Page 119 of Huckleberry Hill
“No idea. Maybe Wade will hire me as a part-time bartender.”
“Oh, yes, because you really missed your calling slinging drinks.” I laughed and shook my head. “Maybe Lucy will hire you on as a stock boy at General Merc. I heard you helped her out the other day.”
“You’re hearing all sorts of things,” he said. He took my hand and led me to the couch. “Sit. Put up your feet. I’ll get you a drink.”
“I’d really love a cup of tea,” I said.
“Tea it is. I think I have some Earl Grey.”
“Perfect.”
He moved around the kitchen, filling the copper tea kettle and setting it on the stove.
“So can I run something by you?” he asked.
“Run it.”
“I’ve never seen the hot spring. What do you say we take the horses out tomorrow night, camp out under the stars, and come back in the morning?”
“Night trail ride? Oh yeah, I’m down,” I said. “But it’s still kind of chilly.”
“I’ll make sure you’re warm.”
The way he said it had my blood simmering.
“Can I ask you another question?” he inquired.
“Yes.”
“If you’re worried about someone else telling your dad about us, does that mean there is an us?”
“I guess so, yeah.” My brow furrowed. “Well, that’s weird.”
“What’s weird?”
“Usually when I have anxiety, I get a feeling right here.” I pressed a hand to the spot right below my rib cage. “I don’t have that feeling of an angry rodent burrowing inside my belly.”
“That’s good. We don’t want angry rodent burrowing.” He opened a cabinet. “I lied about having Earl Grey. All I have is English Breakfast.”
“That’s fine. This is so strange.”
“Or you could try not rationalizing every single thing. You could just let it be. You like being with me. I like being with you. We’ll deal with whatever fallout comes because of your dad. But I’m not worried.”
“How can you not be worried? He has a shotgun.”
He looked at me over his shoulder. “Of course he has a shotgun. He’s a rancher.”
“Are you purposefully being obtuse?”
“Yes.” He grinned. “Hadley?”
“What?”
“There’s an us. That makes me really happy.”
“It does?” I asked softly.
“It does.”
