I’d heard plenty about Owen’s hometown since he and Delia got together, but even more since they’d taken a trip out here this winter to visit. As we traveled the two lane road in, the mountains we faced scraped against the sky, the sun backlighting the peaks as it set behind them, turning everything pink and orange and purple.
“It’ll be nice to see the Lawlesses again. I wasn’t very…sociable when they were in town for the distillery opening,” I reminded him.
“You were going through a lot.”
I waved him off. I didn’t want to talk about my life six months ago. I’d barely recognize it if I did. “Plus they’re Delia’s future in-laws.”
“You really think so?” Liam asked.
“You don’t?” I asked, quirking a brow at him.
“Okay, fair. They are…ridiculously obsessed with each other.”
I knowobsessedwas putting it mildly, but also didn’t do Delia and Owen’s relationship justice. They were equals, two halves of a whole, predestined to find each other and spend their lives together.
Without making it obvious, I studied Liam out of the corner of my eye as he drove, his fingers drumming on the steering wheel, full mouth moving as he silently sang along to the Brooks & Dunn song on the radio. He was utter perfection, and I still had a hard time wrapping my brain around the fact that he’d harbored such a crush on me for so many years. That he’d waited for me. Little old Ella Delatou.
That right there was worth its weight in gold, the realization that someone saw something so beautiful andworthyin me that they recognized what we could have long before I did.
And as we drove deeper into town, on our way to meet my sister’s future in-laws, I wondered if, maybe, our trip to Portland would be the first time I met my own.
It was far too early in our relationship for those kinds of thoughts. We hadn’t even defined exactly who or what we were to one another beyond knowing we loved each other. But maybe we didn’t need the labels. All I knew was I couldn’t ignore the fact that being with Liam was as easy as breathing, and I could just as easily envision a lifetime of it.
Dusk Valley had beena late addition to the trip itinerary, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to check out where Owen had grown up after he mentioned it a few months ago. Surprisingly—or maybe not—all rentals in the area, including hotels, were fully booked, but one of his twin brothers owned a dude ranch and had agreed to put us up in one of the cabins for the time we were in town.
For free, I might add, despite my insistence that we pay him.
I’d find a way to return the favor one day.
The heart of downtown was, for lack of a better word, charming. Ellaoohed andahhed over the buildings, which were a mixture of craftsman and brick, each business sporting a different theme, and the signs and awnings out front gently flapping in the breeze. It was obvious the town took great pride in cleanliness and overall appearance, as everything was well-kept and inviting.
When we neared the end of the main drag—a street called Cassia—I had Ella pull up the GPS on her phone to get us tothe ranch.
“Turn right onto Spruce,” the disembodied robot voice directed me. “Then, in two hundred feet, take a right onto Balsam.”
“That’s so cute,” Ella grinned. “All the streets are named after trees!”
I only shook my head and smiled indulgently, intent on getting us to our destination before the light from the day was completely gone.
Fifteen minutes later, once we’d made another turn onto a gravel road, Siri said, “In two-tenths of a mile, your destination will be on your right.”
Driving slowly to avoid blowing a tire on the rougher terrain, I turned my head back and forth. There was nothing out here for miles save flatlands broken up by gently rolling hills and cattle. In the distance, mountains rose up, standing sentinel over the land.
Up ahead, I could see a break in the fence where a gateway stood, and as we neared and turned down the dirt road, I grinned at the sign overhead.
LAWLESS RESCUE & DUDE RANCH
“Okay so which one of the twins owns which half of the business?” I asked Ella as we bumped down the dirt two track.
“If I’m remembering correctly, Finn has the rescue ranch, and West owns the dude ranch.”
“How the fuck are we supposed to tell them apart?”
“From what Delia has told me, West is the wild child, and Finn is more laid back. Plus—and again, if I remember correctly—West has longer hair.”
We rounded a bend where a large log outbuilding sat, the doors locked up tight, and the ranch opened up before us. To the left were barns and paddocks, with numerous farm animals roaming around. Chickens clucked around a nearby coop, and stable hands walked horses in and out as they came and went. To the right was a gorgeous log farmhouse that reminded me of something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
“Wow,” Ella breathed as she stared up at the home. “Delia wasn’t lying.”
