CHAPTER 9
DELANEY
The last week has flown by, and I’ve settled into a routine that has helped to settle some of my anxiety. I thrive with routine even though I love a bit of variety as well. It works for me since what I do might be the same, but the varied personalities of the horse I’m working with changes things up enough for me to feel like every day is a new adventure.
Even though all the horses are sweethearts at Limitless, I’ve really bonded with Bolt. He’s a gorgeous horse and has the sweetest temperament. He’s going to be able to connect with men with PTSD who need a gentle horse, one who can follow their lead, while also not being weak willed. Bolt will keep whoever they’re working with on track and keep them present instead of allowing them to fall into the black holes of their mind.
A horse shouldn’t be what pushes me over the edge when it comes to staying or going, but it’s a huge bonus. I’ve worked with so many horses over the years, but there’s something special about this lot, especially Bolt. Walking away from them feels impossible.
“Delaney,” Eden’s cheerful voice pulls me out of my thoughts as I look up to find that she’s joined me on the porch. She plops down next to me on the swing which has become one of my favorite places on the ranch. “We’re going out tonight.”
I blink at her a few times because she didn’t ask, she stated it like it is a forgone conclusion. What is it with these people and making bold, irrefutable declarations? It throws me off my game and I find it almost impossible to say no.
“We are?”
“Oh yes,” she sighs dramatically with a big smile on her face. “I need a little break from all the last-minute wedding stuff,” she twists her face up in annoyance, but I can see the love shining in her eyes even if she is a little over the planning for her wedding. “You need a break from work and the insufferable looming presence of a certain Burns brother.”
My shoulders go up instinctively and I deflect, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The eye roll Eden gives me is epic. She continues as if I haven’t said anything. “You also need to meet some of the other ladies in town.”
“This is sounding more and more like a girl’s night out,” I muse.
She claps her hands together and nods enthusiastically. “That’s exactly what it is. Morgan and Audrey are going to meet us there. They’re both teachers. Morgan’s brother is Jared, one of Noel’s best friends. They were enlisted together,” her voice drops to a whisper at that last part, and I nod sagely.
Noel has mentioned Jared to me already though he didn’t seem eager to introduce us. I have no idea why.
“We need it,” her words are filled with exasperation, but they do nothing to hide the affection she has for Fletcher, the Burns men, or Limitless Ranch.
She pulls me up from the swing and ushers me inside before walking away while throwing over her shoulder, “I’ll be back in half an hour, and we’ll head out.”
When I step inside Noel and August are sitting at the dining room table with a Lego kit still mostly in pieces spread out before them. The concentration on August’s face is something I’m used to seeing, but the affection, the sheer love and adoration, on Noel’s face pulls me up a little short.
When Noel glances up, all that love is directed at me and the weight of the decision on what to do next, on whether I stay or leave, doesn’t feel so heavy. How could it when a man like Noel is looking at me like he is right now?
“What’s up, Freckles?”
Before I can answer, August’s head snaps up and he grins at me while waving toward the table, “Look, Dela, we’re building a set together.”
I walk over and kiss the top of my brother’s head, and he doesn’t scowl at me like he’s too old for my affection. “I can see that. Having fun?”
“I always have fun with Noel,” he chirps, and I swear I see the eyes of the big man in question turn a little glassy with unshed tears.
“Apparently,” I direct my words toward Noel to answer his question, “I’m going out tonight with Eden for a girl’s night?”
Noel’s jaw clenches for a second before his face smooths out into something more neutral. “That will be fun.” He stands up and comes around the table, gently moving me a few feet away from my brother before kissing me gently on the lips. His words are whispered against me as if he’s branding me, “Just remember you’re mine when all those men at The Range are checking you out, trying to buy you drinks, and asking you to dance.”
I scoff and shake my head at his ridiculousness. “I don’t think you need to worry about that, Noel.”
His lips curl into a grin that is downright sinister as his eyes move down and then up my body slowly. “I think you don’t see yourself the way others do, Delaney.”
The kiss he plants on me is firmer this time and his touch is downright fucking possessive as he grips my hips and pulls me against his chest before he lets go. I’m in a daze as he walks back toward the table and sits next to August. Smugness radiates off the man because he knows exactly what he does to me.
“Don’t worry, we’ll have a boy’s night here at home,” he assures me with a wink as August lets out a whoop of excitement. “I bet Fletch and Mack will be here too since Eden will be with you.”
“Can we have cookies?” August drops his chin to his chest as he asks the question and wiggles his eyebrows in a move that is wholly Huxley Burns.
As if he even needed to ask. I chuckle while heading upstairs and jumping in the shower quickly. Since I have no plans to impress anyone, I keep my clothing casual when getting dressed. Honestly, I don’t have much in the way of dressing up clothes as it is. It’s not like I’ve been doing much beyond working.
Jeans, a shirt, and a flannel will have to do for the night. Everything’s clean since I just did laundry yesterday. What more could these people want?
I’m just about to head down the stairs when I hear Eden’s voice, and I quicken my steps. The moment I step into the living room, Noel’s attention shifts away from Fletcher, and he zeroes in on me. He looks at me like I’m a supermodel or something and dressed up for a night out someplace other than Wintervale Montana.
The hunger in his eyes would make me laugh if it wasn’t such a turn on. Who knew my outfit could be considered sexy? It certainly isn’t what I was going for.
It only takes a few strides for him to reach me. I let out a gasp as he hooks an arm around my waist and hauls me against his chest. “You look gorgeous,” his voice is a sexy as fuck rasp that sends a shiver down my spine.
The way he’s looking at me is filled with savage desire and I contemplate whether I want to go out at all. Before I can give into everything Noel is promising me with his eyes, Eden grabs my arm and tugs me out of his embrace. The scowl on her face is one only a mom can pull off.
“Bye, boys,” she calls out and walks faster as she pulls me along.
“Eden,” Fletcher calls out after her, “you didn’t kiss me goodbye. You’ll be paying for that later.”
I glance at the woman in question who doesn’t slow down even a little as we head to her car. She looks downright fucking giddy and not even a little bit afraid.
“I’m sure I will,” she murmurs under her breath before looking at me and winking. “Like I didn’t do it on purpose just for that reason.”
The laugh that comes out of me borders on a cackle. She joins me as we climb into her car and head into town. We chat about random things while heading toward The Range Bar and Grill while I studiously avoid bringing up the wedding. If this is a night without all those kinds of responsibilities, I won’t be the one to bring it up.
The moment we step inside the bar and restaurant, which is pretty packed, we both turn toward a woman shouting, “Eden.”
Eden grins and lets out a noise of excitement before heading toward one woman who is waving wildly and another who looks much more reserved and very amused by her friend’s actions. I follow behind her and ignore the eyes on us. While I might thrive on the ranch when I’m educating, which involves a certain amount of attention, I don’t like being in the spotlight.
Eden introduces me to Audrey, the woman who called Eden’s name, and Morgan, who is definitely the shy one between the two women. I feel included and accepted right away, which isn’t always true when you’re dealing with small town friends who have known each other for a while.
“So,” Audrey grins from ear to ear as she pins me in place with her gaze which holds no malice, “I heard you’ve snagged Noel’s attention.”
“I, uh,” I stammer a little over my words at first, but then confidence and pride fill me. I nod and flash the ladies a smile. “I have and he’s caught mine.”
Eden lets out a whistle and Audrey is practically bouncing in place. Morgan shoots me a look of understanding. From what Eden told me about the romance between Morgan and Walker, who works with her brother at the police station, she probably does understand.
“Good for you girl,” Audrey crows. She leans toward me and lowers her voice, “I’ll be honest, the ladies around here have been trying to get his attention for years, even before he went off and came back a hero. None of them were successful though.” She looks me over, but there’s nothing but acceptance and joy in her gaze. “I can see why he’s smitten with you, you’re beautiful.”
My face heats and I shake my head at the woman who is all fire, sass, and happiness. I could get used to having a friend like her.
You could have a friend like her all the time if you stayed. You could have a friend like all three of these women.
“Thank you,” I whisper and try to take the compliment. Why is giving compliments much easier than accepting them?
“You know the guys aren’t going to let this whole girl’s night thing happen without interfering,” Morgan’s voice is soft as she eyes us, “right?”
“Oh, I know,” Eden chirps as she shrugs. “Wanna take bets on how long before they show up?”
“What about Mack and August?”
Eden waves her hand, the trust in her man and his brothers obvious. “They’ll either leave Huxley at home with them,” Audrey snorts out a laugh and shakes her head like the suggestion is preposterous, “or they’ll take them over to my parent’s place. They’re right next door, well, as next door as you can get when we’re talking about side-by-side ranches,” she explains to me.
“I give it an hour,” Morgan throws out.
Eden looks like she’s strongly considering the options. “Hour and a half.”
Audrey throws her head back and laughs while looking at the two women like they have two heads. “Considering that Delaney is here,” she points at me, “and Noel hasn’t tied her to him in all the ways yet, I say it’ll be less than half an hour.”
They look at me expectantly, but I just hold up my hands in surrender. “I have no idea.”
The ladies laugh and I can’t help but join them. We get to know each other over a drink, the conversation light except when Eden lets out a long-suffering groan when wedding preparations are brought up.
“I just want to be married to the man,” she grouses. “I feel like I’ve been waiting for this my entire life. I just want him to be my husband, but he wants me to have the wedding I always dreamed about. I love him for it, but as long as we’re both there with Macklin, the rest is just a bonus as far as I’m concerned.”
I reach over and give her hand a squeeze. “I’ve seen the way that man looks at you and it’s obvious you’ll only be getting one chance at this whole wedding thing. He doesn’t want you to have regrets.”
“I have regrets,” her face falls slightly before she brushes off the sadness, “but none of them have anything to do with marrying the only man I’ve ever loved.”
“Soon,” Morgan comforts our friend, “you’ll be married to him and then you can get going on having more little Burns babies running around.”
I almost choke on the drink I’m taking and when Morgan looks over at me, she smirks. “You won’t be far behind. Prepare yourself.”
The thought of staying, of settling down with Noel, of having kids with him should have beads of sweat rolling down my back, but it doesn’t. A feeling of rightness wraps around me as we start to giggle together.
Just as Audrey opens her mouth, probably to tease the two of us, the door of The Range opens and the air shifts. I know without even looking that Noel has walked into the bar.
“Looks like they went with taking the boys over to my parent’s place,” Eden whispers out of the corner of her mouth.
Audrey glances at her phone and sighs while sounding put out, “If they would have been here ten minutes sooner, I would have won.”
When strong arms wrap around me from behind, I don’t even look. I don’t need to when my body relaxes without me even needing to think about it. I’ve only ever reacted to one man that way in my entire life.
Noel Burns.
“Having fun, Freckles?” His voice slides over my skin as his lips brush the shell of my ear.
I turn my head slightly and look up to take my man in. Not only is he handsome, but he smells so good. Where his chest is pressed against my back, warmth seeps into me, and my stomach swoops at the contact.
“Fletcher Burns,” Eden scolds, “I was very clear about this being a girl’s night.”
“Oh please, Shooting Star,” he growls and tucks his head into her neck since he’s wrapped around her just like Noel is with me, “you knew it was only a matter of time before we showed up.” He raises his head and looks at me with a smirk. “Don’t worry, August is with Eden’s parents, as is Mack. They were very excited about a sleepover. I heard something about a blanket fort as we were headed out.”
Eden shoots me a look that screams ‘told you’ before she rolls her eyes. “Thanks, Fletch,” I whisper, my voice thick with emotions I’m not ready to examine or name.
Not only have these guys accepted me with open arms, but they’ve done the same with August. It’s almost too much.
And yet, I want more. I want it all.
As if Noel can read my mind, his arm tightens around my waist. “Come dance with me,” he rumbles and pulls me toward the dance floor.
I don’t even try to resist. Why would I?
The rest of the night is a blur of laughter, smiles, dancing, flirting, and fun. It’s the best night I’ve had in a long time, and I don’t want it to end. Not ever.