CHAPTER 13
Jesse enjoyed roping for the camera so much that it even encouraged Cole into the ring.
The sight of the two of them at work was more than I could bear, even with their shirts on.
To the sound of their knowing laughter, I’d taken myself back up to the ranch to grab some more shots of the house and the view from the back porch, and film some room tours of the cabins.
Then, after a break and a cold shower, I started the editing process, mixing the cowboy and ranch content, satisfied that the blend of the two would set the rapidly growing number of followers on fire.
The last two days had been a flurry of cautious excitement as a steady stream of enquiries came in, along with another booking for the winter season and me setting up an online booking system for the ranch’s website.
Two more posts – another of Jesse, roping in slow motion, then one of the view across the long meadow, now coming alive with wildflowers – had only accelerated the response, bringing the kind of numbers that would’ve set jaws dropping in my old job.
It was all a distraction from my date with Cole, which was set for this evening, on what would’ve been my last day at the Diamond Back.
I’d yet to talk to Lil about it, needing to find the words to explain how rapidly my feelings were growing for her ranch manager.
Even though Cole had promised the date would be well behaved, I wasn’t sure I could put it off until afterwards, given the way things always seemed to escalate between us.
Ignoring the judgy pokes from my own conscience, I’d moved my flights home, giving myself another two weeks to get things going for Lil.
My savings would cover my rent and bills for a few months yet, but I didn’t want to run them down quite that far if I could help it.
The online interview for job one had been somewhat underwhelming – a disconcerting lack of nerves on my part had made it easier to answer their questions, but the disconnection I felt from that world was far greater than I’d expected.
The other interview was scheduled for tomorrow, but right now, other than the date, there was only one thing on my mind.
‘Lil, you busy?’ I knocked on her office door, opening it to see her staring at the computer screen intently.
‘Yeah, but come in. Hell, I’m only busy because of you . . .’ She stopped, her smile dropping at my expression. ‘What? What’s wrong?’
I steeled myself, wondering if this was the moment it might all come crashing down.
‘Can I talk to you about Cole?’
Lil’s mouth opened a little as she frowned, leaning back on her chair.
‘Shoot.’
I tried to read her, but she was clearly keeping her feelings well below the surface. Fuck. Maybe I’d been right, maybe she did feel something for him, which, given what Cole and I had almost done a couple of days earlier, would make me a total bitch.
‘Umm, so . . . well, you know how we kind of got off to a rocky start,’ I began, twining my fingers together, not quite able to meet her eyes.
‘Well, it’s kind of changed a bit since then, but, when I saw you guys by the barn the other day I wondered if .
. . I mean, I just don’t want to get in the way if there’s something already between you. ’
In the silence that followed, I chanced a look up, hoping, begging, for her not to be upset.
‘Oh honey,’ she started, a warm, thoroughly amused tone to both her voice and her smile.
‘Is that what you thought was going on? Oh shit.’ She laughed and I held my breath, not quite daring to believe it.
I watched as she got up and strode around the desk, approaching me and reaching out, resting her hands on my shoulders.
‘Lottie, I do love that man. But as a brother, as a friend I’d lie in the damn road for. Nothing else, y’hear? It’s never been like that for us. Whatever’s happening for you two makes me so happy I could burst. I mean that.’
Fighting tears of relief, I grabbed her into a bear hug, laughing at her surprise.
‘Oh thank fuck,’ I sighed, pulling back after she complained about not being able to breathe, but chuckling as she did so.
‘You really like him, huh?’ She grinned, watching as I tried to calm the hectic excitement bubbling up inside me.
‘Maybe,’ I offered, trying and failing to act coy as she snorted.
‘Okay, well, you take that maybe and go raid Bailey’s wardrobe. Mine sucks – but she’s had to wear some fancy stuff for parties on the circuit. I’ve got to get back to all these enquiries – never had so many emails in my damn life.’
We grinned at each other as I left, trying not to appear like a total lunatic as I ventured out to find Bailey. True to form, she was with the horses.
‘Can I borrow something to wear?’ I asked her, finally tracking her down in the tack room, rubbing down Dunkin’s bridle. Her cheeks were flushed, hair escaping into feathery curls at her temples after an hour of hard training. ‘I’m going out, so I need something a little dressier.’
She raised her eyebrows, a crooked smile on one side.
‘Sure thing, honey. Where you going?’
I tried to maintain an air of innocence.
‘Umm . . . The Kitchen, I think?’
She let out a low whistle.
‘So, a date-date , then? That place is fancy.’
I smiled, remembering the pictures from the website. She wasn’t wrong, but it had been Cole’s choice.
‘Well, sort of – but as friends.’
She focused on the cheek strap of the bridle, concentrating on one particularly stubborn piece of dirt.
‘Well, you help yourself to my closet. If I were you, I’d try the black dress right at the back. I’ve only worn it once when I won at Cheyenne last year and I could hardly breathe all night. It’ll fit you just right.’
‘But still with cowboy boots, right?’ I checked, smiling as she laughed.
‘I’m pretty sure Cole would combust if you wore it with high heels, sugar.’
I blushed but didn’t deny it. Thanking her as she chuckled to herself, I ran back to the house and got myself ready.
Reaching into my make-up bag, hair freshly washed and already curling at the ends, I stopped myself.
The automatic instinct to plaster on a full face of make-up suddenly felt ridiculous after two weeks of concealer and mascara at most.
Instead, I applied the minimum and gently combed through the length of my hair, allowing the natural waves and tighter curls to do their thing.
It fell right to the middle of my back now, to just where the zip ended on Bailey’s dress, which was strapless, tight and pushed my breasts into a fairly compromising position.
But she was right – the fit was perfect, and with my boots, loose hair and cowboy hat, it felt right.
And that made me pause. Everything about me, about this moment, was the antithesis of my life in London.
The stress, the loneliness, my lack of choice in anything – pushed from pillar to post by work or Kyle.
And now, here, I was making the call to go on a date with someone I could never dream of meeting there, on my own terms, supported by my cousin and in clothes loaned by a new friend.
As I left my room, I wondered when it’d switched over. When I’d stopped running from my life and started living it. The change had been subtle, but it was obvious now I’d noticed it.
Lil was still in her office, so when I walked into the kitchen to find Cole waiting, hat in his hand, black shirt tucked into indigo jeans, we were alone.
‘Ready?’ I asked, trying to hold it together as I took him in, the way he stared at me, eyes lingering on my chest.
‘You look . . .’ He stopped, gathering himself before letting out a long breath. ‘How the hell am I supposed to behave when you look that fucking good?’
I swallowed, feeling the tension begin to gather, knowing there was a very good chance we wouldn’t leave the house unless I stopped it. I raised a stern eyebrow.
‘Because that’s the deal,’ I reminded him. ‘A platonic date to get to know each other first.’
The implication of what came second was loud and clear in the silence.
‘Okay, let’s go then,’ he said, almost shaking himself, sliding his hat on. ‘Afraid I haven’t got a fancy ride, just the truck.’
Thirty minutes and a very charged, quiet drive in the dark later, we found the restaurant. Cole held the door open, trying so hard not to openly stare at my body that I laughed as we removed our hats.
‘What?’ he asked, a sheepish smile appearing as the waiter took our drinks orders.
‘It’s okay, you can look – just no touching,’ I replied, thankful for the busy, low hum of other diners around us, our conversation blending in.
He smiled back as I looked around, the low ceiling and clever lighting making it feel cosy and intimate. It could’ve passed for a London restaurant, with modern and expensive-looking tables and chairs, flawless white linen and polished wood floors.
‘What do you think?’ he asked, settling back in his chair and taking his drink from the waiter. I did the same, swirling mine around the glass, realizing how odd it felt to hold a wine glass.
‘Gorgeous,’ I said, holding his gaze for a moment. ‘But unnecessary. You didn’t need to bring me somewhere fancy – you know I’m down for a regular bar and some live music.’
He huffed a laugh, taking a drink.
‘I wanted to go somewhere nice. It’s been a while since I’ve had someone I wanted to go with.’
We stared at each other, slowly getting lost before the waiter arriving to take our order broke it up.
‘So, you first,’ I said, matching his pose and leaning back in my chair. ‘Did you grow up here? How do you know Lil?’