Page 60 of Dust and Desire
And there was Dustin, smiling at something she’d said, looking more animated than I’d seen him all week. They fit together so easily, their conversation flowing like they were picking up exactly where they’d left off. There was so much familiarity… something that Dustin and I hadn’t been together long enough to have. Hell, I was still trying to get him to open up completely to me.
“Alex!” Dustin’s face lit up when he spotted me, and some of the tension in my chest eased. He slid over to make room for me, his hand finding mine under the table as soon as I sat down. “Ali, this is Alex. Alex, this is Ali.”
Ali turned those sharp brown eyes on me, and I felt like I was being evaluated. Her smile was polite but assessing, and I could practically see her cataloging every detail about me.
“So, you’re the famous Alex,” she said, extending a perfectly manicured hand. “Dustin’s told me so much about you.”
“All good things, I hope,” I replied, shaking her hand. Her grip was firm, confident, the handshake of someone used to boardrooms and negotiations.
“The best things,” she said, but there was something in her tone I couldn’t quite read. “He seems quite taken with you.”
Heat crept up my neck. “The feeling’s mutual.”
Dustin squeezed my hand under the table, and I felt some of my anxiety settle. He was here with me, choosing to sit beside me, to hold my hand even with his ex-wife watching. That had to mean something.
“Ali was just telling me about her riding lesson with Caroline,” Dustin said, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “Apparently it was... eventful.”
Ali laughed, a sound that was both musical and slightly embarrassed. “That’s one way to put it. I think I spent more time on the ground than in the saddle. Caroline is... intense.”
“She’s a good teacher,” I offered. “Tough but fair.”
“Oh, she’s definitely tough,” Ali agreed, and there was something in her voice that made me look at her more closely. A flush hadcrept up her neck, and she was fidgeting with her water glass. “Very... hands-on.”
Dustin snorted into his water glass, nearly choking. “Caroline? Hands-on? That’s... interesting.”
I watched the exchange between them, feeling like I was missing something. Ali’s blush deepened, and she quickly changed the subject.
“So, Alex,” she said, her eyes finding mine again. “Tell me about yourself. How did a city lawyer and a cowboy end up together in the middle of nowhere Texas?”
“Pure luck,” I answered honestly, feeling Dustin’s thumb tracing circles on my palm under the table. “Right place, right time.”
“He’s being modest,” Dustin cut in. “He showed up looking for work, and I was... well, I was a mess, Ali. You know how I was when I first moved here.”
Ali’s expression softened. “Lost. Trying to find yourself.”
“Exactly. I’ve been that way for the past two years. And then Alex came waltzing onto the ranch.” Dustin looked at me with such open affection that my earlier fears seemed ridiculous. “He just... saw me. The real me.”
“That’s beautiful,” Ali said, and to my surprise, she sounded genuinely happy. “Truly.”
Dolly appeared at our table, saving me from having to respond. “Well, aren’t you three a picture? What can I get y’all tonight?”
We ordered, and as Dolly walked away, I felt some of the tension in my shoulders ease. This wasn’t so bad. Ali seemed nice enough, and Dustin was clearly comfortable with both of us here. Maybe this dinner wouldn’t be the disaster I’d feared.
“So, Ali,” I ventured, wanting to make an effort. “Dustin mentioned you’re also a lawyer?”
“Insurance,” she nodded, letting out a long sigh. “It’s dull as hell, but it pays well and there’s never anything too complicated to do. The biggest issues I have are arguments over wording in contracts and policies.” She glanced at Dustin. “I sort of hate it,but it pays for my apartment and my shopping habit, so I don’t mind.”
“You were always better at accepting the monotony than I was,” Dustin said with a small smile. “I kept thinking each new acquisition would somehow be more fulfilling than the last.”
“That’s because you’re a romantic,” Ali replied, her tone fond but teasing. “Always expecting the world to be better than it is.”
I felt Dustin tense slightly beside me, and I squeezed his hand under the table. These weren’t just casual observations, this was someone who knew him in ways I was still discovering.
“Nothing wrong with being a romantic,” I said, surprising myself with how protective I sounded. “The world needs more dreamers.”
Ali’s eyes flickered to me, something like approval in her gaze. “You’re right. It’s one of his best qualities.” She took a sip of her water. “So, what about you, Alex? What were you doing before you became a ranch hand?”
My stomach clenched. This was dangerous territory. “Bit of everything. Worked ranches all over. Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, Louisiana.” I shrugged, aiming for casual. “I like the freedom of it.”
