Page 60 of Awaiting the Storm
“Casual. Simple. Not so businesslike. Maybe that pizza place in town. The one on the corner near the post office. I heard they’ve got live music on Friday nights.”
She raises an eyebrow. “The Prairie Pie?”
“Yeah. That’s the one. And I’ll pick you up this time,” I say as I lean in. “Because I want to be perfectly clear—this time, it isn’t a business meeting.”
Her breath catches slightly.
“It’s a date,” I say, my voice low.
She studies me like she’s trying to decide if this is a good idea or not. Hell, I’m not even sure it’s a good idea. All I do know is that I want to sit across from her, learn the things I don’t know yet. See her smile, hear her laugh, and if I’m lucky, kiss her good night.
“I don’t like being stuck anywhere without my own way home,” she whispers.
“You won’t be stuck. You say the word, and I’ll drive you back to the ranch. No questions asked.”
She chews at her bottom lip as she considers it.
“You promise you’ll take me straight home?”
“Cross my heart.”
She finally nods. Just once. “Okay. Pizza.”
Those two words lift something heavy off my chest.
“Pick you up at seven?” I ask.
She quirks a brow.
“Fine. Eight it is,” I say.
She grins.
Just then, the attorney returns with a folder of copies for everyone. Holland and Albert stand and shake hands with the attorney.
And the four of us leave the office.
Deal done.
Finally.
The sky has turned a cobalt blue by the time Charli and I finish the evening chores. The sun dipped below the ridgeline about twenty minutes ago, leaving just enough light to guide us from the barn to the ranch house. The horses have been stabled, brushed, and fed. Giles left about half an hour ago, but Carl’s truck is still parked in the driveway, indicating that he hasn’t returned from checking the water lines in the south pasture yet.
I wipe the back of my hand across my forehead as Charli tosses the empty bucket into the feed room and lets out an exhausted groan.
“I swear, Matty, I’m not exaggerating; Giles has been a pain in the ass lately.”
I snort. “Giles comes across gruff, but underneath, he’s just a big ol’ teddy bear.”
“Yeah, well, he’s been gruffer than usual,” she huffs. “We’ve been working with a few of the new boarded horses this week. And he was being really impatient with one of the colts. Like aggressively impatient. When I told him he needed to relax a little because the colt was feeding off his energy, he told me that if I didn’t like the way he trained horses, then I could leave his arena.Hisarena, like he owns it or something.”
I roll my eyes and start toward the house. “He’s not wrong, Charli. He’s the head trainer. It is his arena.”
“But he was being an ass and in front of the colt’s owner who came to watch.”
I stop and turn to her. “You scolded Giles in front of an owner?”
“Did you hear the part about him …”
