“I pass,” Sawyer blurts out her bid, successfully cutting him off before he can finish.
“They never used to be like that,” I say as the engine of the old truck rumbles to life.
Sawyer snorts. “They all seemed to be enjoying themselves.”
“At our expense,” I mutter.
Despite the shit show that was listening to nearly a dozen senior citizens make jokes and innuendos at our expense while simultaneously planning out our future, tonight had been fun. It felt right being on the same team as Sawyer.
“Maybe we shouldn’t have been making out in the corn maze at a town event,” she points out.
“Can’t say I regret it,” I mumble, squeezing her thigh.
She gnaws on her bottom lip. “Yeah. Me neither.”
It’s quiet the rest of the way to Sawyer’s house, both of us lost in our own thoughts. I park the truck and rush around to her side to get her door. My phone vibrates in my pocket and I quickly silence it as I settle a hand on Sawyer’s lower back and walk her to her door.
Her mouth stretches wide in a yawn, and purple circles shadow her eyes.I imagine I look about the same. “If it weren’t so late and we weren’t both still hurting from lack of sleep, I’d beg you to let me come inside.”
“You’d beg, huh?” she asks, interest piqued.
I reach up and tuck the stray copper hair behind her ear before letting my hand linger on her jaw. My thumb traces the constellation of freckles on her cheek. “Without a doubt.”
She tips her chin up, and I capture her lips in a gentle kiss. She hums before pulling away. “You could come in for just a minute.” She blinks up at me with bedroom eyes that have me wishing I didn’t have to wake up before the sun in the morning.
My phone vibrates again, and this time I pull it from my pocket, groaning when I see my dad's number lighting up the screen. With a sigh, I silence it once more and shove it back into my pocket.
“What are you doing tomorrow?” I ask.
“Working.”
“I meant after work,” I say, hooking my thumb in her belt loop and tugging her closer to me to place a kiss on the tip of her nose.
Her hands settle on my chest as she tips her head to the side. “Nothing that can’t be rearranged.”
“Good. Be ready to go at five o’clock.”
“Where are we going?”
“Nowhere extravagant. You can wear your ranch clothes if you want. I just have something I want to show you.”
She eyes me warily. “What?”
“You’ll see. Just have Cash and Dolly ready to take riding.”
“But...” I shut her up with another kiss.
“Don’t argue. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I shove my hands in my pockets and walk back to the truck, whistling a song about a country boy’s dream girl.
When I get back to the ranch, Pops is sitting at the kitchen table, waiting for me. “Your dad called and asked me to leave you a message.”
I roll my eyes. “He just called me ten minutes ago. He didn’t even give me time to call him back.”
He waves me off. “He wanted to know if you’d go back home for your mom’s birthday party. Apparently, she’s throwing a big to do, and she wants you there.”
I have to work to make my face impassive. Going back to the city didn’t have excitement thrumming through my veins like I’d imagined it would. And convincing Pops that selling the ranch was the right movewas beginning to feel more and more like I was betraying him and all the people I cared about here.
The longer I stayed in Cottonwood Creek, the more I realized how much this place helped form who I was.
