Page 72 of Live, Ranch, Love

Maybe the universe has been listening to me all this time. Maybe everything I’ve been working through, all the heartbreak and healing, was leading me here.

To… him.

Wyatt shrugs and waits for me to make myself comfy amongst the plentiful cushions before joining. He sits so his knee is touching mine, then leans back, one arm behind me.

“I had a bit of time in between people leaving.”

“It’s perfect,” I confess, gushing over the whole set up, the effort that’s gone into it, and our amber-lit, serene surroundings that have added the finishing touch. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of this. The beauty, the warmth, the nature. I could watch it all for decades.

When I turn to Wyatt, it’s me he’s watching instead, midnight eyes melting into dark golden pools from the lights around us. Like I’m more beautiful than anything Sunset Ranch could have to offer, and I don’t even question the idea, because… maybe tonight I am.

A soft smile graces Wyatt’s face before he leans in and kisses me gently. “Not as perfect as you,” he whispers against my mouth, sealing the words with another brush of his lips.

Although part of me wants to run my hands through his hair and make out with Wyatt all night under the sunset and twinkling lights, I hadn’t realised how starving I was until I saw the food, and we’re quick to tuck in. We swap stories of our childhoods—favourite subjects at school, our dream jobs, friendships that came and went, and argue for far too long over whether it’s easier being the youngest or oldest sibling.

Trying to figure out how British secondary school years match up to American high school years also proves to be far more complicated than it should be when we finally move on. I sip a fruity smoothie from one of the flasks—the closest flavour Wyatt could find in the shops to the berry one I like from Sitting Pretty—and relish in how animated he seems telling me all about his friendship with Sawyer, Duke, and Wolfman, how they bonded over football.

He almost pushes me into the lake when I ask if he had to let one of the guys get with Cherry, who he’d pick.

Every second of conversation, we’re touching. Whether it’s a knee against a leg, feet crossed over each other, or fingers drawing lazy swirls against arms and hips. I remember back to a month ago, when Wyatt would flinch or freeze at any contact we made. But now, it’s like he can’t get enough, like he craves the sensation of my body against his. And honestly, I feel the same.

It’s like when we’re connected, everything feels stronger, brighter, safer. Like we were two broken currents that are finally able to flow free.

I’m elated to discover that one of the flasks has hot chocolate inside, and Wyatt rummages around for another cup so he can pour it out for us both. Once we’re both served, we huddle closer with a blanket wrapped lazily around us, even though the summer evening isn’t that cool yet. I lean my head against Wyatt’s shoulder, its curve supporting my neck as if it were designed for us to fit.

The water ahead is almost the same shade of Wyatt’s eyes as night finally paints the last patches of the sky with glittering darkness. My heart feels so full, just like it used to when I was younger and would sit out here, my great aunt beside me. Part of me wonders if Auntie Grace didn’t just leave me the ranch because she thought I’d want it, but because she knew I’d need it.

That maybe she knew how tumultuous your twenties could feel sometimes, how easily you could get lost even when you thought you were taking all the right steps. And that I would need the ranch to ground me again and remind me of what life is truly about.

Like romantic lakeside dates with a handsome, kind cowboy.

Sometimes Auntie Grace would do things, or tell me things, like she already knew they’d happen. Telling me to pursue my passion for blogging and wellness seemed so easy for her, she didn’t even consider any other options, as if she’d seen the future and knew it would work out. Or maybe she just knew that everything always works out, so no matter what road you take, it would bring you to the right destination eventually. I wish I could tell younger Rory that.

“If you could go back in time and give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?” I ponder aloud.

Wyatt chuckles, and I peek up to see him worrying his lip, brows knitted in contemplation. Then he laughs again, this time his frame shaking, making me straighten up. I raise my brows, hoping for an explanation.

“It’s funny, because if you’d have asked me that a month ago, I think my answer would’ve been very different.”

“How so?”

“I used to think I’d tell myself something along the lines of sticking with football or pursuing the ranching career earlier to avoid disappointing people. I know what I chose to do made me happy, but I ain’t gonna pretend that I haven’t wondered about all the what ifs. What if I’d pursued football? Would I have been drafted to a good team? Or what if I’d gone to law school? Would I have been ambitious enough for, well, Holly then?”

Would we even be sitting here if he had done any of that?

Wyatt shakes his head, pushing some loose curls back. As he’s been speaking, his eyes have stayed glued to the lake, yet now he slowly twists to face me, blinking before clearing his throat.

“But now, I don’t care about any of that. I’d just tell younger me to do what felt right in the moment. I wouldn’t tell him to do anything different, because no matter how broken my road ended up being, I know now that it was the right one, as it still led me here…” Wyatt’s throat bobs. “With you. All those difficult decisions and wrong turns, all those losses and broken hearts, were just guiding me to where I am now. To home. And to you, Aurora.”

The smile that appears as he says my name is pure hope. If he kissed me right now, I’d taste new beginnings, budding dreams, and shimmering promises. Everything I didn’t realise I’d needed.

To be chosen.

Yeah, Auntie Grace definitely gave me the ranch for a reason.

I shuffle onto Wyatt’s lap and take his face in my hands, letting his stubble rasp against my palms. I desperately want to let myself get lost in his midnight eyes, so full of wonder. His hands settle on my hips, fingers stroking just above where my shorts sit, brushing the exposed skin of my waist.

“I wouldn’t change a thing either, you know? I’d do it all again, despite knowing I’d have to feel scared, lost, and heartbroken, because it would be worth it. Even just for this night.” I trace the edge of his jaw with the tips of my fingers, and he leans into the touch, dark lashes fluttering down over his eyes. “I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know that I was meant to come back to Sunset Ranch. I was meant to meet you.”

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