Page 46 of Eighteen Bowties and Counting

“You don’t live alone now.”

“But I did for the past few nights.” She pulled back and tucked herself into his arms. Beau had never come back from the roundup to a woman like this, and he could get very used to it. This place of comfort, where he could tell her how much he’d yearned to be here, and all about the stars he’d laid awake watching one night, and how Pepper had kept him awake with his snoring another night.

“And I didn’t like it,” Charlotte added.

“Sorry I took both dogs.”

“They need baths.”

“Tomorrow,” he said. “How are the donkeys?”

“I think they missed you more than I did.”

“Is that so?” He pulled back and looked at her. “Well, I didn’t miss them more than I missed you.” He kissed her then, keeping it slow and steady and oh-so-meaningful. And the best part was he didn’t have to stop when a fussy horse wanted to get back to his stable.

“We’ll be late to the party.”

“Yeah, I know.” Beau kept kissing her, not a care in the world as he fell further and further in love with his cabinmate.

The following afternoon, Beau woke to Charlotte giggling. “Wake up, cowboy.” Darkness surrounded them, and he opened his eyes to the scrolling credits of the movie he’d chosen for his birthday. Not even a spy action movie could keep him awake.

“Sorry.” He turned his head to look at her, a smile on his face. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“It’s your birthday,” she said, smiling prettily back at him. “You should get to do what you want.”

“Well, we have to go to the feed store before dinner, and I don’t want to do that.”

“Why’d you say you would then?”

“Because it’s a ninety-minute round-trip we were already making.” He sighed and sat up. A groan came from his mouth, and he scrubbed both hands down his face, trying to get himself to wake up more fully.

Beside him, Charlotte picked up their half-eaten popcorn bucket and piled in her soda cup. He got to his feet and took the trash from her, and they left the theater.

At the feed store, he said, “I’ll just run in and grab the stuff from the back.”

But Charlotte had unbuckled her seatbelt and was turning toward the passenger door as if she’d get out too. “Sure, okay,” she said. “I’m going to run next door and get a couple more of those shower steamers.” She flashed him a smile, but Beau simply sat in the driver’s seat.

When he didn’t get out, she leaned back in. “Oh, don’t wear such a sour face. You liked the seabreeze one.”

“Okay, but don’t get that weird chamomile one or whatever.”

“It was matcha and bergamot.” She grinned at him and laced her purse over her shoulder.

“It was gross,” he called after her as she slammed the door. He didn’t shower in her bathroom, but her steamers filled the whole cabin with a certain smell.

He got out of the truck and waved to her giggling form as she headed across the parking lot toward the beauty store that sold her beloved shower steamers. Beau pushed his way into the feed store and headed straight for the back pick-up counter. He just needed a couple of boxes of the fly control spray for the cattle now that they were back from the range.

Squire had called it in already, and all Beau had to do was give his name and pick up the products. A couple of cowboys waited at the pick-up counter ahead of him, but they had plenty of people working. Beau wouldn’t have any problem getting the fly spray before Charlotte managed to browse through all of her shower steamer scents.

He sidled up behind the cowboy in front of him, something very familiar about him. The man looked at something on his phone, and when he noticed or felt Beau’s presence, he looked at him.

Recognition sparked, and Beau laughed. “Mason.”

Charlotte’s brother turned as he laughed. “Howdy, Beau.” They shook hands and did a quick cowboy-hug before separating again. “What brings you to town?”

“Just getting the fly control spray for the cattle. We got ‘em all back in.”

Mason nodded, his dark eyes glinting with joy. “That’s great.” He nodded to his phone. “My cowboys should be back within the hour with our herd.”

---