I’m wide awake, and my alarm hasn’t even gone off yet. The sun is peeking through my window. There’s no way I’m going back to sleep. Today’s my date with Riley.
Okay, maybe it isn’t a date. I want it to be a date, but having Sage push us together to show her the ranch probably doesn’t qualify it as one.
Does it?
I’m praying it does.
I’m going to treat it like a date, which is why my nerves are on edge. I’ve been waiting for this for weeks. I was about to kill Sage when she suggested it, but then Riley said yes.
I’d wanted to hop the fence and hug my little sister but refrained.
Seeing her face light up when I mentioned the equine-specialized courses, I smiled like a fool for the rest of the day.
Then the girls had their night. Something about wine and hair. The guys and I ended up at my parents’ house. We talked about the upcoming sale, drank some whiskey, and played cards.
Mom left us a batch of brownies, and I’m not ashamed to admit we ate them all. There were no survivors, and we have no regrets.
Then we headed back to the house to call it a night, and the girls had the music cranked up. Even Mom was dancing in the living room.
At first, I couldn’t help but smile. This is what Sage has always wanted—a house full of family, loud and busy. Then I caught sight of Riley, and she took my breath away. She was smiling. A real smile that reached her eyes. They quickly kicked us upstairs, saying no guys allowed during girls’ night, but they followed us by a half hour.
I pull myself out of bed and get ready for the day. Even though we’re going to be around the ranch, I still put on something a bit nicer. I put on one of my nicer pairs of jeans and a dark gray button-down shirt and roll the sleeves up to my elbows. I pair it with my cowboy boots and my black cowboy hat.
I head downstairs and see I’m the first one there. No big surprise. I decide to make breakfast. I need to do something, and while I don’t normally cook, I can cook well. Sage and Mom have made sure none of us guys got out of the house without knowing our way around the kitchen.
Jason and Mac are the first two downstairs, they give me a questioning look but don’t say a word, thankfully.
Colt follows them a little later with a knowing smile.
“The girls are huddled in Sage’s room. Giggles and music are coming from there. Should we be worried?” Colt asks.
“They’re up to something. I suggest we get out of the house before they get downstairs,” Jason says, and he and Mac finish their breakfast and bolt out the door.
Colt keeps looking at me and then asks, “You got a date with Riley, don’t you?”
I can’t help the grin that spreads across my face. “I don’t know if it’s a date. Sage pushed for me to show her the ranch and have lunch down by the wagon tracks.”
“Well, show her you’re date worthy. If it goes well, ask her out again. Something simple,” Colt says.
“And I should take dating advice from the man whore of Texas why?”
“Because I do know women… normally,” he mutters, and the girls come down the stairs. I see a look I can’t quite make out, and he looks at Sage before walking out the door.
“Hey, you made breakfast,” Sage says and turns to Riley. “This man can cook some mean omelets.”
Riley comes into view and knocks me off my feet. She’s wearing shorts with lace edging. She has a soft cream flowy shirt tucked into the front of her shorts with the back left untucked. It slips off her shoulder revealing her creamy skin. She has it paired with a leather bracelet set I know to be Sage’s and a necklace and earring set I haven’t seen before. She’s wearing brown cowgirl boots, paired with one of Sage’s brown cowgirl hats on her hand.
Then I notice her hair. Megan has done an amazing job; it frames her face in perfect loose waves.
“Riley, you look beautiful,” I say, never taking my eyes off her. She blushes and tucks her hair behind her ear.
“Thanks. You look pretty good yourself,” she says with a smile, and the thought of her checking me out has me getting hard.
No, think of breakfast; this isn’t what today is about. My cock seems to have a mind of its own though, and it wants Riley.
Riley and Megan sit at the table, and I serve Riley a plate along with a cup of coffee made just the way she likes it.
“Thank you,” she says.
“You’re welcome, beautiful,” I say and head back to make myself a plate and see Sage packing lunch for us with a smirk on her face.
I glare at her, and she just shakes her head.
As I sit back at the table, Megan has the same look on her face as Sage, and Colt looks like he has just been let in a huge secret.
“Well, some of us have to work today,” Colt says, and he stands and smacks his hat on my shoulder. “Have fun.” He grins the cheesiest smile before he walks out.
I mentally cross people off my Christmas list, starting with Colt. Bastard.
After Riley finishes, Sage tosses the sack of lunch toward me and pushes us out the door.
“I get the feeling she doesn’t want us around for something, don’t you?” I ask Riley.
“What made you think that? Her shoving us out the door or the look on her face?”
I laugh. “Both. I was thinking we could walk over to my side of the ranch to show it to you. Then we can take the ranch truck to the wagon trail. Is that okay?”.
“Yes, that sounds great,” she says.
We walk in silence until we hit the tree line, and I hold out my hand to help her over a fallen tree. She takes it and doesn’t let go as we walk again. We head toward Mom and Dad’s hand in hand.
“Hey, so I looked into that bachelor of arts program with an equine concentration you talked about,” she breaks the quietness.
“Yeah, what did you think?” I ask.
“The program sounds amazing. Like you said, it can be done online. They want a certain amount of riding experience, but Sage said she and her business can sign off on it, so I can do that here at the ranch. I requested more info from them. I’m waiting on a packet in the mail,” she says with a smile then quietly adds, “It will be my first piece of mail here at the ranch.”
My heart soars at the thought of her settling in enough and getting mail at the ranch.
“That’s awesome. This is your home now, so you should be getting mail,” I say and squeeze her hand.
She talks a bit more about what she read on the program and then stops dead in her tracks.
“This is your parents’ house?” she asks.
“Yes. While it looks a bit bigger, it’s about the same size. Sage’s is just a different layout,” I say and direct her behind the house toward the event barn.
I give her a tour of the event space and then head toward the barn.
We run into Colt, and as soon as Riley sees him, she drops my hand. Colt smirks, and I glare at him.
“We’re going to take the ranch truck,” I tell Colt as I grab the keys and place my hand on the small of Riley’s back to lead her toward the truck.
I open her door and help her in, placing the lunch sack from Sage in the backseat.
Now in the driver's seat, I head down the dirt path, heading back behind Mom and Dad’s house. On the way, I explain how we use the different pastures. I point out the bunkhouse, and we talk a bit about the ranch hands.
Riley points out a footpath to our left.
“Where does that go?” she asks.
“To the family graveyard,” I say and put the truck in park. “Want to go check it out?”
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” she asks.
I hop out and come around to open her door. I hold her hand during the walk to the graveyard. I concentrate on how warm and soft her hand is and how perfectly it fits in mine. I worry that it’s too much; I don’t want to scare her off.
Then she shoulder checks me.
I look over and find her grinning. “Penny for your thoughts?” she asks.
“Sage and I say the same thing. I’m just happy to be showing you around. I was wondering what to show you next,” I say. It isn’t a complete lie.
We reach the graveyard, and I open the gate for her. She walks in and looks around.
“The older graves are in the back. In that back corner are my great-grandparents who settled here and built the first house. Their kids are buried along the back. Moving forward over here are my grandparents.” I point toward the front left side of the row.
She looks around and takes it all in.
“So, your parents will be buried here?”
“Yes,” I say, motioning toward the empty space in the front by the gate when we walked in. There’s plenty of room for my parents and even us kids.
“What happens when the graveyard is full?” she asks.
“Well, we’ll just have to move the fence forward or to either side and make it bigger.”
She smiles. “You plan to be buried here?” she asks.
“I do.”
“And what about Sage, Colt, and Mac?”
“Well, they’re as much a part of the family as I am, and they have a place here too. Though I guess we have to talk to Sage if she plans to be buried here or in her family graveyard on her side. My guess is she’ll choose here to torment me for all of eternity.”
Riley laughs. “I bet she would.”
“Ready?” I hold my hand back out to her.
“Yes. I’m excited to see the rest of the ranch.” She takes my hand. We head back to the truck and I open her door to help her in again.
I get in and pass the original cabin on the property, pointing to a few other homes we have as well.
“Ready to head out to the wagon trail?” I ask.
Her eyes light up. “Yes, I can’t wait.”
“I wish we could have taken the horses, but Sage would have buried me alive if I put you on a horse before talking to the doctor,” I say.
“She’s like the sister I never had. I love her to death, but she can be a bit much sometimes.”
“It all comes from a good place. She saw what happened when I tried to do too much before I was cleared. I think she wants you safe because she’s excited to get you working hands-on with the horses.”
“I can’t wait. Maybe next time we can take the horses out?” she asks.
She’s already thinking of the next time. My heart swells.
“I’d like that,” I say.
We come to a gate. “Do you want to slide over and drive the truck through? I’ll get out and open the gate.”
“Sure,” she says and slides over to my seat as I get out. I open the gate and then close it behind the truck. I get back in, and she starts to slide back to the other side when I put my hand on her arm.
“You don’t have to sit so far away, you know?” I say, trying to get her to sit next to me.
She looks at me with a look I can’t quite make out.
“That depends on if this is a date, Blaze?” she asks bluntly.
I have no idea what to say but decide the truth is always the best way to go.
“Honestly, I don’t know, but I’d like it to be.” I watch her, worried it might scare her off. I can’t blame her; the last guy she dated was a real tool.
Then she smiles. My breath catches, and she says, “I’d like it to be a date too.” She nods and then gets comfortable in the middle of the bench seat.
Gone. I’m fucking gone for this girl. She’s fucking amazing.
I can’t wipe the smile off my face. As I drive, I hold her hand the whole way to the trail.
We hit the tree line, and I park the truck. “It’s just beyond the trees. We have a short hike from here. You up for it?” I ask her.
“You bet I am,” she says.
I take her hand again; I can’t seem to keep my hands off her. It’s like a drug I don’t want to quit.
On the other side of the trees is a wide-open field and after walking for a few minutes, we come up on the trail.
“Oh, wow! This is amazing,” she says.
Looking at it, it isn’t much than some dirt ruts in the ground, but my family makes it a point to maintain it well. It’s a piece of history, after all. We set out a blanket next to the trail while we eat the lunch Sage packed, I tell her all the history I know of the trail.
Riley asks about the history of the ranch, and I go over what I know about it as well.
“You guys are close to the Native Americans near here, right?” she asks.
“Yeah.”
“They’re the same tribe Mac comes from?” she asks like she’s piecing together a puzzle.
“Yes, our family goes back many generations with the tribe,” I tell her. I share some of the stories Dad told me growing up. She soaks it all in listening to every word I have to say.
I love that she wants to know so much about the ranch and the history here. I wish I knew more, but Dad has a journal with all the history in it in his office. Each generation adds to it.
She then asks about my past relationships. I tell her about my high school girlfriend and the girl I dated for a while after high school. There hasn’t been anything serious since then.
She tells me about her high school boyfriend, her prom date, and then a bit about Jed. Riley shares how they met and how he was a good guy until he lost his job and started drinking. He got another job, and the drugs started. It got worse. She tells me about how she tried to leave a few times, but everyone in town didn’t believe her about Jed. He was the town star quarterback, and everyone loved him. They kept taking her back to him, telling her to work it out. Then she seemed to clam up.
“Whenever you want to talk about Jed and everything, I’m here to listen. I’m not saying I’ll like what I hear, but it’s not good to keep it all bottled in. I’m always here to listen if you need to talk,” I tell her.
“Thank you, but let’s talk about something not quite as depressing,” she says. “Tell me about this cattle sale.”
So, I go into last year’s sale and the people who will more than likely be there. I tell her to expect Mrs. Thompson to get shit drunk on the punch and not to eat Ed’s ‘special brownies’ and to avoid Calvin. The more he drinks the more handsy he gets, even though he’s completely harmless.
She laughs at the stories I tell her about people from the town.
We pack up and get back in the truck. I take a different route back home and show her some of the cabins on the far side of the ranch. I point out the creek that Sage and I got our 4-wheeler stuck in and tell her the story.
We head back to the barn behind Mom and Dad’s house and park the truck. I help her out and ask her if she would like a tour. She accepts, and I take her in the back door.
Mom is standing in the kitchen when we walk in.
“Hey, Mom.” I walk over and kiss Mom on the cheek.
She turns around and hugs me. “Hey baby, are you staying for dinner?”
“No, I just wanted to show Riley the house. Is that okay?” I ask.
“Of course, baby. Your dad is in his study. Make sure to say hi before you leave, okay? And Riley, I love your outfit! You look beautiful!”
“I promise, Mom.” I turn to Riley. She thanks Mom, and I take her hand to show her the living room and dining room. We walk into the library, and she looks around wide eyed.
“Wow,” she says.
“Yeah, this was Sage’s favorite room growing up. Heck, it still is.”
“I can see why. I’d never want to leave.”
We then head down the hall to Dad’s study. I peek my head in, and Riley and I say hello before we head upstairs. I show her Sage’s old room, which hasn’t been touched much since we moved out. It’s bright and welcoming, filled with sunflowers.
“Can I see your room?” she asks a bit shyly.
“Sure.” I shrug.
I open the door next to Sage’s and step back, allowing her to take it in.
“Pirates of the Caribbean and Captain America?” she asks about the posters on the wall.
“Yeah well, it was better than the boy band crap Sage and Megan were obsessed with.” I shrug.
“It’s cute. Is it just Captain America or is it Avengers in general? Because I’m more of a Thor girl myself,” she says.
I stare at her, amazed. She gets my nerdy side and even embraces it. This girl was made for me.
“All Avengers but of course you’re a Thor fan.” I laugh. “We will have to do an Avenger movie marathon sometime. Load up on popcorn and junk food.”
“That sounds amazing.”
“We better make our way home. I think Sage said something about making lasagna for dinner. Trust me, you don’t want to miss that.”
“Oh, that’s my favorite!” she says.
We head downstairs to say goodbye to Mom and Dad and walk back to the house hand in hand.
“I had a really good time today,” I say.
I watch her smile. “Me too.”
“Would you be interested in doing this again, maybe dinner the day after tomorrow? We can take a picnic down to the creek. There’s a great spot to watch a sunset down there,” I ask her.
“I’d like that,” she says, her eyes light up. “I’ll make my Orange Crush cupcakes for dessert! I haven’t made them in a long time. They’re my favorite!”
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding and smile.
“Those sound amazing. You handle dessert, and I’ll take care of the rest. Deal?”
“Deal,” she says and skips the next couple of steps in excitement. I can’t help but laugh.
When we reach the side door to the house, she starts up the steps, but I pull her hand back. She turns toward me and stops right in front of me. I take a deep breath and run my free hand up her arm. I gently move it to cup her cheek.
Take it slow, I remind myself. I see her look at my lips and then lick hers. Damn, she wants this as much as I do. I slowly lean in, giving her plenty of time to pull away if she doesn’t want this. I drop her hand and put mine on her hip and pull her into me.
When my lips are just a breath away from her, I pause, making it very clear what I’m about to do. It’s the most torturous few seconds of my life before I crash my lips on hers. She wraps her hands around my neck and pulls me in. I kiss her gently and move my hand from her cheek to the back of her neck to deepen the kiss. I lick the seam of her lips, asking for entrance. She parts her lips for me, and I take the moment to push my tongue past her lips. She leans into me, and I nip her bottom lip. She lets out the sexiest moan I’ve ever heard.
I pull back and kiss her gently on her lips then wrap her in a hug as I try to catch my breath. I feel her breathing as hard as I am, and I smile.
Then I remember we’re standing by the back door and chuckle. “I can just see everyone crowded by the kitchen window, watching our every move,” I say even though my back is to the window.
She peeks behind me and laughs. “Yep. Sage is going to corner me soon as I get in the house, isn’t she?”
“She might wait until after dinner,” I say. “I bet Mom called her to tell her we had just left her house and relay every detail. They’re just as bad as the old biddies in town when it comes to gossip.”
We laugh, and I take a deep breath. “Ready to head in?” I look her in the eyes and ask.
She nods, and I open the door for her. At least everyone has the decency to act like they had no idea what was going on just a minute ago.
“Dinner will be ready in thirty,” Sage says.
“I’m going to go wash up then,” Riley says and heads for the stairs.
“I’ll join you,” Sage says and wipes her hands on a kitchen towel.
“Sage,” I growl. “Let her be.”
“What, big brother? I haven’t seen her all day. I can’t talk to my friend and fill her in on what she missed with the horses?” she asks all smugly.
“We both know that’s not what you’re going up there to talk to her about.”
She grins. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she says as she heads upstairs.
I sigh. Smiling to myself, I start planning dinner for our date.