Claire hadn’t fully considered all the details when she agreed to start dating Benton again. Especially when it came to the benefits column. Dating a cowboy meant she got to watch him practice his barrel racing and tie-down roping. A good-looking man in jeans and a Stetson galloping across a paddock was a glorious sight to behold.
She winced when one of the barrels Benton was circling wobbled for a moment before it righted itself. When he raced back to his starting line, she hit the stopwatch app on her phone. “You were faster that time,” she called.
“I hit the barrel. I want one more clean run before I call it for the afternoon, and then we can head to the firehall for the Victoria Day barbecue. Does that work for you?” he asked.
“Absolutely.”
He turned his horse around and readied himself for her call to start. Claire was so entranced at watching him she almost forgot to stop the timer. “That was your second-best time today.”
“I’ll take it. I haven’t had a lot of time to practice lately, so I really needed this morning to work with Major.” He pulled his sweat-stained shirt away from his chest. “After I take care of him, I can shower and be back downstairs in ten minutes. Feel free to come inside or wander around.”
“I think I’ll wander. In the shade,” Claire said. The Royal Oak Ranch had something new to explore around every corner, and she wanted to see it all. Close to the barn was a brand-new coop with a full flock of colourful chickens. The birds clucked up a storm when she approached to read the sign on the door that said, “Do Not Eat Lunch On Tuesday!” She strolled behind the house and had to make a long detour around the biggest vegetable garden she’d ever seen. It was more dirt than plants so early in the summer, but she saw large areas set aside with low, curly potato leaves, delicate tomato seedlings, and bare wooden lattice screens set up with thin green bean leaves and stems already trying to twine around slats.
Beyond that, on a covered patio not far from the two-storey house’s back door, was an eating area and outdoor kitchen that could have been featured in a magazine. It wasn’t just a barbecue and a smoker and a mini fridge. There was also a long stone counter to use as a workspace, a working sink, and an electric stove with separate coiled elements instead of a glass-topped surface. Claire whistled once she got a look at the full setup.
“It’s impressive, isn’t it?”
She jumped at the unexpected voice. Clay was watching her from the back steps. “Mom always complained that doing her canning heated up the kitchen, so a couple years ago we built this for her. We use it almost every day during the summer.”
“I can imagine,” Claire said. “It’s gorgeous out here.”
“Is it much different than Alberta?”
“Flatter,” she said with a laugh. “There aren’t even any foothills around here. When Benton used to call it ‘rolling pin country,’ I thought he was joking. He wasn’t.”
“It sounds like he had a few adventures in Alberta that he didn’t share. Did you know our uncle’s ranch was robbed when he was out there?”
“Yes,” she said honestly. “Benton told me about it after the fact.”
“He hadn’t been there long when it happened. Did you grow up near Bonnyville?”
“Me? No, I’m from the Okanagan originally. I’d only moved to Bonnyville about a year before I met Benton.” She’d grown up in central British Columbia, gone to school in Vancouver, and then attended Depot, the RCMP Academy in Regina, Saskatchewan, before being assigned to Bonnyville as her first post.
“So you were only there for a couple years before you came here?”
“That’s right.” She didn’t know what Clay was getting at, but she didn’t have time to worry about it. Not when Benton appeared behind him in jeans and a fresh white T-shirt. He batted a different Stetson hat against his leg and set it on his head. “Are you ready to go?”
“I am. I’m starving. Nice talking to you, Clay.”
She and Benton were headed out on their first group date. There was a long weekend barbecue at the fire hall, and the volunteers were coming with their families and significant others. Only the chief was going to be missing it, but Benton said everyone else would be there. Claire had asked him repeatedly if he was sure he wanted to bring her, but he never wavered. Now he was about to introduce her to his friends and second family.
She wasn’t exactly ready, but that didn’t mean she was about to let him down. She tugged the skirt of her flowered sundress and balanced on her low heels when Benton helped her down from his truck. Then he took her hand and led her directly to a wooden picnic table in the corner of the parking lot where a group of women were handing out drinks from a trio of insulated coolers.
Once they had their beverages, Benton introduced her to everybody. She quickly learned that he was one of the youngest firefighters on the crew, even if he did have five years of experience with them. Every one of them welcomed her with open arms and promises of stories about Benton’s various exploits with the department.
“You know I’m going to have ammunition for years after tonight,” she whispered after the eating was done and they were waiting for the fireworks to start. “Your friends showed absolutely no mercy.”
“If you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the fire hall,” he said. “Besides, they didn’t tell you the really embarrassing ones, because that would open them up to me telling their stories.”
“They get worse?” Claire gasped. She’d expected Benton to be upset at the razzing or embarrassed for her to hear about his mistakes as a rookie, but he took it good-naturedly. He even corrected a couple of the details.
“So much worse. Hopefully, someday I’ll get the chance to listen attentively to your coworkers in the same way.”
“Not a chance,” Claire said with a laugh. Not that she really objected. It would just never be a possibility unless Benton ended up in Alberta again. It was a shame; he’d get along with the other officers at her old detachment. They were all community service-minded and had active hobbies outside of work; Benton would fit right in.
“Are you ready for the fireworks?”
“Is it time?”
Benton hopped up beside her on the tailgate of his pickup. “Any minute now.” It didn’t even take a full minute. A loud squeal sounded, and a small bright light streaked into the sky before it exploded into a white starburst. A series of muffled thumps followed, and a trio of comets streaked across the night.
By the time the show ended, Benton had wrapped his arm around her shoulder and drew her close enough that she could feel his breath on her neck. She fought off a shiver. Their proximity was only because they had to sit awkwardly to see the display, nothing more. No matter how nice it would have been if it were for real.