Chapter 36
[Stone]
When Saturday night arrives, I’m nervous, like I’ve never been on a date before. Then again, it’s been years since I’ve been on one, which doesn’t sound any better.
The barn dance is casual, so I’m wearing my best jeans and a dark brown shirt, plus my cowboy boots and my light suede hat.
Once upon a time, we had horses on our property.
My mother loved them, and I thought I’d spend my whole life riding.
Unfortunately, once she passed, my dad couldn’t stand the gentle reminder of our mother, and he sold off her precious animals.
I never rode again, while Clay bought a horse as soon as he could afford one.
The night is perfect for a barn dance. The evening is cool, shrouded in mountain mist, hinting at fall coming just around the corner.
Autumn always feels like entering a new season of life, Taxi once wrote on a postcard.
I’m eager for the change brewing inside me. The excitement of having Taxi in my life right now. The ease of her being here, blending in with my family and friends.
Taxi often talks about community, and I want her to find it in Sterling Falls. I want her to find belonging . . . with me.
She was worried about leaving Trudy alone for the evening, but to her surprise, Trudy is attending the celebration as well. Emory Milton is sending someone to pick up her friend.
Simon will be at a friend’s house for the night.
When Taxi opens the front door, she takes my breath away.
Her bronzed skin has a dusting of powder on her cheeks, and her lips are deep red.
She’s wearing a floral print dress giving off country-girl energy that doesn’t exactly match the urban artist vibe she typically has.
Red ankle-cut booties match her lipstick.
Her hair is pulled up on top of her head, tugging her curls into a wild ball of waves.
“Howdy,” she says, kicking up one heel and giving me a wink while glancing at my hat.
“Stunning,” I reply, still taking her in.
She laughs and tips up on her toes to give me a quick kiss.
“Where’s Trudy?” I peek around her toward the living room.
“She already left.” Taxi pauses, tilting her head and hitching her thumb toward the living room. “Wanna have a quickie before we head out?”
I laugh, loud and happy, uncertain if she’s serious or teasing. “Don’t you worry. I have plans for you later.”
I tug at her waist and pull her closer, laying a better greeting on her. One that I hope conveys all my desire for her. When we break apart, Taxi sways a bit on her low heels. Never had that effect on a woman before, but her physical reaction is exactly how I feel.
Weak-kneed. Light-headed. Full heart.
“Now. I have a date to get to and a dance to attend.”
Taxi flicks her thick lashes and plucks at the snaps on my shirt before laying her hand on my chest. “Anyone I know?”
With my hands still on her hips, like they were meant to fit there, I jiggle her. “Prettiest girl in Sterling Falls.”
“Prettiest, huh? I might get jealous.” She walks her fingers up my chest and taps my chin.
“I’m a devoted man, baby. You’d never have anything to be jealous of.”
Taxi’s face softens. “I’ve heard that about you. Devoted.”
“Does devotion scare you?” I ask, still teasing but holding my breath a second.
“Not as much as I thought it would,” she says, leaving me a little puzzled but mostly pleased. The last thing I want to do is frighten Taxi. Tonight, I just want us to have fun.
“Good.” I tap her nose and lean in for one more kiss. “Now, your chariot awaits.”
I sweep my hand toward the door, implying we should go, so we can attend the dance, have that date, and then get onto something that won’t be quick. Because I want time with this woman. All the time she’ll allow me.
“My chariot?” She jokes, swaying her hips before reaching for a leather jacket on a hook by the door.
Taking the jacket from her, I hold it open while she slips into it. With her hair pulled up, exposing her smooth skin, I can’t help but take another sip of her, inhaling her citrus and honeysuckle scent.
She hums in her signature way before spinning to face me. “Is it true what they say?” She plucks my hat off my head and sets it on her own.
Wear the hat, ride the cowboy.
“Guess you’ll have to wait and see.” I wink, then tug my hat back off her head and set it on mine. With one hand on her lower back, I open the front door with the other and lead her to my truck.
Heading off for the only first date that has mattered in years. The kind that makes a man hope for more.
A change of season.
A change of heart.
The Miltons are old money in our community, and their home sits up on a ridge that has a clear view of downtown Sterling Falls, which consists of two cross streets, one stoplight, and a town green space.
Their personal property is more like a compound, with a large main house mansion, and several smaller homes on the land, plus a giant barn that’s been renovated and used as more of a gathering place than a shelter for animals.
All Milton County residents are welcome to rent the space for weddings, parties, and more.
“I could never imagine being that settled, so settled that an entire mountain was named after my family,” Taxi says, reminding me of how unsettled she can be.
I haven’t missed how Taxi fidgets sometimes.
We’ll be at her aunt’s, dinner finished, the day almost over, but her knee will be bouncing, or her fingers twisting together, like she needs to move, needs to do something.
Needs to be more creative than just cooking and cleaning and playing chauffeur to her aunt and Simon.
“One reason Em and I were meeting the other night is the heightened security needed for the dance,” I explain.
Taxi wasn’t initially thrilled to find me having dinner with Emerson, and it was a good lesson in miscommunication. I haven’t had to explain myself to anyone in years, but if I want Taxi to feel comfortable with who I am, what I do in this town, I need to be more open about my position.
“Everything okay?” she asks, concern etched in her voice.
“Just your typical small-town stuff.”
When we arrive, the gravel lot near the barn is full, and a grassy area has been designated for parking overflow. I park my truck along the outer edge.
“I’m not on call tonight, but you never know when there might be an emergency.”
Taxi’s gaze falls to my forearm, where my sleeves are rolled up. The stitches have been removed, and I’ll have a small scar if I don’t keep up with the ointment the doctors prescribed.
“Always Superman,” she teases, but underneath the cheerful tone is hesitation. A continued hint of wariness. Whether that’s about my position or her fear of me getting hurt on the job, I can’t be certain.
“Can’t really turn it off.” I shrug, making light of my job when I take it very seriously, which is why I agreed to meet with Emerson the other night. She’s had an issue and the department is keeping an eye on the situation.
Once I hop out of the truck, I round to Taxi’s side and help her out as well.
She instantly loops her arm in mine, and we walk across the grass toward the barn that’s lit up like Times Square, only the glow coming out of this space is one solid halo-yellow tone, giving it an ethereal appearance.
Like something magical rests inside the old structure that’s weathered on the outside and newly restored inside.
“How are we playing this out tonight?” I ask, knowing Taxi is hesitant about our relationship. We haven’t exactly been discreet in front of Trudy and Simon, nor my family, and this space is public. This date matters to me.
“Playing what out?”
“Us.”
Taxi stops short, forcing me to spin and face her.
“What do you mean?” Her brows pinch like she doesn’t understand me.
I might be a little overtrained from my experience with Emerson, which isn’t exactly fair to lay on Taxi. I want to shout to that barn rooftop this woman is with me, but I also want to respect any boundaries Taxi has this evening.
“Well, you said you wanted to put us on pause. But I . . .” I scratch under my chin, feeling like I’m already turning our fun date into something heavy. “You know what, never mind. I’ll just follow your lead.”
Taxi continues to stare at me, those silvery eyes reflective in the barn lights behind me.
“I hate that I said that. Hate that you think you have to play a role with me. I don’t want any restrictions on us.”
“I don’t want restrictions either,” I admit. I want to be free to express myself with her. To be open around others about how I feel about her.
“I don’t want anyone doubting who I am to you or what we are,” she says, her voice ripe with determination.
“Oh.” My brows lift. “And who are you to me?”
“Shouldn’t you be telling me?” She holds her head higher, eyes focused on me, like she’s daring me to speak.
No restrictions. No holding back.
“You’re everything I’ve been wishing for and everything I never thought I’d have.”
Taxi stares at me, eyes still. I don’t think she even blinks, then her gaze softens and her shoulders relax.
“Stone.” Her hand comes to her belly. “You can’t say something to me like that without it meaning something.”
I step closer to her, brushing her hair around her ear and running my knuckles along the side of her neck.
“It does mean something to me, because you mean something to me.” My shoulders fall a little, and I lean toward her. “I don’t have much to offer you, Taxi. A small town. A big family. Devotion.” I cover my heart with my hand.
I, Stone Sylver, do solemnly swear to serve and protect you . . . to honor and respect you . . .
“And I’ll take whatever you’re willing to give me.”
Taxi’s hand comes to my chest, where my heart is racing within it.
“We can be Samson and Delilah. Superman and Lois Lane. Blue aliens and their conquest.”
She snorts, shaking her head. “I don’t think you’re ever going to forget that, are you?”
“Never gonna forget a beautiful woman jabbing me in the chest with a book and stealing my breath from the moment I saw her.”
Taxi shakes her head again, dipping her eyes. “I’ll never forget you either.”
She rubs at her chin, and I chuckle, remembering how we bumped heads.
“Tonight, I’d just like us to be Stone and Taxi. On a date.”
“I’d like that too,” she says, stepping closer to me, running her hands up my chest and over my shoulders. “Just be us tonight.”
I smile wide, unable to help myself. “Just be us.”
She tips up on her toes and kisses me, soft and sweet, and shredding my resolve. I grip her hips and tug her closer, deepening the kiss before reminding myself I don’t want to get carried away with her.
Not yet.
“Just to be clear,” she says, pulling away and toying with the snaps on my shirt before meeting my eyes. “You’re all I’ve been waiting for as well. And it scares me.”
Panic takes me by the throat. “Enough to run?”
She slowly shakes her head, lowering her gaze again. Her voice softens. “Enough to stay.”
One minute, my stomach is plummeting to my toes, and the next, my heart is leaping to my throat.
“Yeah?’ I question, excitement having me in a chokehold. Hope wrestling within me.
“Yeah.” She chews her lower lip, and I use my thumb to snag it free.
Then I’m kissing her again, pouring all my hope into the possibility.
Taxi might stay.
For good.