Page 34 of Dirty Cowboy

“We’ll make the announcement this weekend,” I say.

Grandpa beams. “Good. It’ll give me time to get to know Emma.” He slaps his hand against the table, his enthusiasm bleeding into his tone. It’s probably the bourbon in his so-called healthy shake.

The back door creaks open, and I look up just as my bride-to-be steps outside.

“Did I hear my name?” Emma asks, immediately walking up to my side like she belongs there. She slides her hand around my waist, fingers resting lightly at my hip, and damn it, I don’t know if it’s for show or if it’s just instinct at this point.

“Grandpa’s keen on spending quality time with you,” I say, glancing down at her. She looks up at me at the exact same moment before turning toward Grandpa, her expression bright and eager.

“I can’t wait,” she says, pure sunshine and charm. “Eric mentioned you have old family photos you might like to share.”

Fuck. She’s good.

Grandpa practically bounces in his seat. “I have five full albums.”

I groan. “No way. The last thing I need is to scare my fiancée with embarrassing photographs.” I lift my hands in protest, but Emma quickly lowers them.

“Sorry, honey. But you got to see my old pictures, so I get to see yours,” she says sweetly.

The hell I did.

“Whatever makes you happy, darling,” I murmur, because really, what choice do I have? I slide my arm around her, pulling her in just a little closer. Just enough that I feel the rise of her chest as she inhales.

“We should get going,” I say. “I’d like to check on the animals and let Emma settle in.”

Emma hugs my parents and Grandpa Albert before we head inside to grab her suitcase. She takes her briefcase, and we make our way toward the back path leading to my house.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” I ask, reaching for her hand again without thinking.

The second our fingers twine, she looks back over her shoulder. “Is Grandpa still watching?”

“No, but I thought we could practice,” I shrug.

“Is pretending to be my fiancée that hard?” she teases.

“No, but it’s definitely testing some boundaries.”

She smirks, like pushing my buttons is her new favorite game.

We hit the tall grass, the path narrowing, forcing her to slow down. Her heels sink into the dirt, and with a sigh, she stops to yank them off, leaving her barefoot.

“You’re going to walk like that?” I ask.

She wiggles her toes in the dirt. “I may need to trade in my Louboutins for some cowboy boots.”

I bite back a grin. “City slicker having trouble already?”

She steps forward, jabbing her finger into my chest. “Just you wait, cowboy. I’ll be riding circles around you in no time.”

Damn. She looks cute when she’s mad.

I shake my head. “I was just teasing, Ems. Your feet are the same size as Annabelle’s. You can borrow her runners.”

She pauses, tilting her head. “How do you know our feet are the same size?”

I smirk. “Because they’re so… perfect. Size six?”

Her eyes widen. “Yes, actually.”

---