“No,” she said, but it didn’t carry the power of her usual argumentative self. “Kissing means something, Tarr. You just said so yourself—it’s how you know you have a girlfriend.”
“Yeah, that’s right.” Because Tarr could agree with that. It did mean something to him to kiss someone. He didn’t go around doing it all the time. “Don’t worry, Briar. I’m not going to be upset if the third gift isn’t a kiss.”
“Well, it’s not,” she said. “I wrapped up the third gift in that plastic bag and shoved it in the cupboard.”
“Well, maybe I could get four gifts.” He grinned at her, then shook his head, his smile falling away. “Seriously, Briar, no pressure. It’ll happen when it happens. And honey, don’t worry. It’s going to be amazing.”
With that, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and stepped by her to go inside the arena. He didn’t hear her footsteps crunching through the gravel as she walked away, and he paused at the door and turned around to look at her. She still stood exactly where he’d left her, her hands hanging limply at her sides and her head held high.
He really wished he could dive into her head and see what she was thinking, if only so that he could understand her better and try to reassure her that he wasn’t going to kiss her and then dump her.
The way his heartbeat pranced through him, Tarr could not imagine any world, any scenario, where he would not enjoykissing Briar Prescott, and he really wished she could see herself the way he did.
“I can feel you staring at me,” she said.
“Well, you’re just standing there.”
She muttered something, then walked away. Tarr noted that she didn’t stomp or march, and he smiled at her back before ducking into the warmer barn so he could feed the horses.
It’s going to be a great year,Tarr told himself, getting better at Briar’s game of speaking a truth to himself each day.
Yep. It’s going to be a great year if you can keep getting to know Briar, make her your girlfriend, and finally settle down the way your momma has always wanted you to.
He loved his parents, and in that moment, he realized he loved his brother too, despite the differences they’d had over the years.
So, before he got too involved with his chores, he pulled out his phone and tapped over to Wayne’s name to send his brother a message. He honestly had no idea if Wayne even knew today was Tarr’s birthday.
“It doesn’t matter,” he muttered to himself, and then he typed,Hey, Wayne—just thinking about you today, and I hope you’re doing well.
He sent the message, not quite sure how he wanted Wayne to respond, and tucked his phone away and went to spend his birthday with horses, Wiggins, and his beautiful Briar.
fifteen
Briar whisked the gravy vigorously, ignoring the home security system in the mansion as it alerted her to the front door opening. The familiarclick-clackof claws on expensive tile met her ears, as did Wiggins’s excited panting.
“Hey, buddy,” she said, but she did not stop stirring the gravy.
“Something smells good in here,” Tarr said, and Briar managed to send one beaming smile in his direction.
“Lunch is almost ready,” she said.
“Holy cow.” He paused at the end of the island. “Did you make these French fries?”
“I sure did. They’re double-fried and perfectly crispy.”
She’d never fed goats so fast and gotten them out in the pasture before returning to start on his birthday lunch—the biggest pile of poutine she’d ever made.
“This is restaurant quality, honey.” He eased into her side, and it took all of Briar’s energy not to sag into his strong warmth.
“The gravy is almost done,” she said. “And then I’ll put it all together for you.”
“So it’s beef gravy?” he asked.
“It is beef gravy,” she said. “And I put some shredded meat in it.” She nodded to the plastic container on the other side of the stove. “I had to use one of those microwave meals, because someone didn’t tell me that his birthday was today, so I couldn’t put in a roast last night.”
Tarr’s arm snaked around her, and Briar relaxed into his side. “It’s going to be amazing, hon. Do you always make it with a roast?”
“My favorite is elk,” she said. “And I would have ordered white cheese curds, but again, I had to make-do with what was at the store.”
