mine again. “Well, it’s officially official now. I’m your husband.”
“Haven’t you been for months?”
He let out a loud, single laugh. “I guess that’s true.” He shook his head, leaning down to begin to unsaddle Buckle. “Oh hey, I have a question.”
“Shoot,” I responded.
“You said your friend Grace wanted to come out to visit right?”
“Yep, she didn’t specify, but when she sets her mind on something, it happens.”
“Tell her to come for the rodeo.” His head popped back up over Buckle’s back as he removed the saddle and then the blanket. Her coat began to stick up in random places, and once the saddle was on the post, he used his left hand to pat her coat down, his ring catching my eye. “I’m sure—just like you—she has never seen a rodeo.”
I scoffed. “No, no she hasn’t.”
“Tell her to come, I’m sure she’d have a blast. ”
“I’m sure she would. I’ll go give her a call.” I gave Buckle one last stroke down her nose. “See ya in a bit?”
Rhett gave me a slight nod as I began to turn away, taking the first few steps out of the barn. “You know it, and Kyla”—the mention of my name made me turn back to him—“I really do love my ring.”