I cross the room and sit in the chair across from her, resting my clasped hands on her desk. “I want to see Willowbrook. I want to see what everybody’s always talking about. I keep hearing all these stories about a bakery with pumpkin spice cream cheese cupcakes, some donut place with apple spice.”
“Shouldn’t it be me who has cravings?” She grins at me, brown eyes alight with amusement.
“Fair, but some chicken place was mentioned? The Sprout something? And people showed me pictures of the gazebo in the town square.”
She stares at me long and hard. “Zander, you’re not missing out on anything. It’s a small town. You’ve seen plenty. It’s like all the rest.”
“It’s not just any small town. It’s the small town where my kid is gonna grow up.”
She releases a slow breath and stares at me, hand resting in her lap. “You’re asking me to somehow hide you and take you into town. We’ll get caught, and then Beau will kill me?—”
“You let me handle him. But we’re not gonna get caught because I have a hat and sunglasses.” I wink at her.
She chuckles. “I don’t think you realize… I was out last week. I had to run to the post office. And honestly, I’m not joking, Zander, there is so much press outside of these fence lines. So much.”
“It doesn’t matter. I want to see everything. I don’t even care if they see me at this point.”
“Beau cares,” she argues.
“I’m the one who matters. My well-being matters. So, I’m asking you—take me to Willowbrook. Let me see where our kid’s gonna grow up.”
That same look crosses her face, the one she always gets whenever we come close to broaching the topic that she’ll be the one primarily raising our child. It kills me to know I’ll be flying in and out of his or her life. But what choice do I have? I have to support my child, make sure they’re set up for life and never want for anything. That means I have to travel. Plus, I don’t want my kid to grow up with cameras in their face and people pestering them. They deserve to have a normal childhood on a ranch like this, surrounded by family.
She sighs. “Fine. Let’s go. But you’re gonna have to be on your best behavior. And I want to see the hat and sunglasses.”
I smile and stand, feeling victorious. “Awesome, let’s skedaddle.”
She eyes me. “I don’t see a hat or sunglasses.”
“I’m gonna stop by The Harvest Depot and pick some up.”
“You’re just going to swing by The Harvest Depot where people are loitering to catch a glimpse of you?” Her eyebrows raise as she stands and goes to a cabinet in the corner.
“What choice do I have?”
She hands me a pink Plain Daisy Ranch baseball cap, oversized sunglasses, and a green scarf with the logo for Plain Daisy Ranch on it.
“Man, you really like your logo, huh?” I look at the green winter scarf. “Not sure it’s cold enough for this yet.”
“Yeah, well, it’s kind of cold. I figured you could cover up around your neck and half your face.”
“You don’t think that will draw more attention? Me looking like I’m going to rob someone?”
She shrugs one shoulder and grabs her purse. “It’s either that, or I don’t take you. I don’t want to face Beau’s wrath.”
“Fine,” I grumble.
We leave The Knotted Barn and walk to her house, where we get into her small SUV that doesn’t do shit to hide me. I put on the hat and sunglasses, hoping no one looks too closely. We get out past security, her smiling and waving, distracting the guards from me.
The minute she drives us under the iron arch that says Plain Daisy Ranch, I strip off the hat and sunglasses and ridiculous scarf and let out a huge breath.
“Thank you.” I roll down the window and stick out my head.
She laughs. “You’re like a dog on its first car ride.”
The breeze flows through my hair. “You have no idea how good this feels.”
“You’re fine on these country roads, but once we get into downtown, you’re gonna have to roll that window up and put that stuff on again.”
