“Yeah, but you know she’s talked about going back to school. I don’t know when it’ll happen, but it’s in the back of her mind. I can’t imagine she’ll leave her current job anytime soon, though. Working in this kind of research lab was her dream job.”
Jake looked at me and Sierra. “So, Sierra.”
My jaw ticked in anticipation for what he was about to ask.
She perked up, raising her brows at him. “Hmm?”
“You sick of living with Hayden yet?” he joked, nudging me with his elbow. “Or are you planning on getting the hell out as soon as you can? You know, if you ever need to get away from him, I’m building a guest house.”
Her face paled, and my stomach churned.
“I-I,” she stumbled over her words. “I’m very grateful that Hayden’s letting me stay with him.” It was both an answer and a non-answer.
The rest of the group nodded, although their stares were a bit blank as they seemingly tried to decipher the energy between me and Sierra.
Truthfully, they weren’t wrong to be confused; this whole friends-but-not-really-friends thing Sierra and I had going was fucking confusing to me, too. As much as I wanted her to stay—for good this time—I’d already asked her to stay once. Convincing her to stay again would be like catching lightning in a bottle, but I was willing to try, even if it meant I got struck instead.
“How is the guest house going, by the way?” Colter asked.
“It’s coming along. I’m hoping to have the framing and everything done before the first snow hits, but you never know what the weather will do.”
Reid and Colter nodded like they were old farmers discussing the weather and crops.
Jake continued, a sparkle of pride in his eyes. “We’re close to working on the roofing and siding, so I think by the time spring rolls around I’ll have a second house, boys.”
The guest house had been his secret project throughout the summer. I’d only found out about it recently, but it turned out he’d started work on it in late July and never told anyone about his plans. I thought Colter had been helping him with it some but was sworn to secrecy for whatever reason.
To be fair, though, none of us really went out to Jake’s property. We all hung out at Colter’s ranch or Reid’s place since he had an arena. I used to go over to Jake’s occasionally, mostly to carpool since his place was between mine and Reid’s, but that was before Sierra moved in.
“Well”—Ellison clapped her hands, changing the subject when conversation about Jake’s construction project lulled—“I know it’s still early, but we’re having everyone over for Thanksgiving this year. Our first official Silver Creek family Thanksgiving. You’re more thanwelcome to come, Sierra. You, too, Keenan.” She looked at my girl and my roping partner before she flicked her eyes to the rest of us. “I expect the rest of you to be there and to bring something. Beer, wine, a dish.” She raised her brows at Reid at that. He was probably the best cook out of all of us. “We’re making it a tradition now. No one’s spending Thanksgiving alone anymore.”
If you were a bystander, you would never have expected to see a bunch of cowboys biting back tears from welling in their eyes, but looking around the table, I noticed just that.
Mikey chuckled on a sniffle, breaking the momentary silence. “Look at you, Firecracker. Taking in all us strays. Never would have expected all this from you.”
“How’d you think she ended up with me?” Colter’s eyes gleamed with pride for his wife. “She’s always had a soft heart underneath that tough exterior, haven’t you, Blaze?”
When I first met Ellison, she was guarded and struggling through grief and her own mental health struggles. Not that she didn’t have her struggles now, but she had a whole army behind her—we all did. But somewhere along the line, Ellison had taken on sort of a caretaker role for all of us cowboys.
It was what I loved most about our group of friends. Sure, we had each other’s backs in the beginning, but watching my friends meet their better halves and heal along the way gave me hope for me and Sierra. Colter, Reid, and Mikey used to hold things in—I think we all have—but in the last few years, the women in their lives slowly chipped at the walls they’d built up, while simultaneously breaking down their own.
They showed them that vulnerability was their greatest strength, not an ailment.
“You’ve got us all mushy, Ellie. Only you.” Reid shook his head with a smile.
Sierra turned her head toward me, and I offered her a soft grin. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many men cry all at once,” she whispered with a giggle.
“Not even when you made a bunch of those dudes from Great Falls cry at that rodeo?” Keenan teased, and her face flushed.
“They deserved it,” she muttered.
“Hold up, what are you three whispering about over there?” Jake perked up.
“Sierra made a bunch of teenage boys cry when we were younger.” Keenan shrugged, despite Sierra shaking her head in an attempt to get him to shut his mouth.
Mikey laughed, and Ellison’s eyes widened.
“What?” she gasped.
