23. Dalton #3
“I don’t know how to explain it,” I began, and then I covered my face in my hands as if that would help me lay out what I meant. Brushing my hair out of my face, I looked at him. He hadn’t moved. Patient as always. “I thought I’d get here, drop off the kids, and then go back to my ordinary life.”
“And that’s not what happened, huh,” Lucas said, not sounding at all surprised. “The same thing happened to me when I got here. Word, chapter, and verse.”
“It’s just—” I paused, shaking my head, holding out both hands as if that would help me capture all my feelings about Jake.
“Every day, he’s more and more perfect. I can’t imagine leaving him, but I’m not sure how to figure out the rest of my life with him in it.
” As always, it was hard to articulate how I felt about Jake.
“Like what?”
“Like a job. I know I could work here for you, but—but I can’t see myself living the rest of my days in a bunkhouse with no real bedroom. Can you?”
“No.” Lucas shook his head, agreeing with me. “What about that land in Nebraska you inherited?”
“Twenty dusty acres and a well that doesn’t work.”
“Well, Jake and Jesse have been talking, it seems, and Jesse told me Jake is right. If you get that windmill fixed, you’ve probably got something there.”
“Something like what?” I did my best to hide my surprise that Jake and Jesse had been talking about that land. Jake had said he’d follow me there, though I didn’t figure anyone would be happy about me taking Jake from the ranch.
“Income,” he said, which didn’t surprise me. We both had banking backgrounds. Our conversations had started off revolving around money, and that trend had continued. “Get the property assessed. Then you decide what you want to do: live there, sell it, rent it out, or lease it.”
“What’s the difference between those last two, again?” I asked because I had no intention of living there, and the land wouldn’t bring much if I sold it.
“Rent is short term and doesn’t come with any rights.
Lease is longer-term with rights. In this case, that would be water, which can bring in a pretty penny.
That property sits over an aquifer, and I would guess that makes it worth a whole lot more than what your brothers inherited.
Your folks didn’t know that, or they never would have let you have it. ”
“That’s true.” Whatever happened, I didn’t plan to tell Cadmar or Ansley anything.
“I think, with a lease, you’d have enough to do what you want,” Lucas said. “And if you don’t want to be out there in Nebraska, you can buy land around here. Someone’s bound to be selling a chunk you could call your own. But only—” He lifted his finger to point at me “—if you do right by Jake.”
“Jesus.” My heart was starting to pound. Committing to a future with another person was scary, but so was the idea of walking away from that future.
Everything about Jake was a fairy-tale spell that maybe I didn’t deserve. But he made me feel good. He made me feel loved. Like I existed. Like I mattered.
In return, he hadn’t asked for much, which made me want to find out everything he’d ever longed for and then give it to him.
“I need to buy a ring,” I said, gasping a little because I suddenly couldn’t get enough air. “Do you think he’d wear it?”
“Jake?” Lucas’ eyebrows went up into his hairline.
Apparently, he was as surprised as I was that I was taking his honest man dig seriously.
But it didn’t take him long to recover. “I tell you what. People are talking. The way the rumor mill is coming back to me, he’d wear it proudly.
They won’t be able to get it off his finger.
They’ll have to bury him with it. Okay, except—” Lucas rubbed the back of his neck.
“When he’s working; he won’t wear it then.
Too dangerous. But I promise you, it’ll be in a very, very safe place. ”
“So I buy him a ring,” I said. “Just buy it and propose? Are you serious?” It couldn’t be that easy.
“Are you?” he asked. “Look, I’ve never seen you this happy. And I’ve never seen Jake smile, but wouldn’t you know it, there was a whole building full of witnesses last night that say he did.”
I hadn’t been the only one looking for a smile from Jake. Me, who’d never had anything to call to his heart, had made that smile happen.
“Boss,” I said to him, “I know I haven’t gotten any work done, but can I have some time off?”
“Take as much as you need.” He smiled at me like a proud father. “The best place in town to get a ring would be Bancroft Antiques. On Old Main.”
“Thank you.” I said. This was a whole lot easier than asking for PTO from Logan. Here, it was a done deal, and Lucas trusted me to get the work done when I got back. “I’ll let you know what I find.”
“Please do,” Lucas said. “And let me know if we need to throw an engagement party.”
“Oh my God. One step at a time, please. I’m about to have a heart attack.”
“Do you need money for coffee?” Lucas pulled out his wallet.
“I don’t.”
“Here.” He handed me a crisp twenty-dollar bill, then pulled me into a hard hug. “Go find happiness, my friend. You deserve it.”