“I’m ready, Colt.”
“Ready?”
She nodded. “To be married…Again.”
Beau
Four months later…
I cracked open the cold bottle of beer, sipping the overflow of foam as I leaned back in the old wicker chair on my front porch. Summer was just around the corner, and I was already feeling run into the ground managing the ranch.
The weather the past few days had us scrambling. Nothing new; just a harsh line of storms that didn’t pass through as quickly as we were anticipating. Had our cattle out in a far pasture and needed to drive them into a closer field in order to keep them safe. Sure, they weathered the storm just fine once we got them where they needed to be, but it was an oversight I was ready to get chewed out for.
My dad was pushing me hard to take over our family’s ranch. The Silver Ridge Ranch had been ours for over a hundred and fifty years, and keeping its legacy alive fell squarely on my shoulders. Lucky for me, I loved ranching. You wouldn’t catch me ever trying to be a deputy like my brother Colt. Or a firefighter like my brother Hayes. Nope. Leave the chaos of humans to them. I was happy with the cattle.
A car started driving up the long road to my house. I could tell you every detail about that damn car just from the soundof its engine. I’d been listening to it drive to my place for the last fifteen years. And I could tell you every last detail about the blonde-haired, sun-kissed, probably absolutely exhausted woman behind the steering wheel.
Birdie’s car spun up dirt that danced in the lowering sunlight like glitter. Fitting, because my best friend was all sunshine and rainbows. She’d been that way the first day I met her in kindergarten.
And as much as I enjoyed being a black cloud, pretending nothing could move or shake me, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Because in quiet moments like this, when I could sit here and watch my best friend drive towards my house after a day that felt like it might never end, it was easy to whisper the truth for only my lonely ears to hear.
I loved her.
Not a new revelation for me. No. Instead, it was one I’d thought about over and over a million different times throughout our friendship. My family was so goddamn pushy about it, I’m still surprised she hasn’t run away from their constant comments about us. And yes, fuck. I’d meant to make a move. To shift us from the friend zone into something more. But the weight of the world was always on Birdie’s shoulders. She’d basically raised her sister on her own after her dad took off. Her mom was—and let’s be honest, still is—flighty at best. Probably why she nicknamed her daughter ‘Birdie’.
The car came to a stop right next to my truck, and out she stepped, looking absolutely dead on her feet. I wanted to run out and scoop her up. Tell her I was running her a bath and that her plate for supper was being kept warm in the oven. But I wouldn’t.
I couldn’t risk everything falling apart. Because if I only ever got to experience this woman in this way, it was more than I fucking deserved. I wouldn’t let anything break us. Not even myhope that something more might have once been in the cards for us.
“Hey, cowboy. You waiting out here for little ol’ me?” she teased. Her hair was sticking out of the braid she had draped over her shoulder. I’d learned a long time ago when Birdie first started working at the hospital that the messier her hair was at the end of a shift, the more chaotic it had been for her.
I chuckled, bringing the bottle back to my lips. The amber liquid went down, cooling the fire in my belly.
“Hey, chickadee. Rough shift?”
She ran her fingers over her hair as she walked up the steps towards me. I thought maybe she’d head right inside and go get changed, but instead, she stopped two steps away from me, took the bottle out of my hand, and drained it.
“I’ll take that as a yes?” I asked as she handed the bottle back to me. “You look exhausted.”
“Wow. Thanks. You know just how to charm the ladies, don’t you?” Birdie chirped at me.
I reached out, taking hold of her hand. She squeezed against my hold playfully. “I just meant you shouldn’t have driven all the way out here if you were so wiped out.”
“Yeah. I know there’s no scientific data to support this, but I swear low pressure systems send everyone into labor. I delivered three babies during the storm. Dr. Witten delivered five over the last two shifts, including a set of twins. It’s just madness there right now.”
“I wasn’t sure if you were going to head to your place or come out here, but I did save you some steak and a baked potato. Feel up to eating?”
Sometimes, after a long shift, she wouldn’t eat until after she slept.
Her hand patted against my chest, and I knew what her answer was before she even opened her mouth.
“Okay.” I chuckled. “I’ll put it in the fridge for when you wake up tomorrow. Go on. Head upstairs.”
Her smile was blinding, and my heart tripped over itself in my chest.
“Are you tired?” she asked, yawning as she looked over her shoulder out across the fields. “You have to move the herd before the storm rolled through?”
“Yes, to both of your questions. But I’ll take the couch tonight. Just gotta jump in the shower and then I’ll get out of your hair.”
