“Wow, grandpa, you sure eleven isn’t too late? Isn’t your bedtime nine sharp?” I ask, eyes comically wide.
He rolls his eyes, scoffing at my comment. It almost looks like he might smile, but he doesn’t. “Ha-ha,” Miles deadpans, his eyes piercing into mine. “Very funny. You’ll see soon enough, come eleven o’clock you’ll wish you were leaving too.”
“We’ll see about that.” I wink at him just as he’s turning to order his drink.
“Two whiskey sours, Walker,” he says with a polite nod.
“Double fisting it tonight, are we?” I tease, throwing his words from before back at him.
“Actually, smartass, this one’s yours,” he says, handing me one of the mason jar drinks. I try to hide my surprise, tapping his glass back when he nudges his towards me with an almost inaudible “cheers.”
Miles holds my eye contact as we take a sip, which feels much more intimate than it should. I feel stripped down when he looks at me. Like he can see all of me, my insecurities, my thoughts, my real feelings. There’s no small talk with him, no fake conversations. It scares me a bit. I’ve never met anyone that so easily rips through my walls of confidence and self-assurance.
I’m the first to break eye contact, looking down and clearing my throat. “Not much of a late night drinking kinda guy anymore?” I ask, trying to break whatever tension is floating around us.
“Never was,” he answers. “That was a special occasion in Utah.”
“Oh, were you and Parker celebrating something?”
“Not really,” he stumbles over his words, looking down to his boots. “It’s kind of a long story.”
“Okay,” I say with a nod. If he doesn’t want to elaborate, that’s fine. I’m not going to make him share anything with me he doesn’t want to.
His lips part as if he’s about to explain himself just as we’re interrupted by a holler from right behind me.
“Katie! You showed up!” Parker yells, pulling me in for a side hug by my shoulder. Even sitting up on my barrel, I only come up to Parker’s stomach. “I was hoping the old man wouldn’t scare you away. I promise the rest of us are a lot more fun than Miles.” A flash of annoyance dances across Miles’s face, his jaw ticking once as he turns away from us.
“I don’t know, I think under that tough guy exterior he’s secretly a maniac,” I laugh.
“I wish the two of you had never met,” Miles grumbles. He grabs his drink and stands from the barrel.
“You’re just bitter because Katie likes me better than you,” Parker shrugs. Miles rolls his eyes, walking away from us.
“You shouldn’t antagonize him so much, he’s bound to pop that vein in his neck one of these days,” I say to Parker once Miles is out of earshot.
“Oh, it’s good for him,” Parker smiles, nodding towards Miles. “He’s too serious, that one. Wound up so tightly all the time. He needs a few dozen chill pills.” I nod in agreement. “Have you been here long?” Parker asks.
“Nope, just got here. Looks like a good time.”
“Well in that case, I’d love to introduce you to the rest of the guys from the ranch.” He points over to a group of cowboys standing near a corral fence. “They’re all dying to meet the new owner of the Old Cabin, especially after Walt described you as a ‘pretty young lady’ the other day.”
“Wow, I’m honored,” I laugh. Taking his outstretched hand and bouncing off of the barrel, I let Parker lead me over to the other guys and introduce me. A couple of them have girlfriends that ask me about my boots and tell me I should go out for coffee with them sometime.
“Hey, new girl!” A voice says behind me. I turn around and come face-to-face with Codie, the bartender from the Alpine Rose.
“Hi!” I smile as she pulls me in for a hug. “Oh my god, I can’t believe I actually know somebody here.”
Codie laughs, her bright green eyes sparkling in the twilight. “Look at you, already fitting in at a ranch party.”
“I might have to visit for Branding Night every year, this is quite the ordeal.”
“Cowboys do like to play hard,” she nods. “What brings you out here?”
“My company actually bought a piece of property that used to belong to Lone Pine,” I explain. “That’s what I’m in town for this summer, to fix it up and turn it into a vacation rental. Parker Bailey invited me tonight.”
Codie takes a swig of the beer in her hands. “Now that sounds like a really cool job.”
“I can’t complain,” I laugh.
