I wakeup about two hours later, the vehicle slowing down pulling me out of my slumber. As my eyes readjust to the slow descent of the sun in the sky, I spot a sign for a town up ahead.
Welcome to Aspen Creek.
“Is this where you grew up?” I ask, turning in my seat to face Levi. His window is down and his arm is resting on the frame, the wind whipping the loose tendrils of his hair that poke out underneath his baseball cap.
“Yes, ma’am,” he replies, a slight drawl in his voice, causing me to chuckle. “And now it’s my home away from home.”
I hum. “When was the last time you were out here?”
Levi rubs a hand along his chin, his brows furrowing slightly before he casts a quick glance in my direction. “It’s been a few years. Once my dad died, I became too wrapped up in the business to make time. I was able to get out here for a couple of holidays, but then life got away from me. Loretta, that’s my aunt, calls me once a week to check in, though.”
“And your cousins?”
Levi laughs softly as we roll into town. “Stevie will call if I don’t respond to a text fast enough. Jesse and I have biweekly FaceTime calls when he’s not riding. Addie checks in as much as she can, and I rarely hear from Nash. He’s busy running the place, so he has his hands full.”
I open my mouth to respond when I suddenly become distracted by the scene around me. Aspen Creek is a quainttown, three roads all that make it up. There’s a small grocery store on the corner, a barber shop and hair salon, a couple bars and restaurants, and a bakery fill main street. Almost every building has the town's name in it: Aspen Creek Grocery. Creeky Liquors. Aspen Hair. Aspen Saloon. Then there’s the rest; Ranchers Bar, Ever After Bakery, Bennet’s Bench, and Paisley’s Petals.
There are people milling about, all of them wearing cowboy boots. Most of the women have on tight jeans and flannel tops and the men are wearing jeans, plain tees and cowboy hats despite the chilling weather. I can’t stop the smile that tugs on my lips as I watch people wave to one another as they pass on the streets or stop and make small talk. I never thought I’d find myself wishing for this kind of life; one of quiet familiarity.
But I am.
We drive for the next twenty minutes in silence. I stare in awe as I admire the mountains and rolling hills, unable to fathom how such natural beauty can exist outside of my skyscrapers and concrete jungle.
“We’re here,” Levi announces, drawing my attention up as he turns left down a dirt road.
Shadow Ridge Ranchis engraved on a piece of wood hanging from a large wooden arch. I glance both ways and notice a fence running along the road down either side, but I can’t see where it ends. Staring straight down the dirt road, I also don’t see a ranch or a home.
“Exactly how much land do they have?”
Levi turns to me and smiles, but doesn’t respond. Instead, I roll down my window and stick my head out, admiring the open space and the gorgeous view. We reach a fork in the road, and he peels off to the left. It takes five minutes of driving before I see a house roll into view.
It’s exactly the kind of modern looking house you might expect to see on a ranch. White, black, and brown cover the exterior, large windows engulfing the upper and main floors. A wrap-around porch expands the house, seven chairs lining the space.
Levi pulls up next to a green Ford pickup truck and turns off the car. He climbs out and quickly jogs over to my side, pulling open my door for me. I take his outstretched hand and allow him to pull me from the vehicle, my eyes never leaving the gorgeous house in front of us.
“It’s beautiful,” I murmur as he gives my hand a gentle tug so I land against his chest.
“Not as beautiful as you,” he whispers, kissing the top of my head.
I look up at him with a smile, but the sound of the front door opening stops me from uttering a reply. An older blonde woman stands on the porch with a towel in one hand and her other on her hip. She is wearing a black apron with sunflowers on it and a beaming smile covers her face.
“There’s my baby,” she says as she approaches the stairs.
Levi steps away from me to greet her. “Hey, momma.”
They meet at the top of the stairs, and she immediately throws her arms around him, embracing him in a way a mother who hadn’t seen her son in ages would. When they pull apart, she cups his cheeks between her hands and stares at him for a moment before tapping the side of his face gently.
“Now, introduce me to this woman you’re in love with.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
THE SAME DAY
In love with? Levi is in love with me?
I turn to him with wide eyes, unable to stop the surprise from overtaking my face. Levi just smiles as he extends a hand in my direction, completely oblivious to the tailspin his aunt’s words have put me in.
Shaking it off, I plaster a smile on my face and close the distance between us. He takes my hand and pulls me up the steps before turning back to his aunt.
