Page 51 of Untruly With You

“Do cows like lavender or something?” I ask.

One corner of Wells’ mouth twitches. “Yes, actually. Apparently it can be good for their digestion when added into their feed. That’s what I told my dad when I asked him if I could plant lavender here. But that’s not really why I did it.”

“I guess even tough cowboys have a soft spot for flowers,” I remark with a playful grin.

"Well, don't go spreading that around too much. I’ve got a reputation to uphold,” he replies, his voice shaded by mock seriousness. Then he sighs contently. “Lavender is Cassidy’s favorite flower.”

“And you planted an entire field of it for her? That’s quite the gesture, Romeo.”

Wells hesitates for a moment, his gaze shifting back to the lavender. “Five years ago, I realized that I loved Cass. It wasn’t a crush. It wasn’t to mess with Sutton. It was just…love. Not only that, but I knew I wanted to marry her. I planted this lavender hoping someday she would want to marry me too, and then we would have the perfect place to seal the deal. Plus, no matter how much we might butt heads or how hard it gets, I wanted to have something beautiful to offer her.”

His words sink in, and for a moment, the last bits of Wells’ tough exterior crumble away, revealing a vulnerability that surprises me. He’s more like Sutton than I could have dreamed.

“Five years ago? But you just got engaged last month, didn’t you?” I ask.

Wells chuckles softly, a rueful smile touching his lips. “Yeah. But sometimes it takes a while for things to fall into place. The ranch has had…its challenges. Especially the past few months.”

I raise my eyebrows, but Wells just answers my unspoken curiosity with a shrug.

“And besides that, even after I knew I loved Cass, I didn’t reallywantto love her. I mean, she’s my older brother’s ex, after all. No matter what Sutton might think, it wasn’t intentional. But it was no use. I was hers before I realized it.”

We stand there silent for a few minutes, and a feeling ofcompleteness settles in. Wells was the last one in the Davis family I’ve connected to. The puzzle pieces have fallen into place.

Wells and Hankleave after a couple of hours, running to town for some kind of appointment. Later, as the sultry afternoon is just beginning to cool, Magnolia shouts my name. Even from halfway across the clearing, I can see her brilliant smile. Sutton is at her side, and it takes everything in me to not jog the distance between us just to get there a few seconds faster.

As soon as I’m close enough, Magnolia reaches out and holds one of my hands. Then, she uses her free hand to grab Sutton’s. Her blonde hair looks even lighter in the sun. She’s practically glowing. “I have a little surprise for you two,” she says, her eyes crinkling with a grin. “Frankie helped too.”

“What occasion?” Sutton asks, his tone tinged with lighthearted suspicion.

Magnolia shrugs. “Graduation, welcome home, late or early birthday, whatever. Frankie and I set up your surprise at the lake. I know you’re probably starving, but don’t eat before you go. Head home, get cleaned up, and havefun.”

My stomach turns with anticipation 0f an evening alone with Sutton.

His eyes meet mine, and I can tell he’s just as anxious about the surprise. “Thanks, Mom,” he says, plastering on a smile.

Once we’re back at the house, I do aneverythingshower—exfoliating, shaving, the works. I take my time brushing my teeth and flossing. I’m not sure why, though. I remind myself that we won’t be romantic when his family isn’t around to see it.

Because Sutton told me that we’ll have to go on horseback, I dress in my best “cowgirl” outfit: Wrangler jeans, a thin, white button-up, a bandana tied around my neck, and of course, my boots to top it off.

“Look at you, Annie Oakley,” Sutton says when I meet him at the fence outside, as if he’s one to talk in his own cowboy hat and boots. Already, he has our two horses ready to go. “You remember what I taught you about riding?”

I nod and swallow the dryness in my throat away.Have the horses always been so big?

Sutton, as always, interprets my expression. “Don’t worry,” he says. “I’ll be right here with you. And Darla here is a sweetheart.”

“Hey, Darla,” I croak out as I climb over the fence. As soon as I’m over, Sutton straps a helmet on me. I almost protest because I haven’t seen anyone on the ranch wear a helmet while riding. But I look back up at Darla’s height and tighten my lips.

“Put your foot in the stirrup here, hands up on the saddle horn, and step down hard, like you’re trying to push it down. I’ll help.” Keeping his promise, Sutton stands directly behind me, his hands already on my hips. The nervous drumming in my chest beats harder.

“You realize I’m five-foot-six, don’t you?” I say, clumsily poking the toe of my boot into the stirrup.

“We average out to five-eleven, so it’s fine,” Sutton says, his fingers tightening on me.

After three slow, steadying breaths, I put all of my power into pressing down on the stirrup. Sutton’s hands move ever so slightly lower, cupping under my hips so he can help hoist me up as smoothly as possible. Miraculously, it works, and before I know it, I’m on Darla’s back, the ground looking impossibly far away.

“You alright?” Sutton asks, one hand still on my leg. Itfeels like sparks travel out from his fingertips, as if he’s harnessing lightning.

Trying to think of anything to say to distract myself from my anxiousness, I say, “I think this was all an elaborate ruse so you could touch me like that.”

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