Page 2 of Fern's Date with Destiny
The older women in her life—and there were a lot of them—always made Fern smile for one reason or another.Her three sisters were just as rock solid as Mom and Grandma, and Fern cherished the moments she got to spend with them.
Her phone rang, and she answered it quickly, hoping she wasn’t about to disappoint one of those important people.
“Hey, Rose.Please don’t ask me to come in early, because I can’t.I’m going for a trail ride with Tansy and Cody.She’s finally cashing in her win from the last bachelor auction.”
“That’s why I’m calling.Message for you from Tansy.She’s sick as a dog.”
“Oh no!What’s up?”Fern stared out the window, avoiding eye contact with her mom because Sophie was a mind reader at times.One of her babies sick?
She’d be over at the apartment, mothering Tansy within minutes.
“Just a bad summer cold, so she plans to stay in bed today.But—” Rose added before Fern’s disappointment could rise, “the trail ride is still on.I called Red Boot ranch and let them know you’re still coming out, so go ahead and keep that date.”
“Is she sure?We could switch it to another day.”
“No.Tansy insists you go,” Rose assured her.“Have fun.Tell her all about it when you can.She bid at the auction to mess with people.She wasn’t really hoping to date Cody or anything.”
Which Fern already knew.“If she’s sure…”
“Very sure.Now, I have things to do since I’m the only sister working the café this morning,” Rose teased.“Have a blast, and I’ll see you this afternoon for your shift.”
“Deal.Love you,” Fern offered brightly.
“Love you too.”
Between catching her mom and grandma up on the details of Tansy’s cold and then getting herself ready for the ride, she didn’t have time to do more than consider in passing that this wasn’t what she’d had in mind when she’d asked to join Tansy and Cody.
She knew him.Sort of.They’d bumped into each other around town over the past few years since he’d moved to Heart Falls, but he was a good bit older than her and didn’t run in her usual social circles.She’d met him a few more times recently since his older brother was now dating Rose, but that was the extent of it.
The morning was shaping up to be an entertaining adventure, no matter what happened.Proof once again that she’d done the planning to set up the thing she really wanted—the trail ride—and now it was time to trust in fate.
Whatever it had in store for her.
Cody swayed easilyin the saddle, letting Princess Buttercup pick her own pace down the dusty trail that edged Red Boot’s western fence line.It was early enough the high summer heat hadn’t set in yet, the sun still polite, and the air tasted faintly of sage and fresh hay.
He’d knocked out chores before dawn to keep the day clear.Fencing check done.Feed delivered.One stubborn calf turned back through the gate it apparently thought was optional.
All so he could ride with Tansy Fields.Too funny.
Princess Buttercup flicked an ear back, annoyed with his drifting mind.He chuckled and adjusted the reins, giving her a reassuring pat on the neck.Smart, steady little mare.Knew the trails better than he did sometimes.
Cody’s mind, however, continued to drift.This time to Chance, his older brother who’d come to Heart Falls barely a month ago yet somehow walked right into a life that fit him tighter than a custom saddle.
And Rose Fields.Good Lord, that girl had turned Chance inside out from day one.
“Settled right down, didn’t you?”Cody muttered to the horse, but the words were for his brother.He could almost hear Chance’s voice in reply, cocky and laughing.
Aye, only feckin’ eejits run from a good thing, Cody.Might as well stay put if yer arse likes the bed.
Cody huffed a quiet laugh.Chance’s accent always thickened when he got smug, which around Rose was more often than not these days.Not that Cody begrudged either of them the happiness.It was early days yet, but so far the two of them were shaping up to be more than a casual fling.
If Cody was honest with himself, he wouldn’t mind a bit of that kind of luck himself.He had steady work, damn good friends, and a stretch of Alberta prairie to live on that felt like home.
Only piece missing was a woman.
He’d found no potential match, though, in the small town of Heart Falls.His halfhearted attempts at love lately had been through an app, and the results were a bunch of ghostings and cat photos.One online hopeful in Nova Scotia was the only one he’d corresponded with more than a few times, and while he enjoyed their conversations, it still felt odd.
They’d been talking about her coming out for a visit, and he was strangelyokayabout it.Which sucked.He should be excited, not simply okay.
