We both crawl into bed and I pull her into my arms, holding her close as I tell her about my day and about Gray. He asked me to meet him in town to talk. I figured he was going to finally tell me hell no he wouldn’t help, but I was wrong. I’m relieved. But I’m also worried now that it’s becoming a reality. I guess between missing last night and the bull getting hurt, he came to a decision.
“He’s going to help me out behind the scenes. It’s more the day-to-day part that I need help with, so it won’t get in the way of bull riding,” I explain.
“Wow.”
“Yeah,” I agree. “I didn’t think he’d say yes, but I guess things change. The conversation went so much better than I expected. He even mentioned plans to propose to River.”
Joy’s mouth drops open briefly before she snaps it closed and grins. “Oh yeah? Damn, that’s great! I’m not really surprised, considering how inseparable they are. I’m happy for them.”
“So am I,” I muse. “Oh. And it looks like that bull is going to be fine.”
She sags against me, relieved. I felt bad sending her home, but I knew we would be a while. There was no need for her to wait around at all hours of the night. Mostly, I felt bad because I wanted to take her out to celebrate after. Or take her home to celebrate…
“I think that means last night was a success,” she says softly.
“Yeah. I mean it could have been worse.”
Shifting to look at me, she holds my gaze. “Tate, you’ve been around long enough to know shit like that happens. It just sucks because it was your first night.”
She’s right. I lean down to kiss her cheek before pulling her back to me. Her skin is soft and warm. Comforting. Thinking about her words, I allow myself to relax as I focus on the feel of her body against mine. Of course, she’s right. Shit happens. But things worked out. I’ll have help. There’s another month before I’ll have the rodeo to deal with, and by then I’ll have things settled on all the other fronts. I know how to run a ranch. I’ve done it most of my life. And now that I won’t be running two ranches and a rodeo, things will certainly be looking up. It’s that thought that finally allows me to close my eyes and relax, drifting off to the sound of Joy’s soft breathing.
Chapter 34
Joy
“Imightbegettingusedto taking a nap and then waking up to dinner,” Tate says with a grin.
It’s been about a week since I showed up with a tote bag filled with a few items, and I haven’t been home since. Grayson has been learning what to do at Boulder Ranch, but since he’s only been cleared to do so much, Tate’s hours are still long.
“Don’t get too used to it. Once your schedule goes back to normal, I’ll be expecting long rides on horseback and dinners by the fire out back.”
Tate tilts his head back and laughs. His eyes crease at the corners and his dimples are on full display. I could kick myself for all the time I wasted trying to fight my feelings.
“You okay?” he asks when I stare at him a bit too long.
“Yeah. Just glad I decided to stop worrying about other people.”
He takes in a slow breath and nods in agreement while reaching for a plate. I watch in silence as he fills it before passing it to me. Pork chops, mashed potatoes, and green beans. It’s been a while since I’ve cooked a large meal, and I figured no better day to do it than Sunday. After passing me a plate, he serves himself.
“Thank you for cooking.”
Standing on my tiptoes, I give him a quick kiss just as my phone begins vibrating in my pocket. Ignoring it, I place it face-down on the table and we make quiet conversation while we eat. It’s delicious if I must say so myself, and I revel in his praise and smile of appreciation. My phone rings again, but I ignore it until Tate gives me a pointed look and nods in the direction of the device vibrating on the table.
“I’m sure it can wait,” I say with a shrug. “We’re eating. I’ll call them back.”
“They’ve called more than once; it could be important.”
“I didn’t look; it might not even be the same person.”
Leaning back in his chair, he folds his arms across his chest and lets out a low chuckle. The sound goes straight to my core, but I shake it off and flip my phone over, frowning in concern when I see my aunt’s name as it immediately starts to ring again.
Mouthing an apology, I stand and step away from the table to take the call. “Hello?”
“Joy, honey. How are you?” my aunt’s rich voice greets me.
“I’m fine. Is everything okay Aunt Sophia?”
My chest tightens when she hesitates, and I look up to meet Tate’s concerned gaze. He’s sitting at the table still, but all his focus is on me. After what feels like an eternity, my aunt finally responds to my question.
