Page 44 of Swift and Saddled

“The accommodating thing or the middle-child thing?” she responded. I couldn’t tell for sure in the dark, but I thought she was smiling.

“Both.”

“Honestly, they’re probably related. Ever since I’ve known him, Wes has just been so fucking nice—even if it meant being so at his own expense. His friend wants to ask the girl Wes likes to the prom? Oh, that’s okay. They’ll have a nice time. You have a flat tire? He’ll change it for you even if it means he can’t get to where he’s going.” I understood what she was saying, but it confused me because I didn’t understand why this nice guy seemed to be into…me. “He does the same thing for his siblings and for his dad—he takescare of them, and sometimes I think he thinks that’s all he’s good for.”

“But it isn’t,” I said, feeling the need to defend him.

“I know it. His family knows it, but I don’t think he does. I think this guest ranch was his way of proving it to everyone else, but we already know. I hope he proves it to himself.”

It’s funny. Wes and I were so different but had found ourselves in the same situation—both of us felt we had something to prove.

After Cam dropped me off, I didn’t feel quite ready for bed, so I decided to do something I hadn’t done since I got to Meadowlark: taketheshower. Wash my hair, deep condition, exfoliate, shave my legs—the works.

Honestly, my bathroom at the Big House had the best shower stall I’d ever been in, and I felt I needed to take advantage of that.

After I was clean, smooth, and warm, I stepped out of the shower into the cloud of steam that I’d created and went through my full skin care routine—complete with one of those peel-off gel facial masks. I even decided to pull out the cute pajamas—a black silk tank top with white lace trim and matching shorts.

Between the shower and the lack of self-loathing I was feeling after girls’ night, I felt like a new woman.

I snuggled down under my bedcovers, rubbing my legs together and basking in the smoothness. I pulled out my laptop and went to a streaming app—the one withHow to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

Nothing could’ve made my night better. Except maybepopcorn. I fucking loved popcorn, and now that the thought had crossed my mind, I couldn’t get it out.

I had no doubt that the giant Rebel Blue pantry had microwave popcorn. I looked at my phone. It was just past midnight. The house would be quiet, and I would just pull the popcorn out before the microwave beeped.

I padded out of my bedroom, down the hall, and out to the kitchen. The pantry was at the back of the kitchen, and its shelves were stocked like a grocery store. I switched on the light and started looking for popcorn.

I found it on a high shelf near the front. Movie theater butter.Excellent.I was about to reach for it, but then I heard the front door close. I flipped the light off and waited. A few seconds later, Wes appeared in the kitchen.

Huh. I thought he was already home. He nearly walked by without noticing me, but at the last second before he made it to the hallway that led to our rooms, he stopped and looked over at me and did a double take.

Even in the dark kitchen, lit only by moonlight, I could see his bright eyes track up and down my body. I was suddenly very self-conscious about my choice of pajamas. Of course this would happen the one time I wore something other than a giant T-shirt and sweatpants to bed.

His throat worked as he looked at me, and his hands were balled into fists at his sides. “Hey,” he said. His voice was gruff.

“Hey.”

“Did you have a good night?” he asked.

“Yeah.” I really had. “Did you?”

“I got my ass kicked, but yeah, I did.” I just nodded, not sure when the kitchen had gotten so small. “Were you looking for something?”

“Popcorn,” I said, pointing to it on the shelf behind me. “But I don’t think I can reach it.” I watched Wes swallow again and tried to tamp down the urge I had to lick the same trail on his throat.

He walked toward where I was standing in the pantry, and with every step he took, I felt goose bumps rising on my skin. When he stopped in front of me and leaned in, I let my eyelids flutter closed.

I told myself I didn’t know what I was waiting for, but that was a lie. I was an expert at lying to myself, but what I was waiting for never came.

I heard something slide off a shelf behind me and Wes’s voice saying “Your popcorn.” I opened my eyes to see him right in front of me. There was heat in his gaze and a smile on his face.

“Th-thank you,” I stammered. He nodded and took a step back, and that step felt like someone ripping a warm blanket off me. We stared at each other for a second, but he didn’t come closer.

Fine.

I walked past him, and I swear when my arm brushed his, there was an electric shock.

After I tore open the popcorn package, I unfolded it, tossed it into the microwave, and pressed the Popcorn button.

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