“Oh yeah, now I remember they gave you a hard time because you said ... wait...” She shifted in her seat so that she was fully facing him. His eyes were focused on the road, which was how it should be, but this way she could see his reaction when she continued. “You said that you knew them, but when the guys probed further, you said that you weren’t part of the group. But you were, weren’t you?”
“Yes, they’re my best friends. I saw them just before I moved to Texas, and we had another catch up.”
“So that means...” Again, she couldn’t finish, because it didn’t seem possible. But it certainly made more sense.
“Yes, it means that I made a buttload of money with that app. We all did.”
Cerise turned back and slumped down in her seat. “I don’t know what to think. If you’ve got all this money, why are you working in the middle of Texas? On a dude ranch?”
“Because I don’t like sitting around doing nothing. As for the money, it’s nice to have but it’s not the be-all and end-all of my life.”
She scoffed. “Tell that to people who are struggling. That’s a very cavalier attitude to have.”
“You’re right. That did sound arrogant of me.” He glanced over to her. “Sparkles, I like being liked for who I am, not how much money I have. When the tech company brought us out, Igave money to my parents and my brother. My dad was able to retire early from his construction job, a job that was hard on his body, as well as being dangerous. Now he and Mom can spend the rest of their lives doing what they want without having to worry about their retirement funds running out. They travel and go on trips with Habitat for Humanity to help those who need it. My brother was able to go to college without having to worry about having a debt hanging over his head. He’s an investment banker, a damn good one, too, so he’s increased his own wealth a few times over. He’s also looking after my money. And I give to various charities every year.”
There was one thing about Brodie ... he didn’t give off the rich-asshole vibe she’d seen from some of the guys who stopped in Kerrville on their way to their dude ranch experiences.
“You still haven’t answered why you’re working at the ranch.”
“Because I love it. It’s as simple as that.”
Such a succinct reply that she couldn’t doubt the truthfulness of it. Plus, she’d seen him in action at the ranch when she and Finn had been there. He did love being around horses and cattle. Not to mention he was very comfortable on the back of a horse.
“Do you plan on working there for the rest of your life. Or is this a whim like being a paramedic?”
“I have no plans to stay at Alexander Dude Ranch for the rest of my life, but I’m not going to decide tomorrow to leave.” His voice was curt, a tone she hadn’t heard from him before. “And as for being a paramedic, I did love being able to help people, and for a while I thought it might be something I would do for the long term, but then I found I was becoming stressed every time I had to go on a call. After a while I came to the realization I had to get out before I lost myself. Before I started having anxiety attacks.”
Everything he was saying about the stress being a paramedic induced was true. She’d seen it with emergency personnel. “But why ranch work? How did you come to that?”
They were getting closer to Finn’s school, and she wasn’t sure this was the type of conversation she wanted to have around the young boy. Nor did she think Brodie would either.
“My buddies and I get together every few months. They’re all married with kids, but we made a pact once the app was sold that we wouldn’t drift away from each other. Their friendship is too important to me. Anyway, Phil suggested we check out this dude ranch. The second I got on the back of the horse, and we started riding, a sense of peace and rightness washed over me, just like when we were working on the app. A sense that this was what I was supposed to be doing.”
He pulled into the school parking lot and joined the carpool line. “After that week-long trip I found out all I could about ranching and talked the dude ranch owner who, I still don’t know why, decided to give me a job. I guess he could see I was sincere when I talked to him. I quit my paramedic job and moved there. After about a year, they sold the ranch and the new owners were closing it down. I went on the job hunt and found an opening at the Alexanders’ ranch, which I later found out was Mitch’s position. And here I am.”
“Do you think you’ll buy your own place?” The way he talked about what he did, his passion for it was evident. It would make sense for him to get his own place.
“One day I might. I still have a lot to learn about tending to cattle and horses.”
The line had begun moving, signaling the end of their conversation was approaching. “Thanks for telling me all this.”
He tapped an index finger on the steering wheel and looked at her. His gaze wasn’t quite as confident as it normally was. “Does it make you think differently about me?”
Did knowing that Brodie could be a billionaire make her look at him differently? Think differently about him. She had no idea. “I don’t know. I mean you’re still you, but there’s a whole different part of you that I need to process.”
“Fair enough. I hope that you’ll still let me spend time with you.”
Cerise reached across the console and grabbed his hand in both of hers. “I’d still like that, too.”
The flames leapedinto the sky and the heat from the bonfire was a welcome relief. It had been a fun day at the Alexander’s ranch for their annualWelcome to Springevent. The night had turned cooler than expected. Cerise huddled down in the jacket that Brodie had loaned her. It smelled like him and she closed her eyes as she rubbed her cheek against the soft fabric.
“You do know you’re going to get glitter all over that jacket?” Nadia plopped down on the bench next to her.
“Yep.”
“And you have no regrets, do you?”
Cerise chuckled. “Nope. Brodie’s used to my glitter.”
