Page 2 of Perfect Guy

I laugh, knowing that to be true. Holding Oliver’s hand, we walk toward my parents.

“How are you?” My mom asks.

“Good. Tired.” I suppress a yawn.

“Well, everyone’s talking about the horseback rides. They loved it,” my dad comments with a proud smile.

“I think so,” I nod.

“How about you, Joy?” My mom asks her.

“It was great. We sold out, which is awesome.”

“That’s great,” my mom and I say at the same time.

“Mads-lyn, will you dance wif me?” Oliver looks up at me with round eyes that make me melt. I love that he combines my nickname with my full name.

“Of course, buddy.” I spin him around before lifting him.

Oliver laughs and holds on to my shoulders, looking around with a wide smile. He’s the most adorable little boy I’ve met. After everything he’s been through, he still has a kind heart.

“Mommy, look! I dance like you,” he calls out to Camille, who laughs and nods.

“You are, baby.” She looks at me and mouths, Thank you.

We spin around to the beat of the faster country song. My dance partner is the best ever. The four-year-old won’t disappoint me the way adults do. His pout is exaggerated when the song ends.

“I want ’nother!” He holds on tight to my shoulders.

“We’ll wait for the next song.” My arms ache from holding him and moving around, but I’ll never let him know that. I’ve spent the last few months getting to know Oliver and babysitting him whenever Levi and Camille go out. He’s become my buddy, and I’ll do anything for him.

“Yay!” He shrieks when the next song begins.

We dance another song before he’s tired of dancing and runs to his mom. I’m left standing alone in the middle of dancing couples.

A deep chuckle makes me jolt. “That kid is too cute.”

I turn and look at Canaan, Joy’s brother.

“He is,” I nod.

“By the way, great job on those plans you brought in the other day. My boss loved the suggestions you made.”

“Really?” My eyes widen.

Canaan is a carpenter for a construction company in a nearby town. When he approached me about a month ago, asking if I’d be interested in working on a project since their regular architect wasn’t available, I agreed to meet his boss. I’m still jaded from what happened at the university, but this was a good opportunity. It’d allow me a chance to work on something that wasn’t permanent and see if my heart was still in it after everything.

“Yeah,” he nods. “Moving the kitchen to the other side allowed to make the rooms bigger, and the clients loved the breakfast nook with the bay windows.”

Pride swells in my chest. Maybe I can have both—working at the ranch and still doing what I love.

“I’m so happy to hear that!” I swing my arms around Canaan. “Thanks.”

“Uh…you’re welcome.” He pats my back awkwardly.

“Sorry.” I step back as heat fills my cheeks. “I got excited. Anyway, I’m gonna go…see where my brothers are.” I hook a thumb over my shoulder in search of an escape plan.

“It’s okay, just caught me off-guard.” Canaan laughs, running a hand through his hair.

Canaan is older than me, and being Joy’s brother, I never really allowed myself to notice him. By the time I was in high school and interested in checking guys out, Canaan was working and dating women his age with all the right curves. Not to mention, I was always a tomboy growing up. That hasn’t changed much, but I did expand my wardrobe and girly knowledge in college.

Deep down, though, I’ll always choose worn jeans and cowboy boots and spend my time outdoors rather than perfecting my makeup skills.

But now that I’ve spent more time with him and I’m not a little girl, I’ve definitely admired his strong body, muscular arms, and the way he fills out his worn jeans. Seeing him work with his hands and different tools is a sight for sore eyes. I have to remind myself he’s a friend, someone I’ve known almost my entire life, and ignore any fluttering happening in my belly.

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