Page 30 of She's My Kind Of Rain

“Where did ya mosey off to last night? We don’t have company, do we?” He leans to the side, pretending to peer around me, with a goofy ass look on his face.

Releasing a soft chuckle, I respond. “No, we don’t.”

“Angel out there has more game than ya.” He chuckles, gesturing toward the horses. “She’s got that horse of yours trottin’ around, showin’ off every chance he gets. I’m sure we got a pen n’ paper here somewhere. Best get out there and take some notes.”

I reach for the towel and toss it at him, but, unsurprisingly, he catches it mid-flight.

“For real though, how’d it go?” The excitement in his question radiates in his tone.

“Really good. I like her.” The confession feels like an understatement, but since I haven’t figured everything out myself it feels weird to say how much I truly like her.

“Well ain’t that some shit? More than just a pretty face and a record deal then, huh? Cuz I ain’t ever heard yalikeanyone.” He raises his brows. “So, when ya gonna see her again?”

What he says hits me like a ton of bricks. Never once last night—or even this morning—did my drunk ass think aboutwhoshe is. I’d be lying to myself if I wasn’t a bit worried about the fact that she isn’t just a girl I like,she’s also my connection to Telluride Records. I try to push aside all the doubts and worries in my mind, not wanting to think about whether moving forward with her is a mistake—though the thought did immediately cross my mind when he just said that. Only minutes ago my heart and head were still on cloud nine from meeting her and I’m not ready to come back to reality yet.That can be tomorrow’s problem.

I hold my breath, readying myself for Rhett’s reaction. “I forgot to get her number,” I admit, following his movement with my eyes.

He stops dead in his tracks, turning to face me. “Ya were with her all damn night and never once did it cross your mind ‘hey, if I wanna see this girl again, I’ll need her number to do it’? Ya really are a dumbshit, ain’t ya?” He jests. “Well, ain’t it lucky ya have me then? Cuz I grabbed her crazy friend’s number last night in case I couldn’t find y’all this mornin’.”

“Hmm, I’m sure that’s all it was,” I joke, and he sends a guilty look.

“Ya ain’t ever listened to that one talk, Bud. She’s wild as hell, and I ain’t even sure it’s in a good way.” A smirk crosses his face. He turns back around toward the stove before tossing an omelet on my plate next to some toast covered in strawberry jam.

“Lucky for us, we don’t need women, Rhett. We’ve got you.”

“Ha, ha. Ya better watch it or you’re goin’ back to cereal for breakfast. Don’t forget I’ve got my fancy ass kitchen upstairs where I could make all these bomb ass meals,” he adds.

I shake my head, considering the awful kitchen setup in the bunkhouse. “Ah, I’m just kidding with you. So anyways, Daisy said she wants to ride Wrangler. Do you mind if one day we take him and Angel for a tour of the ranch?”

“Not a bit.” A grin reappears on his face. “Anyone else gettin’ a ride out of this?” Laughter bursts out of him. I stifle an eye roll and my lips fight to pull into a grin. The funny bastard is far too impressed with his own jokes this morning.

“Just get me her number, dipshit,” I reply with a smirk.

“Sounds good, boss.” He chuckles—most likely still at how funny he thinks he is—and pulls out his phone to text Daisy’s friend for her number.

Per the usual, Rhett’s a fucking life saver.

HEY, IT’S SAWYER. R U FREE NXT WEEKEND?

I click send, and, for once, I don’t second guess myself. What feels like a lifetime goes by—though I know it’s only been a few minutes—and my phone chimes.

WHT DO U HAVE IN MIND?

A LOT ;) BUT WE WILL START WITH ME PICKING U UP. THE REST IS A SECRET.

SOUNDS GOOD, BUT WYD THIS WEEKEND…

I’m eager to text back something witty, but decide that’s wasting time. It’s probably foolish of me to be this excited about seeing her again, but being with Daisy brings me the same sense of elation that I get when I sing. The only difference is the feeling doesn’t just stop like a performance does.

WHT’S UR ADDRESS?

143 CROSS CREEK ROAD

CYA SOON

I snapmy phone shut and all but run out the door, waving to Rhett as I pass him practicing some roping.

Once I make it to her street, my nerves start to get the better of me, making my pulse race and my palms sweat. This time there’s no liquid courage to cut out the worry welling in my chest. What if there’s a lull? What if I make an ass of myself and this whole thing is over before it begins? And why the fuck am I so nervous about this at all? At the end of the day, she’s just a girl and this is just a date. I let out a breath, doing my best to calm my over the top nerves.

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