Chapter 22
Saturday afternoon arrived with the first real heatwave of the summer.
The forecast called for several days of temperatures pushing toward triple digits, and by lunchtime, the air above the ranch shimmered in wavering sheets. Sweat had become unavoidable before breakfast.
Seth gave the newly installed barn door latch one last tug, satisfied when it held.
As he put away his tools, his thoughts drifted, as they had all morning—to Shylo.
He'd kept his promise Thursday night and shown up at Bar None after work. They'd shared a drink after her shift ended, and when he'd offered to take her back to the motel, she'd surprised him.
“Why don't we go to your place instead? You're the one who has to work at the crack of dawn. That way, you don't have to rush or miss breakfast again. I don’t mind driving back to town in the morning. Besides, your bed is more comfortable.”
He certainly hadn't argued since she was right.
She'd turned down his invitations to join everyone for breakfast both mornings, though, insisting she wasn't ready to face everyone after spending the night with him. He hadn't pushed. She'd join them when she was ready.
He couldn't blame her, though. Her truck parked outside his cabin made it obvious where she'd slept. Sharing breakfast with the rest of the ranch was a much bigger step. It hadn't stopped him from wondering what that dining table might look like a few months from now with her there every morning.
He'd never been the type of guy to think much beyond the next date. As soon as a relationship started feeling too comfortable—too serious—he found a reason to end it before either of them got hurt.
Yet somehow, with Shylo, he'd started making plans that stretched farther than a day or two.
The Rodeo Bonanza was still weeks away, and he already knew she would work Bar None's booth for much of the weekend.
Even so, he looked forward to whatever free time they could steal together.
Wandering the fairgrounds. Watching the rodeo. Staying for the music afterward.
And when the weekend was over...
He wondered whether she'd ever decide to trade that cramped motel room for some place permanent.
The thoughts should've sent him running. Instead, they took root somewhere deep inside him that felt suspiciously like hope.
But that hope came with a healthy dose of doubt.
Was he reading more into whatever this was than she was?
Maybe she was simply enjoying the moment while it lasted.
Maybe once she'd gotten whatever she'd come to Hazard Falls for, she'd move on without a backward glance. Or it was possible she'd heard enough stories about his love-’em-and-leave-’em reputation to keep him at arm's length, no matter how different he felt with her.
It would explain why she always seemed a little tense when he first walked into Bar None.
Both Thursday and Friday, she'd smiled the instant she saw him, but something guarded remained in her eyes until they'd had a drink and were on their way out the door.
Whatever weighed on her seemed to ease once they reached the ranch.
She laughed more easily, perched beside him on the porch swing outside the bunkhouse as though she'd done it a hundred times before, and slept curled against his side.
He hoped the tension was only caution. Because if it weren't...
Well, he wasn't sure he wanted to know the reason.
The familiar cadence of approaching hoofbeats pulled him from his thoughts.
Tucker rode into the yard on Rowdy and headed for the hitching post. By the time Seth reached the barn, his boss had already looped the reins around the post and was loosening the cinch.
“Everything okay?” Seth asked.
“Yup.” Tucker grunted as he lifted the saddle free from the horse’s back and placed it over the hitching rail. “It's just hotter than hell out there. Everybody's already gone through the water they packed, and the lunch truck isn't due for another hour. I'm going to take the coolers out.”
“I'll give you a hand.”
Together, they grabbed two empty water coolers from the ranch's utility building. Tucker filled them from the commercial ice machine while Seth topped them off with cold water.
“You've been spending a lot of time with Shylo lately,” Tucker observed.
Grinning, Seth glanced over. “You keeping tabs on me?”
“Hard not to notice when your truck's gone half the evening, and hers keeps showing up here. That's not like you at all.”
“Well... yeah.”
“Yeah, it's not, is it?” He shrugged. “There's something about her. I don't know. She's... different.”
He hadn't expected to enjoy Shylo's company this much. The evenings had started with the idea to get to know her better. Somewhere along the way, he'd stopped looking for excuses to see her and simply wanted to be with her.
“How's she doing?” Tucker asked as he snapped the lid onto the first cooler.
“Good, I guess.” He secured the second lid. “I think she's finally starting to feel at home around here.”
Tucker nodded. “So, she's thinking of staying? I thought she was only passing through.”
“So did I. But I don't think she's in any hurry to leave. I think she likes it here.”
“Hmm.”
And I really like having her here too.
He kept that thought to himself.
Together, they carried the heavy coolers outside and lifted them into the cargo bed of one of the Triple-R's ATVs.
“Mya cornered me this morning,” Tucker said as he threaded a ratchet strap through the tie-downs. “She told me to make sure Shylo gets invited to Sunday dinner tomorrow.”
He hadn't given tomorrow much thought beyond seeing Shylo after work tonight.
Since she'd stayed over last night, he'd followed her into town that morning for breakfast at the Front Porch Café before stopping by the hardware store for supplies.
Inviting her to the ranch for dinner again seemed like the obvious next step.
“I hadn't thought about asking her, but she's off tomorrow. I could.” He tightened the strap as Tucker gave it one last pull.
“Then invite her. Mya and Paige both seem to like her. Might be good for everybody to have her over again.”
The comment struck Seth as odd, but only for a second.
“That, and Mya's making pie.”
He let out a short laugh. “You really think pie's the selling point?”
Tucker shot him a look. “You've had Mya's pie.”
His boss wasn't wrong. The woman could probably settle international disputes with a slice of her apple crumb pie.
“Good point.”
“Besides, Shylo would probably enjoy another home-cooked meal.”
While Tucker grabbed the key to the ATV from the hook by the door, Seth silently agreed. He'd noticed the difference every time Shylo came to the ranch. She seemed more relaxed there than anywhere else. She laughed more, smiled more, and for a few hours looked completely at home.
Tucker climbed onto the ATV. “Can you rinse Rowdy off and get him into the shade? Give him some water and hay. He's earned a break after hauling me around in this heat.”
“You got it.”
After he started the engine, Tucker pointed a finger at him. “And invite Shylo to Sunday dinner.”
“I will.” Seth watched his boss head back toward the north pasture before pulling out his phone.
Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.