Chapter Nine
Pope stood on Summer’s porch, shifting his weight from boot to boot. Realizing that he had a death grip on a bouquet of flowers concealed behind his back, he concentrated on loosening his fingers before he crushed the stems.
If the old Pope in that bootcamp photo could see himself now, he’d say he lost his damn mind.
Not because he brought flowers, but because he was nervous about it.
A bead of sweat trickled down his spine, and the brim of his Stetson grew damp from the extra heat coming off his face. He’d faced gunfire with steadier nerves than this.
While he ran errands, Gray Malone took a shift watching Summer’s house. He didn’t ask why Pope required coverage, just showed up and eased his mind by making sure she was never left alone.
During the short half hour, he’d made a quick run to the gas station to fill up the tank and made a pitstop at the flower shop he’d never set foot in until today.
The late-morning Wyoming breeze tugged at his jacket as he centered the bouquet behind his back and knocked on the door. A second later, footsteps crossed the floor inside before the door swung open.
Summer blinked at him in confusion. “You know you can walk in now, right? You don’t have to knock.”
A second drop of sweat followed the first down his spine. “I’ll walk in when I’m working.”
Her shapely eyebrows lifted slightly in question.
“Right now”—he pulled the flowers from behind his back—“I’m here for a date.”
For a long heartbeat, she just stared at the yellow and white flowers the florist assured him she would love. Judging by Summer’s reaction, he wasn’t so sure he should have trusted her.
Summer’s bright eyes shifted to him. Then she caught him completely off guard.
She laughed.
“Oh my god, Vander.”
He searched her face for the meaning behind her words. Good or bad, he was in too deep now.
“I hear flowers are an important part of a date.”
She stepped onto the porch, the smell of her shampoo carrying on the breeze between them.
“You’re serious?”
The smile spreading across her face did strange things to him.
Not the kind that sent blood rushing south.
The kind that made him want to keep putting that look on her face for a very long time.
His gaze settled on hers. “Very.”
Still looking adorably confused, she reached out and wrapped her fingers around the stems, right above his. With her wide eyes fixed on his and that sexy lock of hair that always tumbled over her forehead, she was the most stunning woman he’d ever seen.
The scents of coffee and cinnamon trickled through the open door.
“They’re beautiful. Thank you,” she said and twitched her head to indicate he should follow her inside.
He dipped his head in response and stepped into the house he’d only left a short time ago.
He trailed her into the kitchen, where she went on tiptoe to reach a vase on top of the fridge. He stepped up to fetch it for her and she turned to him with a soft smile that made her eyes glow even more.
Watching her fill the vase with water and arrange the bouquet made him happier than he’d been in years.
“Tell me more about this date.” She held his stare.
“It means we’re proving Ben right.”
She tipped her head back, a laugh tinkling out and making her so sensationally vibrant that he couldn’t breathe.
“That child.” She shook her head and fussed over a few blooms before turning to him. “So, are you going to tell me what this date involves?”
He shoved his hands into his pockets. “We’re gonna do all your favorite things today.”
She eyed him with a seductive quirk of her lips. “Well, I suppose we already covered the sex part this morning.”
He chuckled. Damn, he could get used to this.
“Now we’re doing the date part. We just have to fit it in before you head to work.”
The expression in her eyes wasn’t fear or exhaustion—just happiness. And he was getting addicted to being the reason for it.
“I already worked it out with Granny Helen too. She’s picking Ben up from school.”
“You talked to Granny Helen?” She blinked at him like he’d crossed a river full of crocodiles instead of merely walking next door.
He nodded. “She promised to leave the gun at home for the school run.”
Summer giggled so hard she had to brace a hand against the counter.
Christ, he could get used to that sound.
“You and Granny are becoming awful friendly.”
He lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “She didn’t even threaten to shoot me. Must mean we’ve bonded.”
An hour later, they were strolling through downtown Willowbrook carrying cups of coffee. Sunlight stretched across the sidewalks. Snow still clung to the mountains in the distance, but the air had finally started to hint at spring.
Summer walked beside him looking lighter than he’d ever seen her. He caught her smiling at a lot—storefront displays and a dog hanging out a truck window, tongue lolling out of his happy face.
Pope found himself watching her more than the town.
“You’re staring again,” she said without looking at him.
“Probably.”
“I’d tell Ben that staring is rude.”
“I’m still learning how to date his mom. I think he’d understand.”
She laughed into her coffee cup.
There it was again. He touched the small of her back as he guided her into the next shop filled with trinkets for tourists who visited the quaint mountain town, the warmth of her body lingering on his fingers long after he moved his hand.
They wandered through several more shops with no real destination, and Summer browsed a selection of candles she claimed cost too much money even as Pope considered buying all of them anyway.
At another store, he spotted plastic movie snack trays shaped like old-fashioned drive-in boxes. He picked up three.
Summer eyed him. “What are you doing?”
“We need equipment for movie night.”
She snorted. “I have bowls we can use.”
“I think Ben will appreciate these.”
A few minutes later he walked out with a bag and Summer shaking her head. “You’re spoiling us. First ice cream, now the promise of popcorn and candy?”
The “us” lodged in his chest, and there was no pretending her words didn’t affect him.
They browsed nearly every shop on the street, including the bookstore owned by Felicity, whose boyfriend Gabe was a former vet from the therapy program. Pope leafed through a book of old maps, listening to Summer and Felicity chat about books appropriate for a seven-year-old boy.
When they left the final shop, Summer hooked her hand in the crook of his elbow, spreading warmth through him. “Home for lunch?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I’ve got other plans.”
He held the truck door for her to climb inside and drove the short distance to the fanciest restaurant in Willowbrook.
She saw the sign and froze. “Prairie Ember?”
“I hear it’s good.”
“I hear it is too, it’s just…”
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s fancy. I’m not dressed for fancy.” She glanced down at her boots, jeans and sweater that he’d been thinking about stripping off her all day.
“You look amazing to me.”
“Vander.” Worry edged into her voice. “Couples come here for anniversaries.”
“It’s lunch. I already checked the dress code with Willow. She assured me that you don’t need to dress up for lunch here.”
Her eyes went soft again. “You asked Willow for dating advice?”
“In return, I’m sure she’ll make me muck out the barn or something.”
That earned another laugh.
The hostess seated them near the windows, and by the time their food arrived, Summer had finally relaxed completely into the date. Pope watched color glow in her cheeks as she talked and laughed and stole fries off his plate like they’d been doing this for years already.
He liked it way too much.
Not the restaurant or the date. Her.
Every version of her.
The tired single mother trying to stretch grocery money.
The sharp-tongued waitress at the Stockyard.
The soft woman who melted in his arms at night.
The one laughing across the table from him now with sunlight warming her face.
Pope had spent years convincing himself he didn’t need this kind of life. Turned out he’d just never seen a future he wanted badly enough before.
When they got back to the duplex, they headed next door to Granny Helen’s to pick up Ben.
The boy was so excited that he was jumping up and down. “Did you guys go on a date? Did you get ice cream?”
Summer shot Pope a look. “Let’s go inside and I’ll tell you all about it.” She leaned in to drop a kiss to Granny Helen’s cheek before ushering Ben across the porch to their door.
He gave the woman a nod and a smile. “Thanks again for helping with Ben.”
The woman stepped closer, suspicion in her eyes. “Vander, a word please.”
He chuckled. “Am I being threatened again?”
“Depends.” She studied him hard enough to make lesser men uncomfortable.
Pope stood at attention like the woman was his first drill sergeant. “Yes, ma’am.”
She glanced toward Summer’s duplex before twitching her head for him to follow her inside.
Suddenly he had the distinct feeling this conversation might be far more threatening than having a gun pointed at him.
* * * * *
When Vander finally walked back into the duplex, Summer looked up from wiping down the counter.
“There you are.” She narrowed her eyes. “What took so long?”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “Well, Granny had a long list of questions for me.”
Summer froze.
He didn’t look frazzled as he explained. “She didn’t shoot me, so I guess I did okay.”
“Oh my God.”
She crossed the room so fast he barely had time to brace himself before she grabbed his shoulders and spun him around to inspect his back.
Vander laughed under his breath. “What are you doing?”
“Looking for bullet holes.”
“She didn’t shoot me,” he assured her again. “But she did have the gun propped in the corner.”
She looked up sharply from his hard buttocks filling out those jeans just right. “Arm’s reach?”
“Yep.”
For one second they stared at each other before they broke out laughing. The sound escaped her easier lately around him. She was less guarded, and that realization should have scared her more than it did.
After she walked Ben through some spelling homework and he ate more beanie-weenies for dinner, she took him back to stay the night with Granny Helen when she went to work.
On the drive across town, Vander followed behind her, and she glanced in her rearview mirror, her heart drumming a little too fast as she recalled their day together.
A date. A proper date.
The sun had slipped behind the mountains, leaving downtown Willowbrook washed in cold blue shadows over the places they’d walked just hours before.
When she climbed out of her vehicle, he was already standing there, waiting to walk her to the employee entrance.
And she was trying hard not to think about how natural this felt. Too natural, like he’d slipped into the shape of her life without forcing a thing.
The Stockyard buzzed with noise and movement. Country music drifted from the speakers and boots scraped across old wood floors and waitresses carried trays between crowded tables. Usually the familiar chaos settled her the second she stepped inside.
Tonight it didn’t, even with Vander’s solid presence at his usual table in the back.
Now, she noticed everything.
Every man sitting alone too long. Every stranger at the bar. Every glance in her direction.
Fear had changed the room.
Summer tied on her apron, trying to ignore her pulse stuttering unevenly beneath her ribs. A man near the dartboards laughed loudly, and her focus snapped toward him. Another customer walked through the front doors wearing a dark ballcap low over his eyes, and her stomach tightened.
Could he be the one?
Was he at the grocery store that day?
Had she ever seen him in the bar parking lot?
With every customer entering the room, her thoughts spiraled faster. A group of ranchers took over a back booth. A couple of tourists argued over the menu. An older man sat quietly nursing a beer by himself.
Every person could be a threat.
Her nerves stretched tighter every minute until she nearly dropped a tray.
Vander suddenly appeared beside her. “Hey.”
She startled hard enough that his expression sharpened as he spoke. “Sorry. You okay?”
Summer issued a shaky breath. “You scared me.”
“I know.”
He lowered his head, pitching his voice low enough only she could hear over the crowd. “I see what you’re doing.”
Her stomach dropped.
“You’re analyzing everybody who walks through that door.”
Summer scanned the room again. “I can’t help it.”
“Try to act normal. I’m here, honey. Nothing is going to happen to you on my watch.”
Her heart hitched, and she issued another unsteady breath as emotions tangled in her chest.
He stepped closer and his knuckles stroked over hers. The contact sent a bolt of electricity through her, too warm to not hover around her heart.
“Let’s make it through the night,” he murmured. “You do your job. I’ll keep you safe.”
Heat climbed into her cheeks despite the fear still twisting through her nerves. How was one man capable of making her feel safer and more vulnerable at the exact same time?
She watched him make his way through the crowded bar to take his usual seat at the poker table. He’d given her so much already—his time and his care. And a wonderful date complete with flowers and a meal that never would have fit in her budget.
Not to mention the ridiculous snack trays he insisted on for movie night with her son.
She’d spent so many years surviving that she forgot life could feel light sometimes. She forgot happiness could sneak up quietly instead of arriving with fireworks and a parade.
He glanced up at her, and across the room, their gazes met for a throbbing beat.
It hit her hard—how she already cared about Vander. She had for a long time.
Just weeks ago, she couldn’t see a future with him.
Now she could…and it was beautiful and terrifying.
What she saw wasn’t a fantasy or temporary lust. It was movie nights with Ben and coffee in the mornings.
Vander filling space so naturally in the hollow places in her life that it already felt wrong when he wasn’t there.
This was even more dangerous now, because Ben was involved. This wasn’t just about her heart anymore. If Vander left someday, she wouldn’t be the only one hurting afterward. She’d have to help Ben survive it too.
She forced a smile onto her face, picked up her tray and delivered drinks to a table. All the while, her brain worked through her situation. Life taught her before that promises and permanence weren’t always the same thing.
Across the room, Vander caught her looking at him.
His smile wasn’t flirtatious or filled with heat. It looked like seeing her made his entire night better too.
And for the first time in years, Summer found herself wanting to believe in a future that involved him.