Page 2 of A Rancher's Vow
Dustin had looked that horse in the eye and told him to mind his manners, and damn if the creature hadn’t listened. He’d shivered for a moment, as if chasing a fly off his withers. Then he’d breathed out a huge sigh and relaxed his head against Dustin’s shoulder.
When it was over, Kelli had kissed Dustin’s cheek. Luke had patted him on the shoulder with an older-brother approval that meant the world to Dustin.
Meanwhile, out in the crowd, someone had used that moment to take a picture of Dustin looking all serious and had now plastered it all over social media.
Dustin rolled his eyes. Stupid what people wanted to waste their time on. His gaze leapt to the words of the article, already wondering how much worse it could get.
Plenty.
Set your sights on this #SilverStoneStud
He might be young, but as part of the newly minted Silver Stone success story, twenty-four-year-old Dustin Stone is one very eligible bachelor. The ranch seems to have found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow after a tragic beginning. This second-generation family operation is gaining ground in a huge way in the horse breeding community. Plus—we’ve heard there’s now oil rights added to the story, and well, there’s only one unmarried Stone who still needs to find his perfect match. You can all see that in the physical area, he’s got what it takes to make anyone sit up and take notice.
Who’s going to be the lucky woman to strike Silver?
Dustin flopped back on the ground, hands flung to the sides as he stared into the sky and groaned. Hell, he was in for such a razzing. His friends and brothers were never going to let him live this down. Cheesiest thing he’d ever read. Strike Silver? God. It wasn’t even a good pun.
And that hashtag? Gross.
His phone rang. Shim, obviously having given up on waiting for a response to his messages, had gone to the method of last resort.
Dustin hit accept and pressed speaker. “What?”
“Oh good. You are still speaking to the little people in your life.” Shim snickered then cleared his throat. “What the hell, Stone?”
“No idea, Choi. I’m busy minding my own business like usual. Hauled cattle this morning, and now I’m sitting here looking for some fish.”
“Well, you should consider looking for a hiding spot.Billionaire? They might as well have painted a red target on your back and shoved you onto a shooting range.”
Dustin snorted. “I’m not a billionaire. Whoever wrote that article has a great imagination. I mean, yes, Silver Stone is doing great. That doesn’t meanIhave more in my wallet than most of the hands.”
His friend clicked his tongue. “I know that, and you know that. But the people who read this are going to think differently.”
“They’ll find out the truth damn quick. Couple of questions in the right places, and they’ll know the only thing that article nailed was that I’m single.” Which was okay by him. Eventually, he’d find a life-partner. Too many examples surrounded him of people doing marriage well to not want to dive in at some point.
But now? Hell no.
“Ignoring the article, after asking how you ended up reading such bull, when do you get here?” Dustin asked.
“The article was my mom’s fault. She spotted the nonsense about fifteen minutes ago while researching something. She forwarded it with a note that said ranching obviously paid better than technology, so maybe my past summers spent working with you wouldn’t be a total loss.” Shim snickered along with Dustin, then added the more important details. “I handed in my final project today. I’ll be arriving on Monday if that still works.”
“Of course, it works. I’ll be damn glad to see you again.” This was one area where Dustin knew exactly what was going on. “Congrats on finishing school. You’re back in your same room in the bunkhouse. Shoot me your details, and I’ll come grab you at the airport.”
“No need. I’ve got a truck this time.”
Well damn, more good news. “You bought it?”
“I did. I can’t wait to show her off when I get there.” Shim cleared his throat. “Of course, my fourth-hand Chevy, as pretty as she is, won’t get a second look next to whatever fashionable billionaires are driving this week.”
“Fuck off,” Dustin said lightly.
“Just saying.”
“You’re an ass.That’swhat you’re saying?” Dustin considered. “Sure, I agree with you.”
Shim laughed. “Okay, I’ll give you a break. But seriously, the article could be nothing or nothing but trouble. I hope it’s the first.”
“Not much I can do about it. It’s already out there in the world.” The tip of Dustin’s fishing rod dipped, the warning bell dancing merrily as a fish finally found his bait. “Got one. Gotta run.”
