Page 73 of Swift and Saddled

Or the fact that I liked it. A lot.

Gus appeared in the doorway with Riley on his shoulders. When she saw me, she waved and called, “Hi, Ada Althea Hart!”

Damn—good memory on that kid. “Hello, Riley Amos Ryder,” I called back. Gus lifted Riley up and over his head so he could set her down.

“Uncle Wes brought a calf home the other day,” he said, ruffling her hair. Riley’s eyes widened adorably. “She’s in the pasture on the other side of the house. Why don’t you go say hi?”

Riley didn’t even respond—she just took off like a shot.

Gus joined our circle and offered Hank his hand. Hank took it. “Good to see you, Gus,” he said.

“You, too,” Gus replied, and I could’ve sworn he smiled—just a little bit.

Teddy turned to me. “Ada,” she said, “can you pinch me really quick? Maybe punch me in the face?” My brow furrowed.What?“That guy talking to my dad looks a lot like my sleep paralysis demon, and I need to wake up before he gets any closer.”

Gus rolled his eyes. “I don’t want to hear about the dreams you have about me, Theodora.”

“Nightmares,” Teddy corrected.

I looked at Hank, who was looking from his daughter to Gus and back with a small smile.

“Is Cam coming?” Wes jumped in. I’d learned that if someone didn’t cut Gus and Teddy off, they’d just keep hurling insults at each other.

“No,” Gus said with a sigh. “Something came up. She didn’t sound good on the phone, and she asked if I could keep Riley for the weekend.” Gus shook his head. “Honestly, I’m worried about her.”

“Did she get her bar results back?” Teddy asked him. The sarcastic and condescending tone she normally employed when speaking to Gus was gone—concern for Cam took over.

“She hasn’t mentioned it,” Gus said. It was obvious that Gus cared about Cam as more than just the mother of his child. From what I’d observed, the two of them were friends.

Teddy reached her hand out and squeezed Gus’s arm.Gus looked at her, but by the time I’d blinked, Teddy’s hand was back at her side and Gus was looking away. I could’ve imagined the whole thing.

“I’m sure she’ll be okay,” Teddy said to no one in particular. At least, I think that’s how she wanted it to seem. I made a mental note to text Cam tomorrow and see if she was okay.

“Dinner’s ready!” Emmy called. She, Amos, and Brooks brought out the last platters of food and set them on the table.

There was so much food—I had no idea how we would eat it all. Potato salad, roasted carrots, grilled zucchini and corn. Deviled eggs, fruit, and homemade rolls. The meal was rounded out by barbecued grilled chicken. Everything about it felt perfect—the food, the setting, the people.

We all sat. Amos and Hank were at the heads of the table. Gus was next to Amos, Riley was next to him, and then came Emmy and Brooks. On the other side of the table, Teddy sat next to her father. Then there were me and Wes, who had one of his hands on my thigh under the table for all of dinner, which didn’t escape Emmy’s notice.

I tried not to think about what she’d said while we were riding—that I shouldn’t treat Wes like a final destination if I was planning to move on. I knew what she meant, but nothing about Wes felt temporary, and I didn’t know how to treat him like he was.

But that didn’t change the fact that this wasn’t permanent.

That thought made my stomach curl, and I set down my fork abruptly. There was a lot of chatter going on, so no one noticed—except Wes.

He always noticed.

“You okay?” he whispered. I just nodded and gave him the best smile I could muster. I could tell he didn’t believe me, but he didn’t push it. He just gave my thigh a reassuring squeeze.

Dinner stretched until the sun started to set. The sky was vibrant with orange, pink, and purple. I’d seen a lot of Wyoming sunsets over the past few months, and it felt like every single one was more beautiful than the last.

After dinner, Wes, Brooks, and Gus cleared the table and returned with blankets and supplies for s’mores.

We moved to the chairs around the fire pit. “So,” Wes said as he draped a blanket over my lap, “how has your first Ryder Day been?” The way he said “first,” like there would be more, made my heart jump, then fall.

“I think I love Ryder Day,” I said. Wes looked at me the way I looked at the sunset, and I wanted to run and hide. There was just so much…feeling when he looked at me.

I turned away and grabbed a marshmallow out of the bag that Teddy handed me. Hank started strumming his guitar as the fire crackled. I was surprised at how skilled he was. The song he was playing was soft and beautiful, almost wistful.

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