Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
Damian
I leaned against the driver’s side of my truck, the early morning sun just cresting over the city skyline as I watched Geraldine lock up her shop.
She wore jeans and a loose sweater, her braid swinging as she turned the key and tucked it into her pocket, a small bag slung over her shoulder.
We’d spent a few days in the city after I showed up at Glover’s Closet, and now we were heading back to Red Rock together, her idea after a late-night talk over coffee.
The air was cool, the street quiet except for the hum of my engine idling, and I grinned when she walked over, her boots clicking on the pavement.
“Ready?” I said and opened the passenger door for her, my hand brushed hers as she climbed in.
“Yeah,” she said and settled into the seat, tossing her bag into the back. “Let’s hit the road.”
“Good,” I said and shut the door, circling to my side and sliding behind the wheel. “Cosmo and Christian’ll be waiting to mess with us.”
“Can’t wait,” she said and smirked, buckling in as I pulled out, the city streets gave way to open highway. “They’re gonna tease you hard for this.”
“Let ‘em try,” I said and laughed low, my hand resting on the gearshift close to her knee. “I’ll shove ‘em in the barn if they get too loud.”
“Promises,” she said and nudged my arm with hers, her grinwideningd as she leaned back. “You’re stuck with me now, cowboy.”
“Lucky me,” I said and shot her a look, the truck rumbled steadily under us as we rolled toward the ranch. “You’re the one stuck with three of us.”
“Bring it on,” she said and laughed, kicking her boots up on the dash. “I can handle you all.”
“Keep thinking that,” I said and grinned, my hand slid over to rest on her thigh, warm through her jeans. “We’ll see.”
The drive stretched out easy, the hills rolled by in shades of green and gold, and we kept the windows cracked, the breeze tugged at her braid as she hummed along to the radio. “Nice day,” she said and tilted her head toward me, her hand covered mine on her leg. “Good for a picnic, maybe.”
“Yeah?” I said and squeezed her thigh lightly. “We could do that. Grab the guys and some food.”
“Perfect,” she said and smiled softly, her fingers laced with mine. “They’ll like it.”
“They’ll like bugging us more,” I said and laughed, pulling onto the dirt road that led to Red Rock. “Get ready.”
The ranch came into view, the barn loomed red against the sky, and Cosmo and Christian stood out front, leaning on the fence with grins already plastered on their faces. I parked and hopped out, Geraldine followed, and Cosmo let out a loud whistle as we walked up.
“Look at this,” he said and clapped his hands, stepping forward to grab Geraldine’s bag. “Lover boy brought his girl back.”
“Shut it,” I said and smirked, snatching the bag from him before he could carry it off. “She’s here to keep you two in line.”
“Good luck with that,” Christian said and laughed, crossing his arms as he leaned back against the fence. “Hey, Geri. Miss us?”
“Always,” she said and grinned, bumping my shoulder as she stepped up. “You guys been good?”
“Too good,” Cosmo said and winked, slinging an arm around her shoulders quickly before I shoved him off. “Had to behave without you.”
“Poor you,” she said and laughed, ducking away to stand by me. “Damian’s got a plan, though. Picnic today.”
“Hell yeah,” Christian said and straightened up, his grin turned sly. “You cooking, Damian? Feeding your lady love?”
“Keep talking,” I said and shot him a look, my hand resting on Geraldine’s back. “You’ll be eating dirt instead.”
“Promises,” Cosmo said and laughed out loud, grabbing a crate from the porch. “What’s on the menu, chef?”
“Sandwiches,” Geraldine said and smirked, stepping toward the house. “I’ll handle it. You three set up outside.”
“Bossy,” I said and grinned, following her in as Cosmo and Christian hooted behind us. “They’re gonna eat that up.”
“Let ‘em,” she said and laughed, pulling bread and fixings from my kitchen shelves. “You slice, I’ll spread.”
We worked quickly, her hands moved fast with the mayo and mustard, and I sliced ham and cheese, stacking sandwiches on a platter while she tossed in some apples and a bag of chips. “Looks good,” I said and bumped her hip with mine, grabbing a cooler from under the counter.
“Thanks,” she said and smiled, packing the food in tight. “You’re not bad at this.”
“Learned from the best,” I said and winked, hauling the cooler out as she followed with a blanket. Cosmo and Christian waited by the pasture, a patchy spot under a big oak already picked out, and they grinned widely when we walked up.
“Picnic king,” Cosmo said and clapped my shoulder, grabbing the cooler from me. “You’re soft now, man.”
“Keep it up,” I said and shoved him lightly, setting the blanket down as Geraldine spread it out. “I’ll bury you in the feed shed.”
“Try it,” he said and laughed, dropping onto the blanket beside Christian. “Hey, Geri, is he always this mushy?”
“Only when he’s hungry,” she said and grinned, sitting cross-legged as I handed out sandwiches. “You two should see him with the cows.”
“Gentle touch,” Christian said and smirked, taking a big bite. “Bet he sings to ‘em now.”
“Shut up,” I said and laughed, sitting next to Geraldine with my sandwich. “You’re the one crying over calves.”
“Low blow,” he said and tossed a chip at me, grinning as it bounced off my arm. “Geri, tell him to play nice.”
“Nope,” she said and laughed, leaning into me a bit. “I like the show.”
“Traitor,” Cosmo said and stretched out on the blanket, propping up on his elbows. “You’re supposed to back us up.”
“Dream on,” she said and smirked, grabbing an apple and tossing it to him. “Catch.”
He caught it one-handed and took a bite, his grin stayed wide. “See?” he said and chewed loudly. “She’s too good for you, Damian.”
“Maybe,” I said and slid my arm around her waist, pulling her closer. “Still mine, though.”
“Gross,” Christian said and laughed, tossing another chip my way. “Save it for the barn, lover boy.”
“Keep throwing shit,” I said and caught the chip, popping it in my mouth. “I’ll drag you out there myself.”
“Promises,” Cosmo said and grinned, sitting up to grab a beer from the cooler. “Hey, Geri, how’s the shop? Heard you’re big time now.”
“Yeah,” she said and nodded, leaning back against me. “New design’s selling fast. Got orders coming in all week.”
“Damn,” Christian said and raised his beer, his grin turned proud. “You’re killing it.”
“Thanks,” she said and smiled, grabbing a chip from my plate. “Keeps me busy.”
“Not too busy for this clown,” Cosmo said and jerked his thumb at me, laughing as I shoved his shoulder. “He’s needy.”
“Watch it,” I said and grinned, my hand stayed on her waist. “I’ll lock you in with the horses.”
“Try it,” he said and laughed louder, stretching back out. “She’d save me.”
“Nope,” Geraldine said and smirked, leaning into me more. “I’d help him.”
“Traitor again,” Christian said and chuckled, finishing his sandwich. “You two are a team now.”
“Damn right,” I said and kissed her temple quick, my voice low. “She’s stuck with me.”
“Lucky me,” she said and laughed softly, her hand resting on my knee as we ate.
The sun climbed higher, the breeze rustled the oak leaves above us, and we kept the teasing going.
Cosmo tossed more chips, Christian fired back with dumb jabs, and Geraldine laughed beside me, her warmth steady against my side.
“Nice day,” she said and leaned her head on my shoulder, her voice quiet as the guys argued over the last apple. “Good picnic.”
“Yeah,” I said and squeezed her waist, my grin staying easy. “You make it better.”
“Sweet talker,” she said and smiled up at me, her fingers tracing lazy circles on my knee. “Keep it up.”
“Plan to,” I said and kissed her forehead, the ranch stretched out calm around us, the teasing faded into easy chatter, and I kept her close, the day simple and good.