She climbs into the driver’s seat and turns back to look at me once more.
“Bye El.”
CHAPTER NINE
COLE
The weekend passed by in typical fashion. I took yesterday to catch up on cleaning the barn and ended up saddling my blue roan gelding, Rocky, and headed out onto the range for a much needed escape from the monotony of ranch work.
“Hey, Cole,” says Amber, one of our summer stable hands. She smiles at me when I walk into the barn. “With the heat wave today, your brother said we can take the day off from working the horses.”
My chin dips and I walk over to the closest stall, rubbing my hand against the dappled gray who pokes his head out over the stall door. “I was thinking the same thing. No one wants to be outside on a day like today.”
“Isn’t that the truth?” She chuckles, shaking her head. “I was going to finish up with cleaning the stalls and then I have an appointment this afternoon I need to get to.”
“No worries,” I say, offering her a smile. “There’s not much we can do about the weather, so take the rest of the day.”
“Are you going to take the day off too?” She asks, tilting her head to the side. “Cade isn’t here to crack the whip on anyone today.”
I snort, blowing a breath through my nose and rolling my eyes. Cade is always on someone’s ass to make sure things are getting done.
“You know what, I think I will find something to do to stay out of the heat too,” I say, smiling deeply. I leave Amber to her work and give everything a once over, making sure there isn’t something I absolutely need to be doing before heading back out to my truck.
The air is thick with heat as I roll up the sleeves of my shirt and climb into the front seat. Cade and Cash left earlier this morning to look at a new trailer with living quarters.
With neither of my brothers here, I feel free in a way. My stomach grumbles and I laugh softly to myself, knowing exactly where I can go to take care of my hunger pains. I start the engine of my truck and put it in gear, driving through the property in the opposite direction of my house.
I keep driving until I get to the other side of the lake and find myself pulling into a familiar parking lot. The bar is fairly empty in the middle of the day on a Monday. I park my truck and head inside, finding an empty barstool. Remi walks over to take my order when she sees me and disappointment settles on my chest as I order a water and sandwich.
My eyes survey the space, not seeing Ella anywhere. I pull out my phone, deciding to text my friend, Austin. Growing up, it was Wyatt, Austin, and me who were the inseparable trio. The three of us all left Silverspur at the same time, headed in different directions, although Austin was the first to come back.
After he finished college and got his masters in Psychology, he opened his own practice here.
Wyatt settled into a life in Cheyenne after he graduated and started his emergency medicine residency program last month.
My fingers move across the screen, typing out a message to Austin. I want to see if he wants to go out on his boat to fish later this afternoon, hopefully after the heat dies off a bit.
“You again.”
Pressing send, I lift my head from my phone, my heart skipping a beat at the sound of her voice. My breath catches in my throat as my eyes meet hers. Ella stands before me, as she adjusts her black shirt that hugs her curves, with a smile drifting across her lips.
Her curly blonde hair is pulled away from her face, revealing her delicate features and icy blue eyes. I watch her for a moment, my heart hammering in my chest as she tilts her head to the side.
“Me again.”
She points to my water. “I see you’ve already been taken care of.”
I'd rather if you took care of me.
My head nods. I’m not sure if she just got here or if she has been here the entire time. My chest expands and a warmth washes over me. I’m happy to see her.
“I’ll be around if you need anything,” she informs me with a bright smile and a wink before she disappears to the other side of the bar.
Glancing at my phone, I see Austin texted me back and I respond to his message. He’s busy this afternoon with appointments so it doesn't work for him. Ella being at the bar changes things. Suddenly, I don’t feel like going out on the boat anyways.
The crowd at the bar is relatively low key and there aren't many people here today. I wait patiently for my food, checking my emails while watching the sports highlights that play on the TV screen hanging above the bar. Ella makes her way back to me with a bright smile on her face. She tends to gravitate toward me when I’m here but I can't quite read her. I can't figure out why.Does she enjoy the conversation as much as I do or is she only being friendly because of our history?
“You didn't come in the other night,” she says softly as she gets herself a water and takes a sip of it.
