Beau
We rode in companionable silence as we made our way to Rock Creek. I glanced to the side to ensure that Olivia wasn’t sleeping and caught her checking me out. She turned her face away quickly, and I grinned as I leaned forward to turn on the radio. An old Patsy Cline song poured through the speakers, and I sang along. I could see Olivia nodding her head to the beat and it made me smile.
“So, Olivia, what is it you think you’d rather be doing in life?” I said, trying to think of a conversation topic as I made my way down the dirt road.
She looked over at me. “What, you don’t think I want to work in a boutique for the rest of my life?”
“Well, do you?” I glanced at her, then pulled my eyes back on the road. I should really concentrate a little bit better. You never knew when the elk or deer or even cattle would be moving across the road, and in the dark, it was hard to see them until you were up close.
“No, I don’t want to work in a boutique forever. I’d like to be an interior decorator, I think.”
“You think, or you know?”
“I know,” she admitted. “But even saying that seems almost impossible.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t go to school for it. I don’t have an education. I don’t have much of a background in it, aside from decorating my own little place and helping friends pick out pieces.”
“And that’s not enough to be an interior decorator?”
“Not in New York City, it isn’t.”
“Maybe in Montana,” I said softly, not even sure why I said it. She wouldn’t want to live in Montana—she’d made that perfectly clear—and I could see why. I loved my state and I loved my home, but then I hadn’t grown up in a big city. I couldn’t even imagine it. It made me feel claustrophobic just thinking about it.
“Yeah, I guess. Not many people in Montana probably need an interior decorator, though.”
“You never know.”
“You know, once when I was out of my mind . . .”
“What do you mean, out of your mind? Drunk?” I raised an eyebrow as I glanced at her and waited for her answer. I wondered what she was like with alcohol. I bet she was a cute drunk.
She giggled and nodded slightly. “Okay. One time when I was drunk, I had a thought that perhaps I would move to Florida or Indiana or somewhere and become a house flipper.”
“A house flipper?”
“Yeah. I thought I’d buy quaint little old houses and then renovate them and sell them.” She started laughing loudly.
“And what’s so funny?” I didn’t get the joke.
“I know absolutely nothing about home renovation or flipping.” She wrinkled her nose. “It was a stupid idea.”
“It doesn’t sound stupid to me, if that’s really what you want to do.”
“Not the flipping part so much, but I’d love to decorate houses. There’s just something about finding the right piece of furniture for rooms and picking the right color and the right light fixtures to just—” She shook her head. “Sorry, I must be boring you.”
“Not at all. Sometimes we need to talk about our dreams. No matter how unrealistic we think they are.”
“Yeah. Well, they’re very unrealistic. Even if I wanted to flip houses, it’s not like I have the money.”
“So you do want to flip houses?”
“I don’t. I was just saying that—it doesn’t matter.”
“It does. You know . . . I might have a little project for you if you’re willing.”
“What’s the project?”
“So I’m planning on building a ranch here.”
“Oh, like Lucy and Austin?”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “All of us brothers really need our own space. Mom and Dad love to have us at the main house, but after a certain point in life, you don’t really want to live with your parents anymore.”
“I can understand that. So how can I help you?”
“Maybe you could help me decorate my home.”
“Is it nearly done?”
“No, I haven’t even started. Sorry. I wasn’t even thinking, but you’d be long gone by then.
“Yeah.” She sounded wistful. “But maybe I could come back and help you.”
“Sure. That seems like a good idea. Who knows, the way Lucy and Austin are going, they might be pregnant within a few months, and you’ll be back for the baby shower.”
“That would be kind of cool and kind of crazy.”
“Do you like kids?” I asked her, not really sure why I was going down this road, but I was curious. She looked like she would be a good mother.
“I do.” She nodded. “I love them. I hope to have a big family one day.”
“As big as mine?”
“Maybe not that big. I don’t know how your parents handled seven boys. It must have driven your mom absolutely crazy.”
“I think it must have. And my dad too.” I chuckled as I turned down a side road. We were getting closer to Rock Creek. Now I was excited to see what she would think of my favorite spot on the ranch. For some reason, I really wanted her to like it, to see the beauty in it. I knew that it looked different at night than it did during the day. My other brothers would have taken her during the daytime, I knew, to fully and truly appreciate the beauty—the mountains in the background, the sun, the birds flying. But I liked it at night. There was a stillness, a quiet. A peace that didn’t exist in the day.
It was otherworldly. Sometimes when I was there at night and I lay back and looked at the stars, I almost felt like I was in a different universe. I didn’t tell my brothers that, because obviously I wasn’t, and I didn’t want them to think that I wasn’t happy with my life or with them. I loved my family. But being the eldest brother of seven was a lot to live up to. I was the one they emulated. I was the one my parents expected to set an example. I had to be the perfect brother. I had to look after the family ranch. I had to make sure we were profitable—that everyone could eat. It all fell on me.
“Hey, Beau?” Olivia’s gentle voice interrupted my thoughts. I felt her hand on my shoulder. “You okay?”
“Yeah, sorry. Completely spaced out just then.”
“You were mumbling something.”
“Oh, what was I mumbling?”
“You were saying, you’re doing your best. What were you talking about?”
“Oh, I was just thinking about what it’s like to be the eldest brother in a large family.”
“I guess that’s a lot of responsibility, huh?”
“It is.” I looked over at her. She looked sympathetic and sexy. Her lips were beckoning to me; I wanted to taste them. It was a bad idea, but I knew before the night was done, I was going to kiss her. I didn’t care what anyone else had to say or think or how they’d react. And I could tell by the way her lips were trembling and how she was playing with her hair that she wanted me to kiss her too.
She licked her lips nervously, and it was all I could do not to pull over and stop the truck right then and there. But I wanted our first kiss to be magical. I wanted it to be under the moonlight right next to the Creek, where we could see our reflections in the water. I wanted her to remember tonight for the rest of her life. I didn’t know why or how or what that meant, and I didn’t care. For once in my life, I was just going with it. I wasn’t going to overthink it or overanalyze.
I was just going to let the chips fall where they may.