Page 22 of Rancher's Heart

“No, it was really nice. Thank you for making me go. Do you really think they want me to go to girls’ night, or were they just being nice?”

“Oh no, they want you to go. The thing about this place is once you’re here, you really are a part of everything. I count on those four men to have my back in every situation, and they know I have theirs. And it’s spilled over to the women we bring into our lives. The days are long, and sometimes the nights are longer when we’re busy, so if you’ve got one another you’ll get through.”

“Only we’re not really together,” I said, my words suddenly feeling stupid.

“As far as they’re concerned, we are, and that’s all that matters. And who knows what might happen. I do happen to know what size your lingerie is, so that must mean we’re something.” He wiggled his eyebrows and moved past me to the kitchen.

He wasn’t wrong. We were something, and as much as I knew this needed to be professional, I really wanted to cross a few lines with this hulking cowboy.

“Why don’t you like being called Chanelle?” He asked as he looked over at me.

“What makes you think I don’t like it?”

“You introduced yourself as Elle, and when Fallon said your full name you grimaced slightly.” God this man didn’t miss anything.

“Do you ever take your eyes off me?” Frowning at him, I tried to hide my smile.

“No. Now explain.”

“It’s so pretentious, and it’s not me at all. I think when my mother named me she pictured a poised beauty pageant girl, and I’m so not that. So, I shortened it to Elle when I started school, much to my mother’s dismay. She’s the only one who actuallystill calls me that thankfully. I don’t give her a hard time about it but I really do hate it. It’s so funny that the one thing that sticks with you forever is something you didn’t even get to pick out.” I shrugged, and to be honest, Griff could call me anything, and I’d probably answer to it.

CHAPTER 14

ELLE

Turning into the parking lot of the Fencepost, I shifted my truck into park, and looked up at the neon sign. I’d told Fallon I would drive tonight, mostly so I had a way to escape if I felt like I didn’t belong here.

There were very few established friend groups that eagerly welcomed someone new, and I was a pro at getting out of uncomfortable situations. When I’d been married, Troy was desperate for me to fit in with the other wives so he didn’t feel guilty about going out and leaving me alone. I never fit in, and I was sure this would be no different. Beginning to chicken out, I reached for the keys to turn my truck back on, this wasn’t where I should be, but a knock on the window made me jump.

Turning saw Kristin’s face beaming outside my window. Pulling the keys out, I reached for my purse and opened the door. “Is scaring me a thing everyone likes to do?” She looked at me, confusion crossing her face. “Jake did the same thing at the hospital.”

Kristin laughed. “Sorry, I just recognized the look of someone planning their escape, so I wanted to stop you.” Her dark eyes sparkled, her makeup perfect and her long dark hair cascaded over her shoulders.

“I don’t know what I’m doing here.” My words were quiet, almost a whisper.

“You’re here to have a drink and get to know the girls. They aren’t scary,they aregoing to ask you a million questions, but they’re harmless.” She laughed and put her arm around my shoulder. I didn’t really know her that well, but the few times I’d seen her around town, she’d always been nice.

“You came. I had my doubts when Fallon said you were driving yourself.” Nora stood as we walked into the bar. Throwing her arms around me, I stiffened a little, uncomfortable when people entered my bubble, but I hugged her back. “Sit beside me.” She pulled out the chair and patted the seat.

Looking around the place, I was surprised at how nice it was. I didn’t have time to come out to the bar because if I didn’t have Parker, I was at the hospital, so time for myself was limited. The walls were adorned with pictures of sprawling pastures dotted with cattle. Brands looked like they had been burned into the walls, filling the empty spaces between the pictures. A fake barbed wire fence was the chair rail along the walls.

A corrugated metal bar, with stenciled barbed wire and another fence post for the lip of the bar, sat along one end of the room. The wall of booze was lit up from behind, and I stared at the beer taps long enough to realize they were a half of a horseshoe. The parquet dance floor looked like it had just been polished, and I was sure I’d be able to see my reflection in it. There was a stage in the corner, and the neon lights lit up the way to the bathrooms. It wasn’t dark and gloomy like I’d imagined when I would drive by it.

“Ok, it’s time to spill. How long have you and Griff been together and why haven’t we heard about it?” Fallon reached for her beer and took a drink.

“Getting right into it, I see.” I took a deep breath and tried to think quickly. Griff didn’t want his business blasted all overthe place, and he was taking great pains to make sure they didn’t know about his shoulder. “Well, after Griff had been in the hospital last year, I ran into him again and we just kind of started hanging out casually.” I shrugged, hoping it was believable.

“So, just hanging out?”

“Seeing one another?” I said with a little question in my voice. hoping they missed it.

“But you’re living together, so that’s a little more than seeing one another,” Fallon said as she used air quotes around seeing one another.

“We’ve been dating, and with the issues I’d been having at the Hays place and it getting sold out from under my rental agreement, he offered Parker and me a place to stay, no questions asked. And he's been really amazing.” Whatever I’d said made them all say aww at the same time.

“Okay, we need to welcome Elle to the group,” Kristin said as she lifted her drink. The other women followed and she grinned at me. “This group has grown a lot over the last year, and we’re so excited to get to know you, Elle, and make you officially one of the girls.” We all took a drink.

“Since it's official now, how often do you all get like this for a girls’ night?” I asked, trying to shift the discussion away from me.

---