He set coffee to brew, surprised Briar hadn’t done it yet, and then padded down the hall to the bathroom and then the guest room, where he got dressed in jeans, a T-shirt, and a sweatshirt his momma had sent him last week for Thanksgiving.
It was dark brown and saidGOBBLEon the front in all capital letters, done in a burnt-orange, cream, and tan plaid. She’d made it, just as she had many other sweatshirts, and he had one for every season, holiday, birthday, and occasion. He even had a couple of old sweatshirts with his horses’ names on them that he used to ride in the rodeo, and a couple that saidJUST FOR FUNon the front, as that was the name of the bull that Tarr had ridden and conquered in the NPR finals to become the bull-riding world champion a few years ago.
Though the bedroom wasn’t exactly warm and the call of coffee strong, he quickly tapped out a text to his mother:Missing you today, Momma, but I had a real first date with Briar yesterday, and I survived my first snowstorm of the season. Of course I couldn’t stay in the RV.
He chuckled and shook his head.You were right. It’s not going to work for this winter, but Briar let me stay at her house, and I’m going to figure out something else.
I was just about to call you,his momma said.I saw the weather up there was really bad, and I wanted to make sure you were okay.
Doing just fine,Tarr said.
A DATE WITH BRIAR????came in next, and Tarr once again shook his head.
Don’t make a big deal of it, Momma. It’s Briar, remember?
From down the hall, she called, “Tarr?”
He looked away from his phone. “Just getting dressed,” he called back.I’ll tell you more about it when I’m alone, okay? We’re gonna eat breakfast and go work on the farm. Don’t make a big deal out of this.
I’m not the one making a big deal out of it,his momma said.You’re the one who told me in your first breath.
Tarr grinned, shoved his phone away, though it buzzed in his back pocket, and went to greet Briar. “I was just coming to check on you,” he said when he arrived in the front of the house. “Where’s Wiggy?”
“I came in to get some treats for him.” She opened the front cupboard on the island and pulled out a bag of dog treats. “He loves the snow so much, and I can’t get him out of it.”
She didn’t sound super happy about it, but she did give Tarr a smile as she went by him and back out the front door. He followed her and found the dog romping through the snow, diving down into it and chomping at it as if he’d never seen the stuff before.
“He loves the snow,” Tarr said, laughing. “I don’t get it. This stuff is insane.”
“We’re from Canada,” Briar said. “Snow is in our blood.” She smiled as he came to her side. “I smelled coffee in there, and I was hoping you would have breakfast ready too.”
“Oh, you were, huh?” He grinned down at her. “I suppose you want those breakfast sandwiches, because you requested the English muffins and all that.”
“I mean, if you don’t mind.” She turned back to the front yard and whistled through her teeth. “Come on, Wiggins. It’s time to come in.”
“I guess we have time,” Tarr said.
“Yeah, you slept late.”
“It’s barely eight o’clock.”
Briar grinned at him. “I like your sweatshirt.”
He looked down at it, though he knew exactly what he wore. “Thanks. My momma makes them.”
Briar’s eyebrows went up. “She does?”
“Sure does. My daddy owns a T-shirt printing and design company in Texas, and Momma makes these and sells them at craft fairs and booths and stuff like that.”
“Wow,” Briar said, and she reached out and traced one fingertip along the G on his chest. “It’s very festive.”
She sighed as she turned back to Wiggins, who seemed no closer to coming in from his snowy romp. “This dog is going to be the death of me.”
“Hey, better him than me,” Tarr said, and he laughed as he brushed his fingers along hers and then turned to go back into the house to make breakfast.
He had just reached the doorknob when Briar said, “Tarr.”
“Yeah?”
