CHAPTER 7
FORD
I’m nervous while waiting for Arden in front of the movie theater. I’m not even sure what the movie we’re seeing is about. All I know is Arden agreed to go out with me. It only took asking her a few times. Honestly, I’m not sure why I didn’t give up after the first time in Falls Market.
When I stopped into the post office yesterday, I didn’t even pretend to be there to mail something.
There wasn’t an envelope to be seen. All I had was the hat on my head and my keys and wallet in my pockets.
Desperation was crawling at me, a feeling I couldn’t shake and eased the moment she finally said yes.
I’m not even sure why it’s something I can’t ignore, this need to see her, to track her down and soak up even a few minutes of contact. It doesn’t make any sense.
But it feels so good in the moment. Then I walk away from her and remember my Sunflower.
I’m all twisted up inside, but I’m hoping spending time with Arden will help me straighten things out. Can I really wait around for a nameless, faceless woman on the other side of letters I can’t return?
I remember the soft smile on Arden’s face as I stepped up to her desk at work yesterday. There was a teasing in her voice as she asked, “Already back to mail something else?”
“No,” the word was cracked as it left my lips and I cleared my throat before swallowing hard. “I’m not here to mail anything,” I explained.
Her head tilted to the side as she looked me over, as if it would give her the answers she was looking for. I’m not sure what she saw, but her navy eyes softened as she looked at me. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to make me brave.
“I don’t get much time off,” I started as if I was about to sell her stake in Sagebrush, “but I’d really like to take you to a movie. If I asked you to a matinee instead of one at night, would you say yes?”
The look on her face was pure bewilderment, “A matinee?”
I nodded slowly and licked my dry lips, hoping not to sound like some pre-teen asking a girl out for the first time. Even though she’s the first woman I have ever asked out. You’d think I would learn my lesson since she turned me down three times already; I’m not sure if the first one counts.
“Yeah,” I grunted and shrugged like my heart wasn’t in my throat.
“I get up really early in the morning to get thing started on the ranch. I might be the boss, but I’m still out there with my ranch hands putting in the work.
” Her mouth kicked up in a small smile that felt like pure triumph.
“Waking up early means going to bed early. A matinee would work better for me, if it’s okay with you. ”
My eyebrows pulled together and I found myself staring at the small tear away calendar in her little post office cubicle.
It reminded me just how close my birthday was, and my mind drifted to my Sunflower.
Thinking of her made my gut churn, but I forced my feet in place instead of running away like part of me wanted to.
“What about we call it a friend date?”
My head snapped up so damn fast that I gave myself a crick in my neck. The smile on her face told me that she knew exactly what she just did to me—she surprised the hell out of me. And she found it amusing.
“If you want to call it a friend date,” I shrugged and stuffed my hands in my pockets, trying not to look as excited as I was feeling, “I don’t have a problem with it.”
She grinned and I found myself doing the same. There was something fragile between us. New. Maybe all it will be is friendship. I don’t really know. It’s all new to me.
But maybe it could be more.
What about Sunflower?
Yeah. That.
I wipe my hands on my jeans and turn when I hear footsteps behind me. Getting my first look at her steals my breath. She’s gorgeous.
Her hair is down today, framing her face in soft waves. It’s a mix of browns and blondes, like she spends time in the sun. All of her reminds me of sun kissed skin and lazy days at the creek. I don’t know what it is about her.
I find myself wanting to step closer to her the longer I’m around her. Like I need whatever she’ll let me bask in.
It’s kind of fucking with my head.
“Hi,” her voice is bright and she lifts up on her tiptoes slightly, the movement far more adorable than she’d probably like me to comment on.
Women don’t like that kind of thing. Right?
Fuck. I’m out of my depth.
“Hi. Thanks for coming,” the words rush out of my mouth like I’ve been practicing them in my head.
Which is exactly what I’ve done.
And I nailed it. Until the actual performance.
“Well,” she smiles softly and bites her lip before leaning toward me slightly, “I figured since my best friend has been much busier lately, I can’t really be turning down friends.” She eyes me before sighing. “Though, you’re probably pretty busy too. Ranch life, huh?”
“I make time when it matters,” I hold her navy gaze, hoping she can see the sincerity that runs to the depths of my soul. There’s not a hint of amusement or subterfuge in my voice either.
Her cheeks turn a shade of pink that makes me want to run my finger along her skin. I hate it, but I don’t think she’ll let me touch her. My hand fists at my side; it’s the only thing stopping me from reaching for her.
“Okay,” she breathes out, something shifting in her eyes. “So, what kind of candy is your favorite?”
“This feels like a test,” I tease her, my eyes narrowing.
When Arden crosses her hands across her chest the action pushes her breasts up. It takes all of my willpower not to look down. Her sweater is already clinging to her curves. I’m going to pop a boner and embarrass myself.
“Maybe it is,” she tosses the words at me, not realizing just how short on control I am right now.
I realize, no matter what happens, this isn’t a friend date. It’s a date. That’s it.
Hopefully, I don’t fuck it up.
While rubbing my hand over my jaw, I smirk down at her. “Since we’re talking about the movies, I usually go with Milk Duds.”
“Okay,” she holds the word out and nods once. Her deadpan expression is cute as she asks, “How do you feel about Junior Mints?”
My face scrunches up and Arden laughs. Damn.
I got her to laugh again.
There have been moments in my life when I’ve felt damn good. Late night moments when a calf is finally born after a hard labor. Winning an auction for a bull meant to help the health of the herd. Laying down in bed and realizing nothing went wrong.
Because things always go wrong. That’s life and we’re talking about heads of cattle who you can’t reason with. They’re big animals with their own agendas.
Getting Arden to laugh? It feels even better than those moments.
I gently take her elbow and her laughter fades as she looks at me with soft eyes. “I already grabbed the tickets,” I nod toward the door, “let’s get good seats?”
She glances around because it’s not like there’s a line waiting to get in. I shake my head, a grin tugging at my lips as she allows me to lead her inside. I don’t stop until we’re at the food counter.
I hardly look at the person on the other side. Mostly because I can’t seem to look away from Arden. How I manage to put in my order is a mystery.
But I do. And she chose Milk Duds as well.
Arden glances up at me before poking my shoulder. “You’re staring at me.”
“Can’t help it,” I mutter. “I should have already told you how pretty you look.”
When her navy eyes snap up to meet mine, they’re wide and round. “This is a friend date, Ford,” her voice is soft. I expect her reminder to sting, but it doesn’t.
Because I’ve noticed the way she glances at me out of the corner of her eye. And it’s not my face she’s looking at. She keeps stealing glances at my chest. My hands. My neck.
I’m not sure I get the last one, but I need to. As long as she keeps looking at me like she’s thinking about taking a bite.
I make a humming sound before challenging her, “We could have shared a box of candy.”
Arden gasps and presses her hand to her chest. “I don’t share my Milk Duds with anyone.” Her eyes roam over me and heat for a moment before she looks away and mutters, “Not even friends.”
I push, leaning closer because I can’t help myself, “You’ve never shared them with Eliza?”
“She’s a Goobers person,” her voice is filled with disgust as she screws up her face. “She’ll even eat Good & Plenty. Can you believe it? Oh,” she stops and calls out, “do you mind putting extra butter on?” Her face breaks out into a wide smile and she nods, “Thanks.”
A chuckle escapes my chest, and I’m completely entranced by her. When everything is plopped on the counter, I reach for my wallet, determined to pay for this too. She tries to stop me, but that’s not going to slide with me.
She huffs, but I just hand her drink to her and collect everything else before ushering her into the theater. It’s almost empty, but it’s perfect as far as I’m concerned.
We sit in the center of the theater, and she nestles down into the chair the moment we sit, like she’s getting cozied into place for the long haul. There’s something endearing about it and it tugs at something in me.
As I sit down next to her, the lights dim and she glances at me, her breathing picking up slightly. Relaxing feels impossible, but the warmth of her soothes something in me and my shoulders drop.
“Here,” I whisper, handing her the box of Milk Duds.
When our fingers brush, a jolt races up my arm. I stare at her, my eyes wide. She just smiles and shrugs like it’s no big deal. That was something.
I think.
Wasn’t it?
As the trailers start, I hold the popcorn between us. For a moment I just watch the colors dance across her face, but when she glances at me from the corner of her eye, again, I force myself to face forward.
I’m not sure what it is about this woman I find so captivating. It’s tempting to find out. Spending time with her is far from a hardship.
I’ve spent more time off my land in the last week than I have in a long damn time. It feels good to breathe air that’s not heavy with the responsibilities and expectations. Even shopping at the market was, somehow, freeing. Not in a soaring kind of way, but in a no longer stuck kind of way.
I’ve been grinding it out at Sagebrush. And I don’t regret the time and effort I’ve put into the business, into my family’s legacy. But I can’t remember the last time I read a book for fun. I used to do it all the time in high school.
And I just lost it along the way.
Damn. I might just have to go and see Mrs. Riley down at the library.
Arden leans closer to me, her voice pitched low. “You’re thinking awful loudly over there, Cowboy.”
I stiffen and my stomach churns at the reminder. My Sunflower.
It’s not easy to shake it off.
When our hands touch again, this time in the popcorn, the same jolt goes straight through me. I almost let out a yelp, but I swallow it down at the last second.
This time I’m not sure I like it at all.
Or maybe I like it too much.