Page 31 of Eighteen Bowties and Counting

“Do tell.”

“A loaded baked potato,” she said. “One of those big ones that they rub salt all over the peel, and that’s almost as good as the buttery, creamy inside, with cheese and bacon and green onions. Oh, and ranch dressing. Lots of ranch dressing.”

Beau laughed, the sound full and throaty, and Charlotte sure did like it. It seemed to fill a hole inside her she hadn’t realized was quite so empty—and that only he could fill.

“I know just the place for that, little bird.” He gave her a grin and then got to his feet. “I have to get over to the admin building. New assignments being made today.” He went to the row of pegs running toward the kitchen from the front door, picked up a hat, and settled it on his head.

He turned back and saluted while Pepper and Ruby waited for him to open the door, everything about him magnetic and drawing her closer. “You’re working that new horse this afternoon?”

“Yes.”

“If I have time, I’ll come over.” Then he left the cabin with his dogs, and Charlotte fell back against the sink behind her. Her heart pounded, but she didn’t feel faint. Everything felt more alive than it ever had, which was the opposite of how she usually felt when she was about to pass out.

A slow smile curved her mouth, and she spun to look out the window to the view she’d grown quite fond of in the past couple of weeks. “Thank you,” she whispered. “For bringing me to this ranch. For making it so I could meet Beau, for the horses here.”

So much gratitude and joy filled her that tears flooded Charlotte’s eyes. Her future had never seemed so wide open, and she never even dreamed she’d have an experience like the past two weeks.

She’d been taught that God had a plan for her life, and He’d never lead her astray. She’d felt so caged inside her existence for the past few years, but now she wondered if the Lord had just been holding her for a bit, until both she and Beau were ready for her to arrive on this ranch.

“I believe in Thy plans,” she whispered. And she did. Her faith had been restored in a loving, kind God who only wanted the best for her.

Now, she just had to figure out if Beau Peterson fit into that plan.

Chapter Eleven

Beau left the administration building and hurried down the steps. He’d just gotten a text from Finn that Charlotte had been working with one of their new horses “brilliantly” for the past several minutes.

Quite the crowd had gathered at the training ring where she had the tan-colored horse. He had darker brown hair that looked like it had been cut into shags and bangs, and Charlotte and another cowboy named Robbie both stood in the ring with the equine.

The other cowboys sat on the fence or clung to it, and Beau boosted himself up onto the rungs next to Finn.

“Hey,” he said to the much younger man. He reminded Beau a little bit of himself—always with the positive outlook on life, full of laughter and smiles—and Finn turned toward him.

“Hey.” He looked back into the ring. “She’s so patient with them. It rivals Pete.”

Beau nodded and asked, “Did you guys get the salt licks out?”

“Yep,” Finn said. “Got back about twenty minutes ago.”

“Great.” Beau refocused his attention back in the ring where Charlotte and Robbie worked with the horse.

Valentine came to them from an overcrowded stable, and while the ranch didn’t normally get unbroken horses, she’d definitely been one of the wilder ones. She could take a bit and accept riders, but she didn’t like it. They’d only had her for a few days, and Charlotte had been trying to win over the equine from the first minute she’d arrived on the ranch.

Even now, she stood back and let Robbie use the flag to move the horse closer to her. Charlotte stood almost at the rail, and she looked dusty, sweaty, and downright gorgeous. Beau hadn’t dated a lot of cowgirls—legit cowgirls—in his life, as he preferred a more girly, feminine woman.

Or, at least he thought he had. But watching Charlotte in her blue jeans and steel-toed work boots, her long-sleeved shirt that absolutely came from the men’s section at The Boot Barn, and that oversized hat, and he dang near swooned right off the fence.

He climbed up and sat on the top rung like some of the other cowboys, content to watch for a few minutes. He couldn’t believe he’d finally gotten up the nerve to lay some of his feelings out on the table, but it sure had felt good to do so. He figured now that Charlotte knew about his live-streaming, he didn’t have too much more to hide.

Beau watched intently as Valentine circled around, her movements fluid but edged with a wildness that had yet to be fully tamed. The horse’s mane flicked with each defiant turn, embodying the freedom she so fiercely clung to, and dust lifted into the air from her hooves. Beau’s admiration for Charlotte grew with each passing second, with each time Robbie sent Valentine over to her and the equine dodged back; Charlotte’s patience became a quiet force in the ring that expanded outward, her presence both calming and assertive.

Robbie looked at Charlotte, who gave him another nod, clearly telling him to send Valentine again. Out of anyone who worked with their horses, Charlotte had the calmest spirit, and they needed Valentine to trust someone.

So Robbie worked the flag, yipped at the horse, and forced her back toward Charlotte, who still stood by the rail. She didn’t move. Didn’t hold a flag. Didn’t call or encourage the horse in any way.

She simply stood there, and they wanted Valentine to give in, stop being so stubborn, and approach her like a lady.

The thrumming energy of the horse pounded through Beau’s chest, almost creating a second heartbeat within him. She possessed a power that Charlotte seemed to respect and understand. Her approach was different from the last Stable Master they’d had here at the ranch—less about asserting dominance and more about mutual respect.

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