Page 30 of A Rancher's Vow
“I’ll let Fern know.” Charity checked her watch. “And Shim will have arrived. You should tell him.”
Setting into the U-shaped seat at the small trailer table, Dustin looked thoughtful. “Let’s brainstorm a game plan first. Details, that sort of thing. We tell everyone in Heart Falls that we’re seeing each other. Our family and friends obviously know it’s not true, but they won’t say anything to contradict us. I doubt anyone in town will think we’re pulling a fast one. It’s not as if wecouldn’tdate.”
“The people who messaged you after the article came out—what did you tell them?” she asked.
He made a rude noise. “Nothing. I haven’t responded to any of them except Shim. If the first time someone messages me in a year is to discuss the loan they’d like me to float, they don’t deserve a response.”
Charity paused, shock rippling through her. “They didn’t.”
“Some did.” Dustin lifted a shoulder. “Some wanted gossip more than cash. I wasn’t interested in answering any of them.”
“Well, good?” She offered a sad sigh. “Sorry. That sucks.”
“The whole kit and caboodle.” Dustin frowned. “Whatever the hell that means.”
They both laughed, smiling at each other like the co-conspirators they were.
“Back to the game plan. We just started dating,” Charity suggested. “Like a couple of weeks ago. We were keeping it quiet because…”
“Because I have a big, nosy family, and some things are private.” Dustin shrugged. “Good enough reason in my books.”
“But we were going to say something in another week because the auction organizers, aka Fern’s sisters, Tansy and Rose, need to know.” Charity considered the possible pitfalls they would need to clear. “By the way, I’m not interested in doing any interviews. That stupid article made me angry because you are not single, and that’s that.”
“Great stuff.” Dustin was typing rapidly on his phone.“…and I’m not single. Make sure my name is removed from all social media information about the auction.”
“And I say we ignore the woman who doxxed you. Because giving her attention would just make her happy.” Charity hesitated. But the thought had popped into her head, and if this was brainstorm time, she needed to share it. “We could be there. At the auction, although I can’t believe I’m saying this.”
His eyes had gone wide. “Aren’t you a glutton for punishment?”
“Oh, I’m not saying we have to, but it is one of two choices. If you’re not there, maybe people will believe you’re unavailable, or they’ll think that you’re hiding. If we go and put on a show, we can prove you’re not single.”
Dustin nodded thoughtfully. “Let’s think on that one. First, we get my name off the roster.”
“Yes.” Charity bounced lightly on her toes. “I need a walk. It’s been a long day, and after sitting in your truck, I need to get the blood flowing. And your uncle was not wrong about this trailer being small.”
“Small enough a person needs to go outside to change their mind.” Dustin winked. “I’ll take you on a tour of the nearby arenas. We can get some fresh air, and I’ll show you where the cookhouse is.”
Thank goodness, since they hadn’t brought any extra food along. “Sounds like a plan.”
It also got them a little farther from the one topic she’d been deliberately avoiding. The double-wide mattress at the end of the trailer that was also going to be noticeably small once she and Dustin climbed into it.
The bed she’d give anything to be sharing with Dustin for real.
Charity bounced herself and her hungry sex thoughts out the door after Dustin.
Patchwork Annie slipped from under the trailer and joined them, walking lightly at Dustin’s side. Charity remembered something his uncle had said. “Why did Frank say Annie was his dog?”
Dustin shoved his hands into his pockets as he led her around the edge of a small arena toward a low-roofed building. “She grew up here at Crooked Creek. One of the trips Caleb sent me on a couple of years back, I ended up here during a big storm. One of the hands mentioned that the dog had gone missing. Uncle Frank shrugged and said, ‘these things happen.’”
“Damn, that’s cold.”
Dustin sighed. “That’s not the part I can get mad about. He wasn’t wrong. Things happen on the ranch that suck. Animals get hurt or go missing. Caleb and Ashton taught me sometimes the kindest thing we can do is to put them out of their misery.”
Charity stopped beside him where he’d paused. “So…what happened?”
“I found her by accident. She must have been crossing Crooked Creek and got caught in the high storm surge. Ended up trapped under some branches. I got her out and brought her to the barn.”
“She was okay?”
