Chapter 12
JULES
“ W here are we going now ?” she asked as they turned away from the sign pointed towards Sterling Ridge.
“For the best burgers in Wyoming.”
She nodded, fighting the bubble of excitement forming. She hadn’t tried to spend the day with Riley, so really, she wasn’t giving in to the nagging urge to be around him. At least that is what she had been telling herself all day.
Turning her attention to the landscape instead of her thoughts, she tried to focus on what she could make out in the beams of their headlights. The road weaved on, dense trees beginning to close in around them. Jules watched them rush by in a blur, the feel of Riley’s gaze heating her skin.
“Do you want me to turn around?”
“No,” she replied. “I like burgers.”
It felt natural, riding through the dark wilderness with him. She chalked it up to their working together, nothing more than a familiar presence.
Up ahead, the glow of a neon sign peeked through the trees, and a tiny, old building crept into view.
There was no business name. The only thing on the sign at the entrance to the dirt parking lot was the word burgers in big bubble letters.
It was a simple dive, with glass windows and a seating ledge stretching across the front.
At the top, red painted stripes raced around the white brick building.
This place screamed retro. And immediately stole her heart.
Despite the fact that they seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, the parking lot was packed.
A line of people waited in front of the window marked “order here.” Those that already received food were scattered about, either sitting at the counter or on the hoods of their cars and in the beds of their trucks.
Riley pulled into a spot in the far corner, away from the crowd, and turned to her. “The line goes faster than it looks.”
“I don’t have anywhere to be.” Adjusting her denim shorts, she opened the door and jumped down to the dirt below. “Coming?”
He flashed a lazy grin as he climbed out as well, hesitating for a brief moment before letting go of the truck door. He seemed almost stuck in place, the grin slipping one second, then back the next. It was all so fast, she wondered if she’d imagined the flash of pain that crossed his features.
Meeting him at the tailgate, she asked, “What do you recommend?”
“The classic with cheese. A milkshake. And definitely a side of crinkle fries. They put this seasoning on the fries that will ruin all others in your future.”
“Why are you trying to ruin me?” she laughed, following him to join the people queued up to order.
“I’m a firm believer that once you find something that works, you hold onto it.”
Her breath hitched as his soulful eyes locked onto hers. Suddenly, she got the feeling that they weren’t talking about fries at all. “And what if you miss out on something even better by settling too soon?”
“What if you miss out on something meant for you because you’re always looking for a greener pasture?” he challenged. “I trust my instincts. They haven’t steered me wrong yet.”
“They haven’t steered you wrong when ordering dinner. Right?”
They took a step forward in unison as the line moved.
“Amongst other things,” he said softly, running his fingers through his hair.
Jules watched him drag them through the golden mane—the memory of running her own hand that very same way sending a tingling sensation to her fingertips.
He had left his hat on the dashboard of his truck, and she soaked up the rare sight before her.
She imagined him at home, in comfortable situations without his cowboy uniform.
What was Riley like when he wasn’t the embodiment of The Sundance Kid?
Shaking the reckless train of thought from her head, she dropped her attention to her boots and stepped forward again. They remained silent, moving forward at a steady rate until they were next to order.
“Do I dare ask what milkshake flavor you prefer?”
“Chocolate,” she replied immediately. “Always chocolate.”
“Looks like we agree on that,” he tilted his head towards her and smiled.
The team at the unnamed burger establishment clearly knew what they were doing. In the amount of time it took them to order, pay, and slide over to the next window, their food was already up.
With a kraft box in one hand, overflowing with a generous sized burger and heaping pile of fries, and milkshake in the other, Jules followed Riley back to the truck.
“You didn’t need to pay for me,” she objected as they crossed the parking lot.
He reached the truck first, flipping down the tailgate and held out a hand to help her climb up. Taking a seat in the truck bed as well, he popped a fry in his mouth and shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. I’m happy to introduce you to this place.”
She opened her mouth to respond, only to have him hold up a fry for her to try as well. “ Oh my god ,” she moaned, looking over at him in amazement. “How are these so good?”
“Told ya,” Riley replied smugly.
She rolled her eyes, plucking another fry from her tray. It still felt easy, being here with him. She couldn’t deny that she was enjoying their dinner under the stars.
After a long slurp from her milkshake, she stole a glance at Riley, watching him recline back on an elbow as he ate. “What did I pull you from today?” she asked.
“Not much.”
“You just sit around your house dressed like that?”
His cerulean blue shirt popped against his dirty blond hair and light-colored cowboy hat.
Unbuttoned to his sternum, he revealed a perfect dusting of chest hair and a chain with a black lightning bolt hanging from it.
She hadn’t noticed it at the ranch this week, and it was pressing at her to understand this little detail of Riley.
“You never know when you need to rush out and rescue a damsel in distress. I had to look the part of heroic cowboy.”
“Please,” she snorted. “I would have been just fine at the Gin Mill.”
Riley laughed as he shoveled more fries in his mouth. “I believe you can hold your own, wild thing.”
“So?” she pressed. “Really, what were your plans for today?”
“I was at the Sterling Round-Up.”
“How did you do?” She deposited her now empty milkshake cup to the side and shifted to fully face him.
“They hadn’t gotten to my event,” he replied nonchalantly.
Stunned, she simply blinked back at him for a beat. She allowed her eyes to roam over him, looking for any signs in his body language of resentment or frustration. But resentment wasn’t Riley. Somehow, she just knew this to be true.
“So, you just… left? Why?”
“You called.”
Two simple words. Paired together in any other situation, and they would have been meaningless. Inconsequential. But in this moment, they drifted out into the evening air and set the night on fire. Stars exploded in her heart as their gazes remained fixed on one another.
When her mouth fell open and no words came out, Riley offered a gentle smile. He reached over to wrap his hand around her forearm, dragging his thumb back and forth on the soft underside of her arm.
“And it’s just that simple?” she asked, her eyes glued to where they were connected, her focus tracking the movement of his thumb.
“Coming when you call? Sure.”
She wrestled down the urge to ask him why. To understand the way her heart slammed against her rib cage with his touch. But she would come to regret that eventually at the ranch. It was important to maintain her professional reputation, because if the jobs stopped, she’d have to return home.
“Thank you, for helping me today,” she offered softly, allowing the conversation to drop before she said anything reckless.
With a gentle squeeze of her arm in response, he withdrew his hand once again and locked it with his other behind his head.
Staring up at the night sky, his profile appeared relaxed.
In fact, Riley seemed to operate in a constant state of ease.
“Can I ask you something else?” The words slipped from her mouth as the glint from his lightning bolt charm caught her eye.
“Fire away.”
“What does the lightning bolt mean?”
He dropped a hand to the charm and lifted it up between two fingers. “This was a gift from Paisley after I had my little bronc riding injury. She told me it would be a good luck charm, keep me safe out there competing.”
Two questions fought to escape her mouth first. Jealousy won out. “Who is Paisley?”
A wicked grin split across his face as he tracked the guardedness in her question. Turning back to face Jules, he replied, “The only other woman who’s call I’ll always answer.”
Heat roiled under her skin. This is why she had rules, she couldn’t expect to be special when she didn’t stay in one place long enough to form that connection.
“Juliette,” he started, reaching out and giving her a nudge. “Paisley is my six-year-old niece.” As her jaw loosened, his eyes tracked the movement with amusement. He was enjoying her reaction.
But this was yet another sign that pointed towards him being a good guy. “It’s cute that you wear it for her,” she admitted. “And it looks good. You should wear it all the time, not just when you’re competing.”
“Oh yeah? You think I look good?”
“I said it looks good. Calm down, Sundance.”
She turned to rest against the side of the truck bed.
Curling her legs up to her chest, she gently asked the other question on her mind.
“Is everything okay? Since the injury?” It felt invasive poking around in his life like this.
But she reminded herself that he was the one that mentioned the injury first.
“I’m… fine,” he offered. It sounded forced, lacking the laid-back confidence that she was growing accustomed to with him. She pursed her lips, picking at the fringe of her jacket. It wasn’t her place to worry about him, she shouldn’t question his response or press further.
“But, uh, your car,” he stumbled over the change of subject. “I got a message while we were out at the sanctuary, it’s back at the garage in the ridge . Safe and sound. They’ll look at it first thing tomorrow.”
“And this garage is good? They can handle a vintage car like this?”
He caught the worry in her tone and arched an eyebrow. “They can, it’s in good hands. How long have you had it?”
Swallowing the lump in her throat, she replied, “My grandpa built it for me. For my sixteenth birthday. He died six years later.”
“Sounds like he was a talented guy. What was his name?”
“Nick, and he was the very best. Talented, funny, kind. He was the type of guy that brought out the best in everyone around him.”
“I’ll make sure this piece of him is returned to you in pristine condition,” he assured her softly.
Thank you,” she said, meeting his gaze and allowing that familiar ripple of warmth to pass between them. “For everything. Thank you for today. I know this isn’t really sticking to our professional agreement.” She motioned towards the burger joint.
“Why not?”
“I don’t think coworkers typically spend a day together and end it with dinner under the stars like this.”
“Maybe not. But friends do, and there’s no harm in being friends, is there?”
She bit down on the inside of her cheek. Being friends with Riley certainly sounded appealing. “No, there’s no harm in that, I guess.”
“Good, then tell me, has this been better than that trip to Gin Mill you were contemplating?”
“With the French fries here? No contest.”