Chapter 23
“Thanks so much for stoppin”. Enjoy your cookies!” I say for about the hundredth time.
The farmer”s market on a Saturday in downtown Sugarland Creek is prime gossip season, and I”ve been asked about my engagement approximately fifty million times. There”s no point in denying it when there”s an article coming out confirming it.
After the first hour, Gramma Grace handed me a ring.
“Wear this,” she demanded.
“Are you sure?” It looked too delicate and special to just wear it around casually.
When I slid it on my finger and it fit perfectly, she winked. “It was made for you.”
I nearly burst into tears right then.
I wasn”t just falling hard for Landen, I was falling for his entire family.
We could set the record straight, but I don”t need any more attention on me, especially the negative attention that”d come with speculations.
It”s hard not to get emotional about the what-ifs when it comes to my career and wondering how I”ll make a comeback next year. I”m ready to get back on Ranger and work again. I”m grateful that Noah”s continued to train him and has kept to his routine.
Twenty minutes from the market closing, a woman approaches and there”s a familiarity there, but I can”t place her. She listens as I explain what”s left over—which isn”t much—and then she holds up a recording device.
“I”m a journalist from The Creek Chronicles and?—”
“Oh, sorry. I”m not doing press right now. You can email me and we can set up a time if?—”
She shoves the recorder closer toward me, and I flinch. “Did you want to comment on the early release of?—”
“Respectfully, ma”am…” Gramma Grace interrupts with the most stern tone I”ve ever heard come from her. “Miss Donovan isn”t doing interviews right now, but if you”d like to purchase something, I”d love to help you.”
She lowers the device and frowns. “Fine. I”ll just say no comment then.”
About what?
Before I have the chance to ask, she walks away.
“That was…weird,” I mutter.
Gramma Grace pats my shoulder. “Don”t worry about it, dear. Those journalists can be vultures and if you don”t put your foot down, they”ll continue to be relentless.”
“Yeah, I”ve definitely experienced that, but this didn”t sound like it was rodeo related.”
“Maybe not, but you”re still well-known enough for them to take advantage of your time and name to get buzz on whatever piece they”re workin” on,” Gramma Grace says, and I nod because she”s right.
“Thank you for chiming in. I always have to be careful how I react or they”ll write how I”m a rude and ungrateful bitch or something…”
Ask me how I know.
“Of course, honey.” She wraps an arm around me. “You”re one of us now.”
My heart swells at her overwhelming kindness. I never used to get too close to people, so I”m not sure how to respond besides with a thank you and a smile.
Landen: How”s it going at the market?
My smile widens when I read his text. He”s working for a few hours this morning before we meet up later this afternoon. I know he”s taken our first date seriously since the first mention of it, I don”t care what we do as long as I”m spending time with him.
Ellie: Good! We”re about to start packing up. And how”re things going there?
Landen: Waylon and Tripp fell into a massive mudhole. Never laughed so hard in my life.
Ellie: Are they okay?
He sends me a picture of the two of them covered head to toe. I bring a hand over my mouth to cover the laugh that bubbles out of me. They look pissed.
Ellie: Oh my God…
Landen: Wilder nearly choked to death laughing so hard.
Ellie: How”d that even happen?
Landen: With the storms the past couple nights, one of the pastures flooded and the mud surfaced. Waylon slipped first and took Tripp down with him. Wilder and I were walking behind and watched the whole thing. It was like they fell in slow-mo, arms flailing, feet up in the air kinda fall. Wish I”d gotten it on video.
Ellie: That”s mean!
Landen: Oh trust me, they”d say the same thing if it had been me!
Ellie: Well as long as they”re okay. I”m sure that didn”t feel great.
Landen: Waylon said he broke his butt. Pretty sure he just bruised his tailbone but he”s a big baby. Tripp”s more annoyed at Waylon for taking him down with him.
Ellie: Be careful out there. I”d hate for you to have to cancel our date before we even got a chance to go on one…
Landen: Oh you underestimate me, sweetheart. I”d show up in a full-body cast, every bone in my body broken with amputated limbs before I canceled our date. Nothing could get in the way of being with you tonight.
I re-read his text half a dozen times, my face feeling hotter after each time, and goose bumps covering my skin in eighty-degree weather.
Jesus. This man.
Ellie: I don”t know if this was your intention but that just got you a million bonus points.
Landen: Considering I used to be negative a billion, I”ll take it.
He sends a winking emoji, and I giggle like the ridiculous lovesick girl I am.
My everything shower takes a good forty-five minutes and the water”s nearly gone cold by the time I finish. Every inch of body hair has been shaved off and slathered in lotion. Since he won”t tell me what we”re doing, I put on jean shorts and a simple gray shirt. It”s too humid to wear anything more than that.
I say goodbye to my family and tell them I”m sleeping over at Landen”s so they don”t wait up for me. Mom kisses my cheek and tells me to have a great time.
“Thanks, I”ll see y”all later. Love you!”
Landen wanted to pick me up like a proper gentleman, but I was too excited about being able to drive myself again, I wanted to meet him at his house. I felt like a burden having Landen and my dad take me everywhere and although I can”t race, I”ll take any amount of freedom I can get.
It also means I get to listen to my own music again.
When I turn on my playlist, a Taylor Swift song blasts through the speakers, and I get that déjà vu feeling again. I can”t remember the last time I heard one of her songs but this one from her Reputation album makes me think of when I used to jog every morning.
Trying not to overthink it, I blast it and sing along on my way to the ranch.
It also makes me think of Mallory because she”s almost always humming one of her songs.
When I arrive, Landen”s leaning against his truck, waiting patiently for my arrival.
Fuck me.He looks so good.
That white baseball cap he wears backward.
Dark gray shorts and a plain white tee.
There”s no reason it should look so damn hot.
Before I can open my door, he”s there, opening it for me.
“Well, hello beautiful.” He holds out his hand and then helps me out of my truck.
Muscular arms wrap around my waist and pull me in for a deep, slow kiss. When his palms cup my face and his thumbs rub tender circles over my cheek, I melt into him.
And there goes every ounce of willpower to remain in control.
He lifts me, and when my legs wrap around him, he pushes me against my door.
I tighten my hold on him, close the gap between us, and moan into his mouth.
“Ellie…” He parts his lips, pressing his forehead to mine.
“I thought you didn”t kiss on the first date…” I remind him, breathlessly.
“Guess that makes you the exception.”
Once he sets me down, he takes my hand and leads me to a four-wheeler.
“We”re takin” this?”
“Yep, but you gotta wear a helmet. I”m not riskin” you gettin” a concussion and forgettin” me again. Especially now that you like me.”
“Very funny.” I playfully shove his chest. “So where”re we going?”
“I wanna show you my old dirt bike ridin” track,” he explains as he secures the helmet on my head.
“So glad I spent an hour curling my hair,” I deadpan.
He smirks, tilts up my chin, and tightens the latch. “Figured an adventure seeker like yourself would enjoy it.” Then he presses his lips to mine. “You look gorgeous.”
Once he sits on it and gets it started, I climb on behind him. He grabs my wrists and tugs me forward until my chest is pressed to his back.
“Hang on,” he warns, and I squeeze tighter.
He doesn”t drive too fast, just enough to feel the wind against my face. We go through a part of the ranch I”ve never been to before and then ride along mountain trails in between large trees before it comes into view.
“This is so cool,” I say once he slows down. “Y”all just have a whole ass racing track back here?”
He chuckles, cruising slower to the flatter part of the dirt track. “Yep. My best friend, Tucker, and I would spend hours out here during high school. We”d race all the time and just fuck around.”
“Tucker? Do I know him?” I ask, not recognizing the name.
“No, he died several years ago.”
My heart plummets into my stomach. “Oh my gosh. I”m so sorry to hear that.”
He nods once and then revs up until we”re at a steady speed, hurtling over the bumps and charging through the dirt. I keep a tight hold on him, enjoying the way it feels to experience this with him. My hair flies around my neck as we fly through the air, and I close my eyes until I feel the wheels hit the ground.
“Oh my God, that was so fun,” I shout-laugh over the roar of the engine when he slows down.
“I knew you”d like it…” He brings us to a stop. “Do you wanna try drivin”?”
“Really? You”d trust me?”
Landen climbs off and faces me. “Of course. I trust you with my heart. Why wouldn”t I trust you with my life?” He winks then nudges me closer and slides in behind me.
The way he effortlessly says those words has my cheeks feeling windburned and not because of the actual wind.
“I dunno how to drive this!” I panic, tightening my fingers around the handles.
“I”ll teach you, don”t worry.”
He gives me a crash course but most of it goes over my head because of how nervous I am.
“Ready?”
No.
“I think so…”
With his hands on top of mine, he helps me start it and guides us along the trail until I”m comfortable driving myself.
After five minutes of going at a snail”s pace, he tells me to speed it up. When I finally do, he tightens his hold around me and tells me to let it fly.
It doesn”t take long to get the hang of it, especially since I know he”s right here in case I need him. But there”s something about tearing through an off-road dusty track that feeds my adrenaline like when I”m riding Ranger.
“Okay, one more lap. Make it a good one.” He squeezes my bare thighs, and I swallow back a moan.
This man teases me like it”s his full-time job.
I rev the engine and fly over the last bump.
“Jesus Christ,” he laughs between his words when the front two wheels bounce against the ground. “You killed it.”
“I”m a champion barrel racer…are you that surprised?” I mock even though I was terrified as hell at first. He doesn”t need to know that.
“Not at all. But I”m still impressed,” he says with a smile in his voice. “There”s a lake half a mile from here that I wanna show you. Just drive down the trail and you”ll see it.”
My heart continues beating rapidly as I drive us through another trail of trees. I still can”t believe how large this place is.
“How much land do y”all own?”
“Hundreds of acres. Goes back here and then some.”
“Did y”all ever camp out here?”
“Not really. We have family who live in Willow Branch Mountain a couple hours north of here and they own a luxury camping resort. My parents took us out there pretty much every summer growin” up.”
“Why does that sound familiar?” I rack my brain for where I would”ve heard that name.
“It”s a small town but it”s a popular place for mostly couples. We have some marketing materials posted at The Lodge. Probably saw it in there.”
No, I don”t think so…
“Hmm…
“What is it?” He leans in closer to hear me.
“I”m just gettin” frustrated having these moments of something soundin” like I know them but not remembering from where or how. Happened earlier too at the farmer”s market when a journalist approached me and called me by my name as if we”d spoken before. I knew she looked familiar but couldn”t place any memories of her.”
“Yeah, that”s the brain fog associated with concussions. Wilder got sick with bacterial meningitis when he was like five or six and suffered from neurological side effects for two years. It halted his milestones because he had short-term memory issues. They wanted him to repeat kindergarten, but he and Waylon didn”t want to be separated so my parents didn’t let them.”
“Oh wow…that sounds traumatic.”
“He did rehab therapy to help him catch up and improve his memory and attention so he could comprehend what he was learning. Then he had speech therapy for a year and now he never shuts up, so I guess it worked.”
I laugh because he”s right. Wilder loves to hear his own voice.
“Okay, to the left now…you”ll have to go off trail for a minute and then you”ll see it.”
Thirty seconds later, a truck comes into view.
“Who is that?” I ask.
“It”s Fisher”s truck, he”s lettin” me borrow it since his has a larger bed than mine. We can park here.” He reaches over and turns it off.
Once he climbs off, he helps me to my feet and removes my helmet.
“Does my hair look crazy now?”
Grinning, he smooths it down for me and then tucks it behind my ears. “It”s gonna get messed up anyway, so don”t worry too much about it.”
“Wh—”
He winks, taking my hand, and walking us toward the truck. A few seconds later, the dots finally connect in my slow-thought brain on what he was insinuating.
“You sound very confident about that.”
“I am.” He glances at me, squeezing my fingers. “I plan to throw you in the lake.”
“Wait, what?”
As we get closer to the back of the truck, I see a lake twenty feet away on the other side. It looks pretty clear, too.
“You didn”t tell me to bring a suit!” I scold. “Hours and hours of preparin” and now you”re going to ruin it.”
“I”ll carry you so you don”t get wet, how”s that?”
“That sounds like a trap.”
He chuckles. “But first, we”re gonna have dinner.”
“Where?”
He opens the tailgate and reveals the cutest little surprise.
An air mattress covered in blankets with a large wooden serving tray sits on top of it. Two wine glasses, plates, and two sets of silverware. And then a vase of roses in the middle.
Next to it is a picnic basket.
“This is so freakin” cute and thoughtful. I can”t believe you do this.”
Lifting my hand, he presses a kiss to my knuckles. “I wanted it to be special. We only get to experience our first date once.”
“Unless you”re me and could forget in a day or two. Then you”ll have to take me out on another first date.”
He pokes me in the side, and I squeal. “No tickling!”
Once he helps me up into the bed and shows me what we”re having, I settle comfortably between his legs, eat the little sandwiches he made, and drink the Pinot Grigio.
“This is seriously perfect,” I say, staring out into the water. “It”s so peaceful out here.”
“I sprinkled some of his ashes out here. At the track, too.”
“Whose?”
“Tucker”s,” he confirms. “His mom let me have some.”
“How”d he die, if you don”t mind me asking?”
“Um…” He scrubs a palm over his face, and I worry I”ve made him uncomfortable.
“You don”t?—”
“No, it”s okay. I don”t mind talkin” about him. He lost his high school girlfriend and a couple years later, he jumped off a bridge.”
“Oh my God.”
“His girlfriend drowned and so we speculate he wanted to go the same way she did. Even though he very much knew how to swim.”
Squeezing his hand, I pull it up to my chest and hold him tighter against me.
“We had plans to meet up to spread her ashes, but he took them with him when he jumped.”
“I dunno what to say besides how sorry I am you had to go through that. Sounds like you two were close.”
“He was like a brother to me. We rode our bikes almost every weekend. Went lookin” for trouble anywhere we could. Swam in this lake all summer. During spring break in high school, we”d go up to my cousin”s and spend a week in one of their luxury cabins.”
“At least you have some good memories, right?” I say softly.
“Yeah, most of ‘em are good.” His lips press against my cheek. “You ready to go in?”
I”m somewhat surprised he”d still want to swim in the lake that reminds him so much of Tucker. But maybe it”s healing for him, so I nod and let him pull me up. “Let”s do it.”
He yanks off his shirt, and once again, I”m drooling at the sight of him.
“My eyes are up here, ma”am.”
“Yes, but your abs are down here.”
“If I”d known that was all it took to get your attention, I woulda walked around half-naked years ago.”
“Must be why it works on me. I never had the chance to get immune to it before I lost my memory.”
He jumps down from the tailgate and then turns around so his back is facing me. “Giddy up.”
I furrow my brows, laughing. “Giddy up where?”
Patting his shoulder, he says, “I”m carrying you, remember?”
“You were serious about that?”
“There”s no sandy beach area, so it”s all hard rocks and mud.”
“Oh, shoulda told me that in the first place.” I wrap my arms around his neck, and when my legs are secure, I hold on.
“Don”t just drop me in there,” I warn him. “I”m not the best swimmer.”
“Don”t worry, I”m a certified lifeguard. I won”t let you outta my sight.”
For some reason that triggers something.
“Wait, I knew that! Have you told me that before?”
“Before your accident, yeah.”
“Do you think that means I”m gettin” my memory back?”
“I dunno, maybe. Do you hate me yet?” His amused tone makes me laugh.
“Nope.”
Not even close.
“Then I guess we”re still in the clear.”