His grin is contagious now. He’s obvious thrilled for her. ‘We’re having a baby.’
The way he says that, so proprietorial and proud, makes something inside me flutter to life.We’re having a baby.Like he’s had some role in the whole situation, when I know he’s basically been on the road for months, and besides, that’s not how it works. Out of nowhere, I get this image of Beau, all masculine and proud, home on the ranch, whatever that looks like, surrounded by little bull-riding Beaus. I smother a smile at the very idea, but it’s really not that preposterous. I can easily imagine Beau as a dad one day.
‘Do they know what they’re having?’
‘Nah, don’t reckon so. At least, not that they mentioned. I’ll find out next week.’
I reach for my water and take a sip. ‘You’re going home?’
‘I always do when I’ve got an event that’s local-ish.’
‘You’re talking about the Phoenix rodeo?’
He nods.
‘I’d love to see the ranch, talk to your family.’ Heat blooms in my face as I realise how girlfriend-y that sounds. ‘For the article,’ I hasten to add.
But Beau’s doing that big old smile of his, looking like I’ve just asked him to marry me.
‘To get more of a picture of your life,’ I mutter, pleating my napkin in my lap.
‘I can give you a picture of my life right now.’
I relax, feeling like we’re moving closer to solid ground. This is what I do. As if to emphasise that, I reach into my clutch and remove a small notepad, then catch Beau looking at me with a half-cocked brow.
‘Go on,’ I invite, as the waiter returns with a beer for Beau, a wine for me, and a small basket of bread. Having my notepad out is good cover anyway. He’s probably right. This doesn’t seem like the kind of place bull riders would go for a quick feed, but if anyone should happen to recognise Beau, at least it will look like this is part of the job.
‘Whaddaya wanna know?’
‘Anything.’ I tap my finger against the tabletop. ‘Let’s start with the ranch itself. What was it like growing up somewhere like that?’
He looks into the distance, a small frown on his face. ‘Untamed,’ he says, after a beat. ‘Liberating.’
‘In what way?’
I lean forward without realising it, like I’m literally hanging on the words I hope he’ll speak, fascinated by the web he’ll weave—if he starts to open up to me.
‘We had a lot of freedom; most kids do in those parts. After Mom died, Cole kinda took over shepherding us. He was just a kid, you know, but he’s one of those guys …’
His voice trails off and his eyes fall to the notepad. I put my pen down.
‘Off the record, for now,’ I promise.
He nods once. ‘He’s just always felt like it’s all his to fix, you know? The whole world. Everything that’s wrong with it, everything that’s wrong, it’s something he’s gotta find a solution for. Dad was a mess after Mom, and Cole did everything he could to keep us all on track. I took it for granted as a kid, and I resented the fuck out of him as a teenager when he’d tell me what to do.’ Beau smiles in my direction, but I catch something like guilt in the darkness of his eyes. He shrugs his shoulders, and my mouth goes dry as I remember how broad they are, how warm his skin is to touch.
‘But you don’t now?’
‘I guess you grow into yourself as you get older. He can’t tell me what to do; I don’t listen, even if he tries.’
‘What’s he like with the rest of your family?’ I flick through my notepad. ‘Nash, Austin, Cassidy …?’
He lifts a piece of bread to his lips. Once he’s finished chewing, he wipes his mouth with the napkin. ‘The same, mostly. He can’t help it.’
‘Does it bother them?’
‘It doesn’t bother me. Not now. If anything, I just always felt sorry for him, for how much he takes on. And he holds it all in, like he doesn’t want to put anything on anyone. Even stuff with the ranch. Then Beth came along, and it was like Cole was suddenly shaken back to life. She just woke him up again, you know?’
I can’t help but smile at that. ‘Beau Donovan, you’re a romantic.’
