Page 47 of A Cowboy's Bride
They sat in the same seats as that morning, which allowed Aiden to observe the entire family as they passed around the bowls filled high with crisp green salad and the steaming hot savoury pasta. Jinx talked more than she had the day before, mostly to Petra and Declan. Aiden didn’t mind, and Jake seemed more distracted than usual and wasn’t contributing much to the conversation anyway.
They met at the firepit a little earlier that night.
“Come give me a hand,” Aiden called to Petra before she settled in with her crocheting.
She checked for Jinx first, but the girl was tossing a ball for Dixie, the retriever dancing with excitement every time the ball got scooped into the thrower.
“Jinx could be busy at that for hours,” Aiden said with a smile as Petra joined him.
“That works. It’s been a full day, and a positive one, but Jinx not having time to start worrying about tomorrow’s trouble is good.” Petra eyed the rope in Aiden’s hands. “Do I want to know?”
“Relax, darling, nothing kinky. It’s for a swing,” he assured her. “There’s a good spot in the doorway of the barn, and I thought Jinx would enjoy one. In the meantime, you and I need to decide our dating history, and I figured now is as good a time as any.”
“Okay.” She paced at his side to the doorway. “We should keep it simple.”
“Drat. That means the costume ball where you raced off at midnight and left behind your glass slipper is out.”
She snorted. “Yeah. Neither of us fit that story. I’m no Cinderella.”
He paused in climbing the ladder to offer a shocked expression. “You saying I’m no Prince Charming?”
“You’re more the Flynn Ryder type,” she informed him with a drawl.
“Ha.” Aiden hooked the rope over the beam and set to tying a solid knot. “I don’t mind that. Flynn is a decent dude.”
“Once you get past the thieving and lying, he’s a catch,” Petra agreed.
Aiden laughed. “What about online dating?”
“Maybe. Could you have worked in Manitoba recently? My parents’ place is rural Brandon.” She eyed him, confusion slipping into her eyes. “Wait a second. I just thought of something. Jake was working in law enforcement, but he’s now your ranch manager, yes?”
“Yes.” Where was she going with this?
“Declan is obviously head of the animal part of this operation.” Petra raised a brow. “I can’t believe it’s taken until now to ask this, but what exactly is your job? When we met three years ago, you were a ranch hand.”
“That title works for me.” Aiden’s feet hit the dirt-covered ground. Petra held the solid wooden seat in place as he worked to add knots there as well.
She didn’t let the topic go. “You’re a ranch hand. But you know Danielle well enough she trusts you and your family with a stranger’s life…” Petra shook her head. “Heck,Itrusted you enough to agree to this entire scheme without hesitating. What kind of magic are you tossing around?”
“I’m not that complicated, Petra. I like people of all ages, and they tend to like me.” Aiden shrugged. Some people were impressed by titles and a fancy education, but she didn’t strike him as that type. “I talk to everyone, and I try to shoot straight with them the way our stepdaddy taught us. Maybe having people’s backs is a lost trait in this day and age, but I still believe in it. So yeah, people trust me.”
Even though the lies he’d have to tell going forward would be rising exponentially.
The ball went bouncing past them, followed instantly by a blur of golden fur as Dixie raced after it.
“Sorry,” Jinx called.
He waved at the girl. “Practice getting Dixie to stay for a bit before you tell herfetch.”
“Okay.” Jinx glanced around, checking where Jake and Declan were before continuing her task.
Petra looked thoughtful as she discreetly watched Jinx.
“We’ll come back to our story, but I have to say it. I’m shocked at how well it’s going,” Aiden admitted. “Am I imagining things, or has Jinx decided Declan is okay? Or at least more okay than me and Jake? Which I don’t mind at all, but…”
“No, you’re right. Julia again,” Petra shared. “Turns out the foreman at Red Boot ranch has been singing Declan’s praises to everyone who will listen. For some reason, Cody went along as backup when Declan went to pick up a rescue horse about a month ago. The guy they took the horse from thought he could change his mind at the last minute, but Declan made it clear that treating the animal cruelly meant he’d lost all rights to the beast.”
“Sounds like Declan.”
