I point to the step he's standing on. "A few months ago you couldn't have stood there without falling in. Wyatt Hayden fixed it."
"Wyatt Hayden? Peyton Hayden's uncle?"
I nod, realizing I never think of him that way. "I'm surprised you remember him."
“I remember all the Hayden’s. They'd be hard to forget. I remember thinking that they were all real cowboys. The whole family."
I chuckle. "Yeah. I guess they are."
"Why was he out here? Doesn't he work on his family’s ranch?”
"He does. But he's been helping me get the main house ready."
"Why?"
I'm definitely not telling him the whole story, so instead I opt for a sprinkle of truth. "He and I are seeing each other."
Is that what we're doing? Last night was the first time we've spent a night apart since the day he hauled in a bathtub and filled it with hot water.Seeing each othersounds anticlimactic when I consider how I feel about Wyatt.
He nods once. "That's cool."
Travis tells me he's going to explore the property. I wait out front for the handyman, who arrives a few minutes later. His truck has a Vale Handyman Services decal on the side, and the driver hops out and strides forward.
"Jo?" he asks, sticking out a hand. "I'm Connor."
We make small talk and I tell him about Wildflower. He thinks it's a great idea, and asks me to show him what needs to be done. As I'm walking him around, he mentions he has a one-year-old son and a wife. When I jokingly mention I'm still figuring out how to market Wildflower, he tells me his wife has a knack for sending the right message to the right people.
"She's like this bright light and people gravitate to her." I wonder if he knows he smiles when he talks about her. "She could sell ice to an Alaskan in the dead of winter."
I ask for her number and he texts it to me. I text her immediately, explaining who I am and what I need.Carpe diem, right?
Wyatt shows up about halfway through my walk through with Connor. They shake hands, and Connor says he wrote a report about the Hayden Cattle Company in high school. Wyatt does his closest approximation to blushing, and Connor asks if any of the rumors are true.
"Probably most of them," Wyatt responds, and Connor laughs.
Before Connor leaves, we agree on a time when he can start. He takes off with a wave, and I thank him for putting me in touch with his wife.
Wyatt wraps his arms around my waist and kisses me on the mouth. It sends shivers from the top of my head to the tips of my toes and reminds me that we missed out on being together last night.
He pulls my hips into him, pressing his length against my stomach, and a garbled moan swims up my throat.
"Jo?" Travis calls for me from inside the house. I take a step away from Wyatt, my expression one of longing and apology, and a few seconds later Travis walks from the house.
I know Travis knows who Wyatt is, but he doesn't come forward, so I make the introduction. Travis acts a tad awestruck. I get it. I spent years feeling that way when I looked at Wyatt.
Wyatt asks Travis questions about school, about his interests, about sports teams. Travis wants to know about cattle ranching and lights up when Wyatt tells him he has more to do with the horses than the cattle.
The furniture delivery guy gets lost and calls me, and I guide him to Wildflower. He pulls in with his large truck, and Wyatt starts helping the two men carry in the furniture.
"Travis, help us out," he calls, nodding Travis over.
I watch Travis join in, as tall as the full-grown men but not nearly filled out. He laughs when one of the delivery guys makes a joke, and I'm struck by how much older he looks right now. He helps with every piece of furniture, and when everything is in, he asks Wyatt if there's any more work to be done. Wyatt tells him he could use a hand on the property, starting tomorrow.
"It's unpaid," Wyatt warns. "But the experience has value."
"Sign me up," Travis replies. I wonder if he would be so enthusiastic if it were me asking him to help. Probably not.
Wyatt runs into town to grab takeout, and Travis and I put sheets on our new beds.
