Chapter 4
FOUR
Cole
I finish up with the horses and return to the house to clean up. I still have a few hours until I get to see Blair, and I plan to run into town to grab us a few things before I go to the bank to pick her up.
Once inside, I head straight to the shower. I smile, thinking about Blair as I shampoo my hair.
I’m fascinated by her. She’s fun to be around. I love the way her brain works. I love what she notices and cares about. She’s funny, smart, kind, and drop-dead gorgeous, though I get the feeling she’s not aware of how beautiful she is.
I turn off the water and towel off. As I step out of the bathroom, I hear my phone ringing and hurry to answer it in case it’s Blair.
Instead, I see Devon’s name on the screen.
“Hey, man! What’s going on?”
“I got shot, Cole.”
My stomach drops, and I freeze. “What? You all right?”
“I’m okay, or I will be.”
“Where are you at?”
“Just got stateside. Langley.”
“What do you need?” I ask, mentally making plans to leave the ranch for the East Coast to help him.
“Right now, I need a place to go.”
“Yeah, come to Wolf Valley. I’ll get a room set up for you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Come on, brother.”
I picture him smiling as I sit on my bed.
“What am I going to do in the middle of nowhere?” he demands.
I roll my eyes. “It’s a town, asshole. Plenty to do. Hell, with your skill set, I bet you could work the counter at the local burger joint.”
He laughs. “Fuck you. I’d be running that burger place in a week.”
“Uh-huh.” I run a hand through my hair. “You still at the hospital?”
“Yeah, they release me in a few days.”
“You should’ve called me. I would’ve been there for you, man.”
“I know. But I was so drugged up that I didn’t know what day it was, let alone where I was.”
I groan. “I get that.”
Devon snorts. “Yeah, you had to be a showoff and get shot twice.”
“Yeah, I mean, I’m not saying I’m stronger than you or anything…”
He laughs.
“I’ll get a room set up for you. Let me know your flight info, and I’ll come and get you from the airport.”
“Thanks, man.”
“Of course.”
“What’s new with you?”
“I met someone.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Her name’s Blair. She works at the bank here in town. She’s so cool, man. Funny, smart as hell, and so damn pretty.”
“And she’s interested in your ugly ass?”
I chuckle. “She might be.”
“Might be?”
“It’s new. We just started hanging out.”
“Well, that’s your first problem. You don’t just hang out with your soulmate, man. You lock that shit down.”
“What do you know about it?”
He sighs. “Everything. Take my advice; lock your girl down.”
“I will.”
We catch up for a few more minutes until a nurse comes to check on him.
“I’ll text you,” he says.
“See you soon.”
We hang up, and I finish getting dressed and head for the door. I make the short drive into town and park outside the market.
“Cole!”
I look up as I climb out of the truck and smile as I see Camden headed my way. “Hey, jarhead.”
Camden and I were on the same deployment a few years ago. When I moved to Wolf Valley, I was shocked to see he’d also settled here and worked at Sempre Fly, the helicopter tour company.
We’ve met up a few times since I moved here. Camden helped me figure out the plan for the ranch and promised to advertise my tours at his place.
“What are you up to?” Camden asks. “I’m meeting some guys at the diner. You should join us.”
I hesitate. “I don’t want to intrude.”
“Nah, it’s a bunch of military dudes. I mean, you’ll probably stand out since you were a Green Beret and not a real soldier, but…” He trails off with a grin.
“All right. I’ve got a few minutes.”
We walk to the Nosh Diner, and I’m reminded of Blair as I step inside.
“Hey, guys! This is Cole,” Camden calls out to the group. “Cole, this is Ansel, Koa, Luca, Meyer, Xavier, Townes, Nolan, Kip, and Huxley.”
“Nice to meet you,” I greet them.
A server comes over as I take my seat, and I order a coffee.
“Hey, man. I’m Kip,” the guy next to me says.
“Hey, how’s it going?”
“Good. You new to town?”
“Kind of. I moved here a few months ago.”
“Well, welcome.”
“Thanks.”
“Which branch were you?”
“Army. Green Beret. You?”
“Marines.”
“Ah,” I say.
Kip laughs. “You’re surrounded by Marines, man. Xavier, Townes, and Luca were Army Rangers.” He points to three men at the other end of the table. “Nolan was in the Air Force. Koa is still a Navy SEAL.”
I nod at them.
“Then there’s Ansel, Meyer, Huxley, Camden, and myself. We’re all Marines.”
“You all lived here long?”
“Most of us have been here for a year or two.”
I hang out with the guys for a bit, getting to know them better. Most of them work at Semper Fly, and they’re all settled down and seem happy and at ease. As I sit there, I think about how much I want that. My mind drifts to Blair, and I swallow. I want it with Blair.
They all seem like good guys, and when they invite me out the following week, I agree.
“All right, I’ll see you guys later,” I say as I push to my feet and toss some bills on the table for my coffee.
“See ya!” they call as I head out.
I smile as I make my way back to my truck and drive to the bank. As I pull into the lot, Blair is walking out. I wave, hopping out to open her door for her.
“You’re in a good mood,” she comments.
“I made some friends today,” I tell her as I climb behind the wheel and pull out of the lot.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. All ex-military guys.”
“That’s nice. I’m happy for you.”
“I also got a call from an old friend. He’s moving here.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, he got shot and is getting out.”
“Jeez.”
“He’s all right. Still healing, but he needs a place to stay.”
“That’s nice of you.”
I shrug. “It’ll be good to see him again. He’s a solid guy.”
Blair raises her eyebrows as I pull into Toasty Bun Burgers.
“I got sidetracked by the guys and never got around to grabbing food, so…”
“So, take out,” she says, smiling at me.
Her green eyes sparkle, and in that instant, I see our whole future together. The two of us going out on dates, moving in together, starting a family. My heart races in my chest, and I swallow hard.
Inside, I read the menu to Blair quietly as we wait to order.
“Thanks,” she whispers with a grateful smile.
“Of course.”
I order for us and pay, and we stand to the side as we wait for our food.
“You should’ve let me pay,” Blair complains. “I’m supposed to be making up this favor, remember?”
“Oh, yeah. I forgot. You can get it next time,” I lie. I want to pay. I want to take care of Blair and give her everything she wants and needs.
Our number is called, so I grab the food and Blair’s hand and lead her back out to my truck. I ask her about her day as we drive to the ranch and usher her inside.
“Brrr,” she says, shivering as we step inside.
“I’ll build a fire.” I kneel in front of the fireplace to stack wood and light a match. The wood catches fire, instantly heating the room.
Blair sets out the food in the kitchen, and we sit and dig in. Blair moans around a bite of her burger, and my cock hardens in my jeans.
Goddamn. She’s so hot.
Her blonde hair is pulled back in a messy bun. It’s so cute to see her go from polished and professional to relaxed around me.
“Ready to tackle the igloo?” I ask.
“I’m not sure how much help I’ll be,” she admits.
“Well, I plan to cut out the opening, then build the base. We should be able to bend the two pieces of plywood to fit them into the base to create a curved roof.”
“Okay, that sounds good. What do you need me to do?”
“Can you mark how big you want the opening to be?”
She grabs a marker. “Sure.”
I watch as she concentrates on marking where she wants the opening, then drag myself away to get started on the base.
We talk while we work. Blair tells me about her day, her friend Larsen, and this TV show she’s obsessed with. We talk about the movies and shows we love, as well as our favorite music and books. I learn that Blair loves music and audiobooks and has a wide range of tastes.
“Winter is your favorite season?” I ask as we finish up for the night.
“Yeah! I like the snow. It never snowed in Los Angeles.”
“But it’s freezing here!”
“I don’t mind. I like wearing hoodies and sweaters. It’s comfy.”
“That’s true.”
“What’s your favorite season?” she asks as we walk to my truck.
“I’ve always liked fall. The cooler weather but not freezing.”
“That’s my second,” she says as I help her into the passenger seat.
“Summer is the worst.”
“Oh, for sure!” she agrees. “So hot and humid.”
We talk about favorite colors and dream vacation destinations as I drive her home, and when I park outside her place, I find I don’t want to stop.
I should keep driving. We could talk and hang out.
Blair is already gathering her things, though, so I shift into park and get out to open her door.
As I stare down at her, the words are on the tip of my tongue.
Go out with me.
Have dinner with me.
Then Blair looks up at me, and the words freeze on my tongue.
“Well, goodnight,” she says softly.
I watch as she hurries into her building, wanting to kick my own ass with every step she takes away from me.
Coward, I think, as she disappears.
I groan as I climb back behind the wheel and drive home.