Chapter 32 #2
“Still?” After all this time, he still hates that Santa.
“He’s creepy. I don’t know why everyone likes him,” he huffs.
I burst out laughing, grabbing his arm to lead him into the bar before he decides to harm that adorable decoration. “Come on, Cowboy.”
Elkhorn Tavern is overflowing with beer and laughter.
Hudson is on the floor dancing with Kinley. Sierra is dancing with Wes, and Leah is dancing with a cowboy I don’t recognize. We drink and sit around a large wooden table with Averie, Blake, Candace, and Ryker. My brother is currently at the bar, flirting with cowgirls.
For the last half-hour, Candace has been pretending that she hasn’t been ogling Blake.
I make eyes at her from across the table, gesturing from her to Blake, to the dance floor, hoping she gets my signal.
She’s red-faced and fidgety, trying to hide behind her luscious red curls, shaking her head. Too embarrassed to try.
Guess it’s up to me to make this happen.
I bump Kit’s shoulder. “Let’s dance.” He smiles, offering his hand. Before we walk away, I place a hand on Blake’s shoulder. “Blake, you should dance with Candace.”
Blake seems confused by my words, but then something in him changes, and he seems intrigued. Candace looks mortified, but it’s all for a good cause, and I know that Blake will dance with her. He just needs the opportunity. And she just needs the shove.
Blake’s gaze drifts to hers. He warmly smiles, offering his rough hand for hers. “What do you say, Sunshine?”
Sunshine? I ship them already. My eyes are practically beaming, and I’m grinning so hard my face hurts. Internally screaming for her to take his hand.
“I um… I’m sure there are other women you’d rather dance with,” Candace murmurs.
What is she doing? My mind internally screams at me.
“There’s actually not a single girl in this room I’d rather dance with,” Blake puts on the charm.
Candace’s bright green eyes snap to his. Her cheeks bloom in vibrant colors, swirling down to her freckled chest. Blake takes her hand, leading her onto the dance floor underneath the warm elkhorn lights, pulling her in as they sway side to side.
“Are we still dancing? Or are you going to keep playing matchmaker?” Kit smirks at me.
I stick out my tongue, pulling him along when my eyes meet Averie’s. She gives me a look like, what the hell, still sitting there with Ryker. Just the two of them.
Oops.
I’m pretty sure she thinks I did that on purpose, which isn’t true, but I grin back at her. Placing a finger above my lip, waggling my eyebrows. She’s not amused.
“So, what was that all about?” Kit asks, adjusting his grip on my waist, wearing his ballcap backwards, just the way that I like it.
“Nothing,” but I’m still grinning.
“If you’re trying to hook up Blake and Candace, I would strongly advise against it,” he warns.
“Why?” Does he not see how adorable they would be?
“Candace’s family is… well, very religious. They wouldn’t approve of someone like Blake.”
“But Blake’s the best!” I defend. “Why wouldn’t they like him?” Out of all the ranchers at Lone Pine, he was seriously the best guy. But maybe I’m biased. You couldn’t ask for a better or more stand-up guy than Blake Dalton.
Besides the man standing in front of me, who was all mine.
“Well, for one, he’s older than her,” Kit continues. “Way more than they’d deem acceptable. And Blake’s not exactly a religious man. He’s been with a lot of women. Young and na?ve is not really his type.”
I’m inclined to agree with him, considering he was interested in me, but still. “Oh, but look,” I gesture to them, dancing a few feet away from us. “How cute are they? Surely with all of Blake’s experience, he could teach her a few things.”
Kit chuckles softly, the sexiest laugh. “Okay, Tequila.”
The nickname sends a tremble down my spine. Just as it has since the beginning.
“So, how are you feeling about everything?” he asks.
“Everything being…”
“The ranch. The future. Us…” his voice trails off, searching my eyes as if they hold all the answers. “There’s going to be quite a lot of work involved to fix up the main barn. Next year won’t be an easy one.”
“Are you doubting my work ethic, Cowboy?” I arch a brow.
“Never,” he laughs.
“Do you think I’m going to run off when things get hard?”
He smirks. “No, I don’t.”
But despite what he says, there’s still fear and worry in his eyes. And far too much tension in his shoulders. “What is it?”
He lets out a long breath. “Lone Pine is under a bit of financial stress at the moment. I can fix up the barn. It’ll just take time.
But there’s a lot of tack and equipment that’s been destroyed.
Insurance will cover some of it, but we’ll still be in the hole.
And the hole is already dug pretty deep. ”
I ponder for a moment. “So, we need some ideas to make extra money?”
He nods. “If you have any, I’m open to it.”
An idea to make money on a ranch full of very attractive cowboys…
My lips turn up into a smirk. “Cowboy carwash.” Something like that would make a lot of money. Front page news in The Silver Lake Gazette. We could probably settle the debt in a single day.
He frowns. “I knew you’d say something like that.”
“Okay, fine.” I laugh. “No, cowboy carwash.” I scan the room, trying to think of more ideas.
The dance floor is full of happy couples, the tables are lively with laughter, and at the bar, Ryker’s already engaged in a drinking game with young Tanner and Hudson.
Kinley, Leah, and Sierra laugh together in the corner as neon lights cast a colorful glow on their bright faces. Wes is playing a game of pool with other ranch hands, enjoying each other’s company like one big family.
Everything about this scene and this place was exactly what I dreamed of as a kid.
“What about cowboy camp?” I ask.
Kit’s dark brow arches with interest. “Go on.”
“We can host weeks in the summertime where we teach people to ride horses, feed and herd cattle, and experience real ranching life. I would’ve loved such an experience when I was younger.”
Thoughts pass behind his eyes, and he nods. “That’s a pretty good idea. I can work with that.”
“Still, though, cowboy carwash would be a huge hit,” I smirk.
He sighs roughly. “I’m sure it would be.”
Another idea forms in my mind. “Also, what if we sell merchandise? T-shirts, hoodies, ballcaps… I think a lot of people would love that.” Myself included. “We could create some traditional Lone Pine Branding ones, and maybe one that says, Lone Pine Ranch, where cowgirl dreams come true.”
A smile tugs at his lips. “I like it.”
“Good,” I smile. “Anyways… what about you? If you want to talk about futures and dreams… I know being at this ranch for the rest of your life wasn’t your dream, but—”
His calloused hand finds my jaw, caressing it softly, stopping my words.
“It might not have been my first dream, Sadie, but it’s my last.” His thumb traces my jawline.
“This is my new dream. The only dream that matters. I’ve never wanted anything more than this.
” And then his lips are on mine, taking my breath away.
Maybe the view of the future wasn’t too clear, but this is the life I’d always dreamed of.
The ranch. My new friends. My new family.
I came here looking for an escape, hoping to find a safe place to call home, and I’d found so much more.
The steady softness of Kit’s heart will always be my safe place.