“You can always talk to me. About anything,” I reassure her. “I know I may seem like a grumpy bastard, but I’m not. I just keep to myself a lot.”
“I want to work over the summer,” she says with a sigh as though she’s been holding her breath since she walked up to me.
My shoulders sag with relief. I thought she was about to tell me something bad. Or confess some deep, dark secret that I, being completely out of my element, would have likely reacted to in the least helpful way for a teenager. I still can’t believe they just dropped her off to me without having any idea if I could even keep a house plant alive, let alone a child.
“That sounds great. You didn’t have to be worried about coming to me with that. What can I do to help?”
She swallows hard. “Well, I was hoping to work at Boulder Ranch.”
Once again, I try to figure out what has this poor girl so nervous. I practically grew up at Boulder Ranch. If she’s going to have a job, I’d prefer she do it at a place I know and trust. Patting the empty rocker beside me, I wait for her to sit before I speak.
“Sierra, I love that you want to work there. I think it’s a great idea. If you’re worried about asking me to drive you, don’t. Anything you need, you’ve got it.”
The smile she offers me warms my entire being. At forty-two, single, and not even dating anyone, I assumed I’d never know what it was like to raise a child. I’ve always liked kids. Lisa and I had talked about starting a family, but we never got the chance. And after Lisa, I never thought I’d want that with anyone else. Having it alone wasn’t something I’d even considered.
Sierra has only been here for a matter of weeks, and I already can’t imagine her not being here. It’s like she belongs. Not every day has been easy. She’s grieving and has her good days and her bad days. We’ve shared a few quiet moments where I’ve done my best to provide comfort. I’m just happy that she isn’t off with strangers who are in it for the paycheck.
“You think you can bring me over there to talk to Tate?”
Her expression is hopeful, and there’s not much chance I’d tell her no. “It’s a Friday afternoon, I’m not sure they’ll be there.”
“I just texted Miranda, she said they are, and that Joy is excited to talk to me about it.”
And just like that, I’m way more interested in driving Sierra to Boulder Ranch. Because if Miranda told her that, she mustbe there. I stand from my seat and gesture toward my truck. “I’ll grab my wallet and keys.”
Sierra is quiet for the short drive over, but I can feel her stealing glances at me. She probably noticed my sudden boost in motivation at the mention of Miranda’s name. At this point, I don’t care. It’s been days since I’ve laid eyes on her. I’ve missed her.
I park my truck in the gravel lot at the ranch, and Sierra is out the door before I even have a chance to undo my seatbelt. Fine by me, it only gives me an excuse to find Miranda. Placing my hat on my head, I step out of my truck and head toward the stables where I know I’m likely to find her.
Miranda’s back is to me, but I could spot her anywhere. She’s leaning against the gate, rubbing the nose of one of the horses, and he seems to be eating it right up. I can’t blame him. If her hands were on me, I’d be in heaven, too. She’s completely unaware of me watching her, so I take advantage of the rare opportunity to observe her in her element. Her light brown waves sway in her high ponytail as she moves. I want to tangle my hands in it. Pull on it as I bend her over and take her from behind.
Shit.What I need to do is get a hold of myself. Before my thoughts can wander any further, I approach her so I can start a conversation like a normal person instead of standing here letting my fantasies run wild.
“Hey.”
She jumps a bit before spinning around and hitting me with a smile that takes my breath away. If I’m not imagining things, she’s genuinely happy to see me.
“Hey yourself,” she responds, grin still in place. “What are you doing here?”
“Sierra justhadto come right away to talk to Tate and Joy about working here over the summer.”
“She mentioned wanting to at the rodeo last week. I was wondering if she was going to talk to you about it and follow through. I told her she should talk to you first, but that I had an idea Tate would hire her in a second.”
My first thought is that we make a pretty good team, but I quickly shove that aside. We are not a team. We are friends. And Sierra just happened to take a liking to her, as do most people.
“Want to come by for dinner tomorrow?” I rush to add, “I’m sure Sierra is sick of just hanging out with me.”
I’m pathetic. Using Sierra as an excuse because I don’t have the balls to ask Miranda out. I give my head a nearly imperceptible shake as I wait for her to respond.
“Tomorrow?” Her eyes widen a bit.
“Yeah. You can pick the time. I usually start cooking at around four on Saturdays, but weekends are laid back.”
“I can’t tomorrow,” she says gently, tugging her bottom lip between her teeth. “I’m looking at a couple of apartments in Carruthersville.”
I swear, all the air leaves my lungs at the same time the blood drains from my face. An apartment? In the city? I take a moment to compose myself before I respond to the shock she just delivered. I never imagined Miranda being anything other than local. She mentioned moving, but somehow, I never thought it would actually happen. I suppose no one wants to live on their parents’ property forever.
“Wait, you’re going to drive all the way out here nearly every day?” I ask. It’s not impossible, but definitely not something I’d want to do.
