Jaxon: Fuck off. She needed somewhere to stay so I offered her the guest room.
Wilder: Been there.
Olivia: It’ll make a great nursery someday.
Jaxon: This family makes me want to murder people.
Ruby: Is she hot?
Griffin: A hot librarian with glasses and everything.
Ruby: Way to go Jaxy.
My thumb hovers over the mute button as I contemplate the best way to dispose of their bodies. Callie returns, and she’s not wearing just any jacket… she’s wearing my jacket. My mouth goes dry as I run my fingers through my hair.
“Hi,” she says, biting down on her bottom lip.
“Hi yourself. Ready to go?”
She nods and slips on her canvas shoes. I make a mental note to get her more appropriate footwear to wear around the ranch. With any luck, she’ll be here for a while.
With my hand on the small of her back, I guide her out to the truck. Callie’s the first woman I’ve ever brought home, and the implication isn’t lost on me.
I hold open the door to my truck and move my arm in a sweeping motion with a dramatic bow for good measure. “M’lady.”
She purses her lips as she slips into the passenger seat. I shut the door and make my way around to the driver’s side.
The truck gives a violent lurch forward as I shift into gear.
Callie gasps, her hand snapping to my thigh. “Is it supposed to do that?”
I glance down at where we’re connected, grateful her hand didn’t land a little to the left, where she’d feel exactly what her touch is doing to me.
“She’s a little finicky, is all.” I pat the dashboard. “Easy, Reba.”
She pulls her hand back onto her lap, and I have half a mind to snatch it and put it back where it belongs.
She snorts. “Reba?”
“My sister named all of our trucks. She made me choose between Reba or Fancy.” I angle the truck toward the main road. “She named hers Dolly.”
“Let me guess, Griffin has Shania?”
“Wynona, actually. Wilder has Shania, but he won’t admit it. He says he’s against naming trucks on principle.”
“At least someone has some sense.” Her head tilts, and her brows knit together. “Does Ruby realize someone probably has a truck named after her, too? What with the whole country music superstar theme and all.”
“Huh. That’s a good point. I’ll have to ask her.”
I drive her around to the houses, pointing out the various facilities along the way. We stop by the chicken coop, the goat house, and the wedding barn. She stares quietly out the window as the scenery blurs past.
“It’s... wow, ” she murmurs.
“Yeah. It’s a lot to take in, but you’ll get used to it.”
I try to see it through her eyes, but lately its beauty is overshadowed by the ghosts of my past. This is my home, the place that built me, yet I can’t seem to summon any kind of sentiment for it. Not anymore.
I park outside the big barn and help her out of the truck. “This is where we keep all of our horses. We have another stable for boarding, and Griffin’s setting up a rescue on another piece of land.”
