"Touché. Dee it is."
"To answer your question, I'm stayin' in town at the bed and breakfast down by the lake until tomorrow. If this didn’t work out, I was gonna catch the train to Timber Falls and try my luck there," she explains.
Red grins, sliding a scheming glance my way before turning back to Dee. "That works out well then. I’ll catch a ride with Lan and Star tomorrow since they're coming back to the ranch this time and Toby can pick you up in the mornin' and take you back to Bull Mountain in his truck.”
My brother Landry and his fiancee, Starchild are based back at our ranch but travel around on the rodeo circuit where Landry performs as a rodeo clown. He's so good at it that the rodeo owner Rod headhunted him and made him an offer he couldn't refuse. So if they're not at home, Lan and Star are on the road with their pet goat, Nelly, and their trusty trailer. It’s one of the reasons we’re hiring Dee since the ranch never sleeps and the work is never done. Add on our growing Rodeo Bull Stud and it’s all hands on deck.
Dee shines a bright smile my way and my heart quits beating for a second or two. "Only if you're sure that's not going to be a hassle, Toby?"
"Ye–" I stop to clear my throat, my cheeks burning hot.Am I blushing? Thirty-four-year-old cowboys don't blush."Yeah. That's fine. As long as you’re not gonna complain about my singin’. There’s a lot of things I’ll accept, but stoppin’ a man from singin’ in his own truck is a deal breaker.”
Dee’s answering laugh echoes in my ears, awakening all of my nerve endings. "I think I can handle a singin' cowboy. Maybe we can turn it into a karaoke contest. The winner gets to drive."
"Sorry, Dee. Nobody, and I meannobodygets to drive Toby's truck. That's like sacrilege,” Landry replies.
"I mean. I guess Icouldbe open to sharin' the load," I say, earning a spluttered gasp from my brother. I don'tusuallyletanyone drive my truck if I can help it, but the trip back to Bull is gonna take the whole day. The more I think about it, the thought ofnotdriving my car has me feeling kind of itchy. Lifting my hand, I scratch my arm for good measure. "But I prefer drivin'."
"That's OK. I can just belt out some good ol' classics despite ridin' shotgun." I can't stop staring at Dee. She scares me as much as she intrigues me, and I don't even know much about her yet. One thing's for sure, I want to though. From her taste in music to her biggest dreams, the most insignificant details to the most important, and everything in between.
"You got it, Dee,” I chuckle, relieved that she doesn't seem bothered by my eccentricities.
Red claps his hands together, clearly amused. "Well, it's settled then. Toby can pick you up bright and early tomorrow mornin'.”
“Sounds good,” Dee replies, her eyes drifting from Red to me again.Does she feel this too?
“Do you need a ride back to the BnB or are you stayin' to watch the bull ridin'?" I ask, wanting to look after my girl–even though she doesn’t know it yet.
She takes her hat off and wipes her brow with her arm before a yawn escapes her. "I'm good. Thanks for the offer, Toby. I’m just goin’ to head back and pack my stuff before hittin’ the hay. I'll be up bright and early to catch my ride with you, though. Might even warm up my vocal cords in the shower. Gotta make a good impression and all." She bumps her elbow against mine and despite it being through our clothes, I can feel her touch against my skin like a burning brand.
"Ye-yeah..." I say, sounding like a bumbling idiot. I’m usually the fun, outgoing, talk-to-anyone and make-friends-anywherebrother out of all of us. It’s me who drags my brothers out and gets them intointerestingsituations. I used to anyway. Now that it's just me, Austin, and Red as the single ones left, our nights at the Secret Cow Saloon back home are a bit quieter now.
Thankfully, I'm saved from more stuttering by the announcer calling out the start of the bull riding finals over the speakers.
“I'll let y'all go enjoy the finals," she says, smiling my way, "And I guess I'll see you in the mornin’. Is this a cannonball rally between the two trucks or just a leisurely drive back to Bull Mountain?"
We all laugh at that. "There's definitely been a time or two when we've been racin' back. You'll soon find out that us Grahams can be abitcompetitive,” Landry explains.
"Speak for yourself," I say with a fake cough since I’m the most competitive of the lot of us.
"Since you're new to the district, we'll take it slow and steady. Make sure you get to enjoy the sights and sounds of the mountains you're soon gonna be callin' home. How does that sound?" Red says.
"Absolutely perfect. See y'all tomorrow. I'll be up at sparrow's fart," she says and now I'm the one spluttering.
"At what?"
Dee winks at me. "Just a sayin' my Mom and Dad have. I forget I might say some things you're not used to. It means very early in the morning. You know?"
Another layer and I'm not just intrigued at first sight, I'mfascinated. Instead of dreading the long drive back to the ranchtomorrow, now I’m looking forward to it, even if it just means getting time alone with Dee.
Thankfully my familywait until we're all settled up in the grandstand before beginning their interrogation. "So Tobes, you wanna tell us what happened back there withDee?" Red asks, drawing the attention of our Eagle Mountain friends.
"Dee? As in 'Delilah'," Jesse asks. He's Randy's brother and is married to the Eagle Mountain Seer, Kendra.
"One and the same. I put her in touch with Red because I knew they were lookin' for a ranch hand at Bull," Randy says, looking over our way from further down the row. "I take it you hired her?"
Red chuckles. "You could say that. Toby here offered her the job as soon as he saw her."
All the Eagle Mountain eyes widen, their brows jumping high before their expressions morph into amused ones. "Ah. So it's likethatis it," Randy asks me.
