Chapter 12 #2
I laughed and pulled back, following Stetson’s gaze across to where Ransom was leaning against the counter wearing a shit-eating grin.
Before Stetson could retaliate in kind, Gideon smoothly slid into the gap.
“I was going to offer coffee in town,” the Beta interjected, pushing his glasses up his nose. “Maybe check if the local bookstore is open. Do a little shopping. Purely pedestrian. No saddles required.”
Before I could weigh Gideon’s safety against Ransom’s dangerous charm, River pushed off the wall. A lazy smirk touched his mouth.
“I’ll make things a little easier on you. I’m taking my name outta the hat,” the blonde cowboy announced.
My stomach dipped, disappointment hitting me square in the chest before I could stop it.
River saw it and chuckled, shaking his head. “Not because I don’t want to take you out, Pretty Girl. Believe me. But because I know we all need time with you. Besides, I have somewhere special I’d like to take you, but it’s a hell of a lot prettier at sunset than it is in the morning.”
And just like that, the disappointment slid away. River’s calm, unhurried restraint was so quietly hot it practically short-circuited my brain.
“It’s a date,” I told him, already looking forward to getting some alone time with him.
Ransom threw both hands in the air, his jaw dropping. “Unbelievable. The man doesn’t even make an actual offer and he still scores a date.”
“Work smarter, not harder, brother. Sometimes less is more,” River teased, taking a slow sip of his coffee.
The argument between the twins was still going when August turned from the sink. He didn’t raise his voice or try to compete. He just dried his hands, tossed the towel onto the counter, and looked my way.
“Farmers market is open until two.”
Ransom’s mouth snapped shut.
I peered at him over the rim of my coffee. “It is?”
August nodded once. “I wanted to go pick out starts for the garden.”
The whole room shifted subtly.
My fingers tightened around my mug. “The garden?”
“Thought we could plant tomatoes. Basil. Peppers if they’ve got decent ones.” His gaze flicked to me, steady and unreadable. “Figured you’d want to pick them yourself.”
I smiled to myself, because there it was. August wasn’t flashy or smooth. He didn’t dress up his words in a pretty bow, but his directness was just as attractive.
I loved the way this man noticed the way I’d looked at the abandoned garden.
He’d listened when I’d shared about the way my mother had taught me how to make homemade marinara sauce.
And most importantly, I loved the way he handed me the chance to put down roots here, literally and figuratively, without making a big production out of it.
He may look like a gruff mountain man, but inside he was gooey sweet.
And it made me feel things I wasn’t ready to name.
Ransom slowly turned his head toward the giant chef, betrayal dawning across his handsome face. “You sneaky son of a bi—” cutting himself off mid syllable, he eyed the children and changed course, “—sucit.”
August raised one brow. “We need plants.”
“What you need is a conscience. You all know asking her on a date was my idea first.”
I pressed my lips tightly together to keep from laughing into my mug. Beside me, River’s mouth twitched as he watched his twin spiral. “You opened with horses, Ran. He opened with tomatoes.”
“Exactly! How did I lose?” Ransom argued, throwing a hand out in mock exasperation. “I led with pure romance. I even said lunch… which I woulda made him pack for us, but still.”
Sunny sniffed her flower, looking between the bickering adults with bright curiosity. “Is Jules going with Daddy Boone?”
The kitchen went quiet, the competitive banter evaporating into thin air.
My heart gave a hard thump. Daddy Boone. Why was that so adorable?
I risked a glance at the chef. His expression barely changed, but something in his scent warmed, the sharp woodsmoke softening into rich, sweet cardamom.
I cleared my throat, desperate to untangle the sudden knot of emotion tightening my chest. “I mean… tomato plants are very important.”
Wyatt looked up from his crayons, solemn as a judge. “And she likes the garden.”
Ransom pointed an accusing finger at the boy. “I thought you were on my side.”
Wyatt just shrugged. “You didn’t mention plants.”
“I brought flowers.”
“Flowers start dying the second you cut them,” Wyatt stated matter-of-factly, like he truly didn’t understand why anyone would murder plants and call it romantic.
Sunny lifted her yellow bloom proudly. “I like mine.”
I finally lost the fight against my smile. “I like mine too.”
I looked back at August. He was just watching me, quiet and patient.
His expression carried zero pressure and zero expectation.
He was just a man standing in his own kitchen, offering to turn his errands into a low-stress day date as though he knew that was exactly what I needed.
He was folding me into his daily routine like it was the most natural thing in the world, and somehow that was the thing that got under my skin.
I set my coffee mug on the counter. “Is this farmers market purely plant-related, or is there actual food involved?”
August’s mouth almost curved. “There’s food.”
Ransom groaned loudly. “Oh, come on.”
I ignored the bull rider, keeping my attention locked on the giant. “What kind of food?”
“Depends who’s there. Kettle corn. Hand pies. Coffee cart.” August paused, his dark brown eyes locking onto mine. “Huckleberry ice cream, if the vendor’s back.”
That was the knockout punch. I narrowed my eyes. “Huckleberry ice cream?”
“You were looking at it in the town flyer yesterday.”
I had been. For maybe fifteen seconds. Barely long enough to wonder what huckleberry actually tasted like, and whether it was weird to crave an ice cream flavor I’d never had. Apparently, it hadn’t been a short enough window to escape August’s notice.
I pointed a finger at him. “You are alarmingly observant.”
“Sometimes.”
“Only sometimes?”
“When it matters.”
Oh. Well, then.
Ransom collapsed backward into a dining chair like he’d been mortally wounded. “I hate this house.”
Gideon smiled right into his coffee. “No, you don’t.”
“I do now.”
River walked over and clapped his twin once on the shoulder. “You lost to vegetables and ice cream. Happens to the best of us.”
“No, it absolutely does not.”
I picked up the bundle of wildflowers from the counter and softened enough to throw the defeated cowboy a bone. “For the record, these really are beautiful.” Ransom perked up slightly, watching me. “And I’m gonna go put them in water before I go buy tomato plants with August.”
Ransom dropped his head back with a tragic groan. “Betrayed.”
Sunny patted his knee with the solemn, sticky comfort only a toddler could provide. “It’s okay, Daddy. You can try again later.”
Wyatt nodded in agreement. “After you make a better plan.”
Ransom narrowed his eyes at his offspring. “I am surrounded by tiny traitors.”
“You’re surrounded by pragmatists,” Colt corrected quietly from the table. He set his empty mug down, his storm-grey eyes catching mine. “Some of us just knew when to fold our hands. Ice cream will win out every damn time.”
One corner of his mouth ticked up in that ghost of a smirk he had.
There was something about him that made me want to lean in closer and learn all his secrets, And yet, I couldn’t get a solid read on him.
His scent, however, was the one thing he couldn’t hide or fake.
The rich scent of it washed over me, settling my sudden nerves.
He hadn’t fought for my attention this morning, but that single look told me everything I needed to know.
He may have folded his hand, but he was still in this game.
And the challenge of that? Of cracking him open and learning who he was and what he was about? I couldn’t resist it.
But today wasn’t his day. It was August’s.
The sweet man didn’t gloat. He didn’t need to. He just reached out, snagged his worn ball cap off the counter, and let his gaze land on me. “Ready to go?”
Giddy anticipation filled me. “Give me fifteen minutes,” I told him, already feeling my nerves rise all over again.
Because believe it or not, this was my first date. Ever.