9. Bliss
Bliss
“You know what? I heard a strange rumor this week,” Henry tells me as I set my food on the counter.
It was two days ago that Zane’s dad caught us in his truck.
I’ve successfully avoided people since then, but today I needed some lunch on my way through town.
Dad asked me to go check on his group of feeder calves that were south of Pine Ridge, so I didn’t have time to swing by home and grab anything to eat.
“You can’t always believe what you hear,” I reply with a laugh. “But tell me anyway.” I lean forward and rest my arms on the counter.
He looks both ways to make sure no one is close enough to hear, then leans forward to say quietly, “I heard you’re dating Zane Madden.”
I swallow the lump in my throat. “I am.”
Henry’s eyes go wide, and he leans forward to rest an elbow on the countertop. “Really? Zane hasn’t dated anyone since …”
“I know,” I whisper.
This time, Henry’s mouth falls open. “And you’re just dating him for fun? Nothing too serious?”
Henry’s not usually one to gossip, so this is a weird conversation to have with him.
“I mean, I guess time will tell how serious it is,” I reply.
A throat clears loudly behind us.
“He’s right behind me, isn’t he?” I ask Henry.
Henry jerks back abruptly, staring over my shoulder with wide eyes.
Whoops.
A strong hand rests on my shoulder and pulls me into a side hug.
“I didn’t know you were going to be in town this morning.” Zane’s deep voice washes over me.
Both Henry and I stare like guilty kids. Zane, the devil himself, is standing next to me. I didn’t even notice the bell on the door; I was so wrapped up in talking with Henry.
“Hello, honey,” I reply, making sure I’ve just the right amount of dripping sweetness in my voice. “I was just explaining to Henry that the rumors are true. You and I are dating.”
Zane looks down at me, his gaze warm and direct. “That’s right. I finally convinced her to go out with me. She’d been avoiding me for a while.”
I reach into my back pocket to pull my phone wallet out, but Zane’s hand closes over mine. My brows raise as I stare at our joined hands.
“Let me get this for you,” he says.
“You don’t have to do that,” I answer with a laugh.
“It’s a sandwich and a coffee. I think it’s okay for me to buy my girlfriend some lunch.”
He swipes his card and pays for my lunch as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.
It might just be a sandwich and a coffee, but there’s something oddly sweet about his buying my lunch, and I have to admit it feels nice to have someone else take care of me.
Only two days into being a girlfriend and it already has some benefits.
“Hey, I heard from Max that Magnolia and Nash are moving out here this weekend,” Zane tells us as he enters his PIN in the keypad.
Nash Whitlock, who is partners with Max on his ranch, is moving back to Pine Ridge permanently to work full-time on the ranch.
He moved to Bend for a while to help his grandpa, Alexander Whitlock, whose health was failing.
But Alexander has now made a full recovery, making Nash and Magnolia free to move home. They recently got married and are ready to settle down on Pine Ridge Ranch. It’s the biggest spread around here. Though the Maddens might be a close second.
“I heard the same thing,” Henry said. “In fact, they’re supposed to be coming in this afternoon. They’re coming by here to check the progress on the bakery and distillery.”
“Oh, really? I heard something about that, but I wasn’t sure if that was just the rumor mill talking,” I say.
“I hope she has some good coffee at that shop because I will be there every day.”
“Yeah, she will. She’s going to have her bakery on the small storefront side, and her friend is managing the distillery on the back.”
“An odd little mash-up,” Zane comments.
Henry shakes his head. “They have two separate buildings, two separate entrances. I guess Magnolia will help her friend with the actual distilling process, and her friend will handle the distribution and retail at the distillery. Magnolia will also run her bakery during the day.”
“This ought to be interesting,” Zane says as he grabs a pair of vise grips from the shelf and sets them on the counter. He pulls out his card again to purchase them.
“Don’t you already have some?” I ask, pointing at the tool.
Zane raises his eyebrows. “I did…until somebody walked off with them.”
Pressing my lips together, I do my best to give him a somber nod. “You can’t trust anybody these days.”
After Henry rings up the purchase, he glances at the antler clock on the wall. “If you guys stick around, they’re supposed to be here any minute.”
As if on cue, the door chimes, and we all pivot to stare at Nash and Magnolia as they walk in. Magnolia’s light blonde hair falls around her shoulders in soft curls. She’s wearing paper-bag waist pants paired with pink high heels. She always looks so perfectly put together.
I brush at the dust on my work jeans, hoping it won’t be so noticeable. But while I’m brushing, I notice the dirt ingrained in the calluses in my hands. I won’t be able to get it off until I soak in the shower tonight.
“Well, that’s excellent timing,” I mutter to Zane.
“Hello,” Magnolia greets us with a warm smile and a little wave. Nash is right behind her, his hand resting against her back as they walk in.
I haven’t seen Magnolia in a month. I forgot how much I like her.
They’ve been coming out here to Pine Ridge regularly, prepping for their move, and I’ve gotten to know her a little bit.
She seems so nice and fun, and I’m so glad Zane didn’t fall madly in love with her because she’s one of those people I could see everyone tripping over.
I don’t mean that in a jealous way, just in a practical way.
She doesn’t know a stranger and has treated me like a friend every time I’ve been around her.
She has that kind of energy around her that immediately makes you feel welcome.
“Is this the official move-in week?” I ask.
“Yes! And I’m so ready to be here,” Magnolia exclaims as she reaches for me to give me a hug.
I hold up a hand to stop her. “I am so dirty and disgusting from work today.”
She laughs. “I don’t care about that!” And then she gives me a big bear hug, as if we’re long-lost friends, and I like it. I like to feel like I have a friend.
I don’t have a lot of those out here. All five of my high school friends moved away.
While I still hear occasional life updates from them, including their wedding invitations and baby announcements, I’m still here in Pine Ridge.
Alone. I don’t begrudge them leaving—there aren’t a lot of opportunities to make a living in Pine Ridge.
I just miss them and the friendships we had.
“It’s so good to see you. I’m so excited to be here. We are here permanently!” she says as she steps back with a big smile on her face.
“We’re moving into the lodge this weekend,” Nash says as he shakes Zane’s hand. “It has been an ordeal.”
“I would’ve come and helped you,” Zane tells him.
Nash shakes his head. “It’s not the amount of stuff we had to move.
The whole family isn’t thrilled with the situation, and Grandpa has been wanting to move out here with us, but his doctors want to keep a close eye on him for a little bit longer before he does that.
So, we had to get him all set up with his next round of doctors’ appointments before the move. ”
Magnolia looks around the store. “The lodge is completely empty. I came here to buy some coffee beans and a few groceries for the weekend. Should I shop now, Henry, or after I look at the building?”
“Either way is fine,” he assures her.
“When do you start on your bakery?” I ask before she disappears down an aisle.
“Charlie’s already been working on the interior for me, and we’re waiting on some county inspections to do the next phase, but she thinks it will be ready to go in about a month, which I’m excited about.”
“Please tell me you’re going to have a good coffee machine in there,” I say to her, clutching my hands together in a begging gesture.
She laughs. “Of course. I’ll have an espresso machine and some French press coffee.”
“That sounds amazing.” I hold up my jar of iced coffee. “Because this is about the only coffee we can get around here.”
“I hope you know I’ll be in there every morning too,” Zane says. “I love Sharon, but—bless her heart—she can’t make coffee.”
Nash smiles grimly as he says, “It’s always burned.”
“Well, I hope she won’t be angry with me,” Magnolia says. “I don’t want to make enemies here.”
“Oh, it’s fine,” Henry says. “Sharon hates making coffee anyway—she doesn’t even like coffee—so you’ll probably be her favorite person if people can come get a good cup from you. Why don’t I take my lunch break now, and I’ll come unlock the building for you?”
“That sounds great,” Magnolia replies. “Do you two want to come look with us, Bliss?”
I glance at my phone. I still have plenty of time to check those calves. “Sure! I’d love to!”
“What about you?” Nash asks Zane.
“Sounds fun.” And then he reaches for my hand, grasping it in his and leading me toward the door to follow Magnolia and Nash.
“Ohhhh,” Magnolia exclaims with wide eyes. “I knew it!”
Nash smirks at us. “See, honey? I told you they weren’t cousins.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Zane asks as he opens the door and lets the rest of us walk out while he’s holding it.
“When Magnolia first met you two, she asked if you were cousins because you seemed so familiar with each other and you look alike.”
I glance at Zane sharply. The guy outweighs me by a hundred pounds and is six inches taller than me. How on earth do we look alike?
Magnolia must read the question on my face because she says, “I’m sorry! It’s just that you both have dark hair and light-blue eyes. It’s a unique combination, so I assumed you must be from the same family.”
Zane is fighting a laugh as he reaches for my hand again. “Maybe we should check our family tree before we keep dating.”
I poke his side. “Don’t even joke like that.”
“At least we know what your future kids will look like,” Nash comments with a smirk.
“I’d rather just walk over there,” Magnolia says when Nash stops in front of their car. “I’m so tired of sitting.”
“Sounds great,” Nash agrees. “Want to walk with us?”
“Of course,” Zane answers as we fall into step behind them.
I jump when I feel something brush against the back of my jeans and glance down to see Zane’s fingers in my back pocket. He pulls them out but has a pair of vise grips in his hand. He leans down to whisper, “Would you look at that? I found them.”
I fight a blush, and Zane just laughs, pocketing the tool in his jeans.
It’s going to be interesting, spending the rest of my life with him. And I’m beginning to think he’s not as oblivious to the things I do as I thought.