CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

When Sunday rocked around again, Bea found herself back at the ranch, taking more riding lessons with Austin on a short trail where Buffy ambled along companionably beside Austin’s horse, Star. He pointed out aspects of the ranch as they worked to a bit of a trot and the sun warmed her through. After they returned, she and Austin sat on the rail again and observed Jill working a horse from a nearby ranch.

She was so absorbed that she didn’t even hear Austin’s mom approach until she was hauling herself up the fence and swinging her leg over the top rail. “I could watch her all day,” Margaret said.

“Me too,” Bea agreed.

Which was exactly what they did, at least until Jill finished her set and Margaret invited them up to the big house for some afternoon drinks.

“Thanks for the offer, Mom,” Austin said, “but—”

“Actually.” Bea gave Austin’s thigh a squeeze. “We’d love to, Margaret.”

Sure, she wanted to get him back to his cabin and have him follow through on his offer to massage liniment into her thigh and ass muscles to counteract the soreness he promised her she’d feel tomorrow. But she was curious now to meet the rest of Austin’s family.

His mother beamed at her, and Austin returned her thigh squeeze with one of his own. He smiled at his mom. “We’d love to.”

Margaret grinned at her son. “Good answer.” Then she performed a nimble half turn, swinging her legs to the other side of the rail. “Come on up when you’re done here,” she said, then scrambled down, landing with a little jump.

“You don’t have to,” Austin murmured as his mom made a beeline for the house.

Bea rubbed her cheek against his shoulder, the fabric of his shirt warmed from the sun. “It’s okay. I want to.”

“More than you want me to rub you down?”

She grinned at the dirty, dirty emphasis he’d used. “You can do that later.”

“You’ll be sorer later.”

“Well, you’ll have to be gentle with me, then, won’t you?”

He waggled his eyebrows. “I can give it to you however you like.”

Oh yes. Yes, he could. “We’ll make it a quick drink.”

…

There was a magnificent view from the back porch and, despite herself, Bea felt the tug—the urge—to recreate it and the magnificent simplicity of the stone-and-wood house. To immortalize it in pastels as the sun sunk low in the sky and cast long shadows over the land. She ignored it, throwing herself into the lively ebb and flow of Cooper family conversation, instead, and the enjoyment of Margaret’s spiked iced tea.

There were the inevitable questions directed her way, but, as if they knew to take a light hand, they didn’t probe too deeply, which left ample opportunity for her to ask a zillion questions about the ranch and the Cooper family and Credence.

“So…you create greeting cards?” Brian Cooper clarified eventually as the conversation turned back to her.

He was a handsome man in that weather-beaten-rancher kind of way. The kind who sold tractors and Levi’s. With his quick, easy smile and his low, rumbly laugh, Bea could see exactly what Austin would look like as he aged.

Which was not a bad thing.

Bea nodded. “That’s right.”

After toying with the decision for a few days, she’d spoken to Kim on Wednesday and accepted her offer. Her brain had been exploding with ideas for Greet Cute and, like that dart in the board, she’d taken it as a sign.

“I didn’t even know that was a job. I assumed that sort of stuff was all done on computer these days.”

“It is,” she confirmed. “But it still requires design people. Some do it from scratch on a computer, using a bunch of different design tools and software packages. More bespoke companies like Greet Cute tend to use original artwork and convert that into a graphic.”

“I see.” He nodded.

“And can you do that from home?” Margaret asked.

“Yes. They’ve hired me as a freelance designer. All I need is a laptop and access to the internet.”

“And do you have some kind of brief as to what they’re after?” Brian asked.

“Beatrice created her own line, Dad,” Austin said. “It’s called Cranky Bea.” Glancing at her, Austin said, “Show them the logo.”

Bea dutifully found the logo on her phone and handed it over. Kim had been super thrilled with the image of the irate little bee and had suggested they call their new line of sarcastic cards Cranky Bea—with an a not two e’s—and that it be placed on the back, underneath the Greet Cute logo. She and Kim had gone back and forth on the font and placement of the two words until they’d come up with the design currently being passed around the Cooper family.

“Looks like that’ll cause quite a buzz,” Brian said with a grin.

Bea laughed, remembering Austin’s grumblings about his father’s penchant for puns. But many years in advertising had made her queen bee of wordplay and puns. “It’ll keep me buzzy.”

He nodded gravely. “And on your best bee-havior.”

“I’ll have to take my vitamin bee, for sure.”

“I can loan you my Bee Gees albums if you need some creative stimulus?”

Bea pretended to consider the offer while her brain scrambled for a snappy rejoinder. “I’m more a Bee-yoncé kinda gal.”

Brian shook his head in faux disappointment. “Now you’re just pollen my leg.”

Clay, who, along with the others, had been following their rapid-fire banter as if watching a grand slam tennis final, groaned out loud. He fixed Austin with a what-the-fuck look. “There are two of them?”

Austin chuckled, clearly unperturbed. “That’s my honey,” he confirmed.

Jill slid her palm onto Clay’s knee. “I think your brother has been bee-witched.”

Clay gaped. “You too?”

“Nah, son, that’s not the question.” Brain paused for dramatic effect. “To bee, or not to bee, that’s the question.”

He really cracked up then, and Bea joined him because it was a truly magnificent addition to the pun fest. She’d never had this. This easy affection, this contentment in company, this feeling of family. And she loved it.

“Oh God.” Clay rolled his eyes before appealing to his mother. “Can’t you make him stop?”

Margaret shook her head. “You know your father, Clay. Best to just let it bee.” Her straight face lasted for about two seconds before she dissolved into laughter, which caused another round of hilarity. Even Clay, who’d clearly decided if he couldn’t beat them, he might as well join them, cracked a wry smile.

And Bea’s heart was fuller than it had ever been. She could definitely get used to this.