Page 38 of Promise You Forever

“Hey pretty girl,” I say, running my fingers through her forelock. “Let’s get you cozied up.” I’m just finishing the buckle when I feel her resting her head on my shoulder.

“Holy shit.” Colt sounds awed. “She’s never done that with anyone before.”

“What?” I turn my head to look at him and catch sight of Luke standing outside the stall. I stay still though, loving the cuddle from Clover.

“She doesn’t really like any of us,” Colt says.

“It’s more like she just tolerates our presence.” Luke scratches his stubble while he looks at the mare resting against me.

“Can’t say I blame her.” I turn my head and give her cheek a kiss. “I’d prefer your company to theirs any day of the week. And you smell better.”

When I turn around Luke has a boyish grin on his face. It’s almost enough to make me smile back at him. He knows it’s not true. But fuck if I’ll allow myself to inflate his ego.

“I smell damn good,” Colt says, lowering his nose to his shoulder and sniffing. He pulls a face. “Most of the time.”

Luke chuckles, and the sound of it, of what it represents, makes my eyes burn. I turn away from him and blink my eyes several times. He never would have laughed so easily years ago. Regardless of our past, I’m so happy that he’s able to feel joy again.

“Did you need something, Eli?” he asks.

“Yeah.” I step out of the stall and stand before him. “I’m all caught up on the business end of the ranch. I thought it was time I learned the daily operations type of stuff.”

He nods. “We can do that. There are actually some things I want to talk to you about regarding the ranch.”

“What’s that?”

He glances at Colt, who’s very interested in watching our interaction. “How about we talk about it tonight? I have a couple calls I still need to make.”

“Sure, that sounds fine. I have to pick up a prescription in town.”

“I’ll go with you; we can grab a bite and talk about everything.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “It’s not a date.”

“I know.”

We go our separate ways after that. I keep helping Colt blanket the rest of the horses. While we do that, he explains a lot of their care. It’s an invaluable education because while I know how to ride and do basic grooming tasks, I don’t know much beyond that.

By the time I’m back in my room, I realize I only have a few minutes to shower and change before I need to leave with Luke. Since it’s not a date, I tell myself not to stress about letting my hair air dry and wearing minimal makeup.

It’s not LA. And I’m not going out with Brandon, who always expected me to be fully put together on the chance we ran into a client. It’s freeing to not have to worry about that. I grab my most comfortable pair of jeans, a thermal shirt, and puffer vest in an olive green color that looks great against my dark hair.

Not that it matters because it’s not a date.

I’m debating whether to spritz a little perfume on when Luke knocks on my door. I decide to skip it. I showered, which should be good enough.

He’s in nice jeans and a deep blue plaid flannel shirt. It’s a color that makes his eyes even more arresting. Which means I’ll be avoiding eye contact with him all night.

“If we’re going to get your prescription, we better hurry. The pharmacy closes earlier than it used to,” he says. “I didn’t think it’d take me this long to get ready.”

“I still have a few days left before I need it so if we miss it, I can always go back and pick it up later.”

“We’ll try to get there tonight anyway. I’ll drive.”

He leads me out to his truck, the same one he drove three years ago. It looks exactly the same. He walks around and opens the door for me. Memories of the first time he did this come back to me, and I bite back a smile.

“What?” he asks while I climb inside.

“Just remembering the first time you opened a door for me.”

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