Chapter 4
Charlotte
I can’t believeDean is here. This explains why Zoey and Jenna sent me to the middle of nowhere in Oklahoma. I don’t know how they found him, but I am sure happy they did. We keep sneaking glances at each other as we walk to the bunkhouses. Dean looks even more handsome than he did in college. He was smoking hot then. Cowboy Dean is sexy as fuck with those skin-tight jeans. Hugging his ass exquisitely. That ass should be a felony. He’s got my panties drenched and my heart fluttering. I shouldn’t be thinking about another woman’s man like this. I remember Millie being as sweet as can be. She would hate that I was ogling her man.
Dean leads us to the cute row of bunkhouses. They are adorable little versions of the main house. Quant porches with rocking chairs. I look forward to sipping my morning coffee and watching the sun rise out there. Dean sets my bags down on the porch. Keeping my hand firmly in his. Like if he lets me go, I’m going to fly away. Should I be holding his hand, I wouldn’t want Millie thinking something was going on. My guilt takes over and I take back my hand. This gets a growl of disappointment from Dean. I shake it off and step past him into the house.
The inside is just as cute as the outside. There’s a cozy living room and a cute little kitchen. A hallway leads to the bedroom and a bathroom. Dean’s large frame makes the space feel even smaller. He has my body humming with need. I have to get it together.
“How are Millie and the baby?” I ask, trying to distract my mind from the handsome man in my space. “It’s been six years, so they aren’t much of a baby anymore, huh?” Now I’m rambling like a nervous idiot. All this time apart, and Dean still has this effect on me. “Do they live here on the ranch with you? Did you have a boy or a girl?” Ramble, ramble, get it together, Charlotte. I chastise myself.
“Sorry, I’m rambling. You don’t have to answer my rambling nonsense.” Dean is looking at me like I just sprouted a second head. “We haven’t seen each other in over six years. It’s not like we are at that level of friendship anymore. Though I guess we never were, since you didn’t say goodbye to me when you left to be with Millie and the baby.” Shut up, Charlotte.
Dean’s hand comes up and covers my mouth. “I can see that you are nervous, Charlotte. So take a deep breath for me.” He takes his hand away and I take in a deep, calming breath. “You good?” I nod and take another breath. Once he sees I am more relaxed, he continues to say, “First off, for you, I am an open book. Second, what are you talking about? I haven’t seen Millie since we broke up in college. She moved back to Oregon to be with her high school sweetheart.”
Now I’m the one who’s confused. “Wait, if you and Millie broke up, why did Tony tell me you left to be with her?” I walk over to the couch and slump down on the cushion. What the heck is going on? Why did Tony lie to me about what happened to Dean?
“When did he tell you I left?” Dean joins me on the couch.
“After our date at the botanical gardens, I went to your dorm to tell him I wasn’t interested in him. That I wanted to be with you.”
“What do you mean, your date with him at the botanical gardens? Tony told me you didn’t show up for our date.” He takes his hat off and runs his hand through his hair. Letting out a frustrated sigh. What does he mean by our date? “Okay, start from the beginning. What happened the day of the date?”
I tell him I found the flowers and the note on my doorstep and when I mention Tony being at the botanical gardens, Dean lets out an angered growl. “He said he was my secret admirer. He’d always had a crush on me.”
In a rage, Dean leaps up from the couch. “Son of a bitch,” he shouts. “He lied to you, Charlotte. I was the one leaving you the flowers. You were supposed to meet me at the botanical gardens.”
Anger sears its way through my body. “That lying bastard. I can’t believe I trusted that asshole.” I feel like such an idiot. I wasted so much time on that prick.
Dean kneels in front of me. “Don’t blame yourself. Tony is a good liar. He had me believing you wanted nothing to do with me.” The sadness in his eyes makes my heart ache.
“What do you mean? What did he tell you about me?”
“He told me you realized I was your secret admirer. But you didn’t feel the same about me.” I’m filled with a mixture of anger and sadness. All this time, we were pinning for each other and in one day Tony destroyed it all. Years we will never get back. All of this happened for a reason. The universe brought us back together. It’s time Dean knows how I feel about him. How I have always felt.
“Dean, I have had a crush on you since the day we met. Nothing has changed. I think about you all the time.” A smile takes over his face.
“You’re my girl, Charlotte. That’s why I ended things with Millie. I wanted you.” I pinch my thigh between my fingers. Letting out a little gasp. “What was that?”
“Just making sure I’m not dreaming.” I giggle. This all feels too good to be true.
He rests his forehead against mine. His manly scent embraces me like a hug. I even missed his smell, too. “This is all real, sunflower.” I love when he calls me that. “Please tell me you don’t have a boyfriend.” It is a desperate plea.
“No boyfriend or husband. I’m a single Pringle.” I giggle. Looping my hands around the back of his neck. The air crackles between us. The pull to kiss him has me asking. “Dean, can I ask you something?”
“You can ask me anything.” His eyes glance down at my lips. Like he knows what I want before I ask.
“Will you kiss me?”
“Fuck, yes.” His lips crash against mine. There is nothing gentle about this kiss. It’s heated and urgent. The past six years of pent up desire pours out in this kiss. Dean’s arms circle my waist, then he lifts me off the couch. Turning us so he is on the couch and I’m in his lap. My core pulses against the hardness beneath his jeans. He’s thick and hard just for me. My hips rock against him while our hands explore and lips devour. When we come up for air we are both breathless and smiling.
“That was amazing,” it barely comes out as a whisper. That kiss exceeded my fantasies.
“It was fucking incredible, sunflower. I can’t decide if I should show you around the ranch or stay here and keep kissing you.” His eyes are sparkling with lust.
“Later. I want more kisses,” I say between kissing along his neck.
He lets out a rumbling laugh. “Whatever you want, sunflower.” He takes my lips in a searing kiss. We spend the rest of the afternoon making up for lost time.
* * *
A couple hours later, we finally come up for air and Dean shows me around the ranch. It has been a wild day. Never in a million years would I have thought this would be how my trip would end up. Here with Dean and hearing that he shared my feelings all this time has my heart soaring. I don’t know what the future holds for us after this weekend. I’m trying not to focus on the fact that we live so far apart. After this time together, I don’t think I can go back to being apart from Dean again. Nope, not going to think about this. Just enjoy the time you have, Charlotte.
“Dean, where did you go that day?” I ask as we come to a stop at the paddock. It’s beautiful here. With the fields of wild flowers and the hills in the distance, I can see why Dean likes it here.
“After I delivered your flowers, my brother was waiting for me at my dorm. My dad had been in an accident on the ranch. He passed a few hours after I got home.”
“Dean, I’m so sorry.” I know that had to be rough on Dean. He had such a close relationship with his dad. I remember all the stories Dean told me about his dad and growing up on their cattle ranch. The few times I got to be around Mitch, he was such a kind soul and I could tell how proud he was of his sons.
“Thank you. I went through a dark period after he passed. My mom had us all in grief counseling. It took time, but I made it through to the other side.” He tells me about helping his brother run the ranch. Finding his love for training horses and finding the job here and how much it has helped him find himself again. It breaks my heart that he had to go through all of that. I wish I could have been there for him. But I’m glad to see him happy and doing better.
“I’m sorry you had to go through all of that.” My arms wrap around his waist. Resting my head against his chest. Dean wraps me in his embrace. “I’m glad you are doing better.”
“I’m doing even better now that you’re here.” That makes me smile. I feel the same. Being near Dean again, I feel like coming home.
He gives me a kiss, then says, “I like I can kiss you whenever I want.”
“I like it too. It feels so good being here with you like this.” We spend the rest of the day walking the property and talking and doing a lot more kissing. I’m going to owe Zoey and Jenna for the rest of my life for making this happen.