He tries to protest again, but I keep laughing, and he finally grins.
“Your laugh is infectious,” he tells me.
“That’s the nicest thing you could say to me,” I tell him, sincerely touched. “I do enjoy being happy.”
“You’re a ray of sunshine,” he says, his tone soft and affectionate. “I wish I had a hundredth of your joy.”
“Maybe I have enough for the both of us, and you can share your courage with me.”
“I don’t think of myself as courageous,” he says.
“You darn well should,” I argue him. “To run a fishing crew and get them all home safe is a daily lesson in bravery.”
His eyes roam over my face. “You’re certainly good for a man’s ego.”
“I’m completely serious.”
“I know you are. And I appreciate the compliment.” He reaches across the table for my hand. “I have a surprise for you. Are you free tonight?”
I smile. “That’s the beauty of going on vacation by yourself. I can do whatever I want. And I want to spend tonight with you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Michael
“Where are you taking me?” Emery laughs and tries to pull off her blindfold.
“Not yet.” I pat her leg with my free hand, keeping the other on the wheel of the truck. “We’re almost there. You’ll like it, I promise.”
Three more turns and we’re there.
My cousins are always around, and I love it. But tonight, I felt the need to have Emery all to myself.
So, I talked to the owner of Wild Ranch—otherwise known as Luke—and pulled a favor.
I just hope Emery likes it as much as I want her to.
I park the truck, hop out, and go around to open Emery’s door. I help her out of the truck, and she holds onto my arm while I guide her forward.
“Okay.” I stop. “You can take off the blindfold.”
Emery’s beautiful eyes widen as she spins around.
We’re standing just outside a remote fishing cabin with a lake off to one side and a meadow on the other with tall pinesencircling it. The smell of pines and wildflowers and mountain air is intoxicating.
“Is this still Wild Ranch?”
“Yep. It’s a remote cabin that Luke never rents out. Honestly, I can’t believe he let me come up here. He usually keeps this place just for himself when he needs to get away.”
“It was certainly kind of him.”
I grab our bags out of the truck bed and follow Emery to the cabin.
I don’t know what to expect when I unlock the door, but I’m pleasantly surprised to see a kitchen, bathroom, plus a bed with a sofa against the opposite wall in the main room.
“This is adorable.” Emery steps inside and wanders around the small space. “It’s like we’re tucked away in the middle of nature but with modern appliances.”
I gesture to the fly fishing equipment in the corner. “You wanna fish?”
