Page 23 of The Cowboy and His Beauty
"Okay. Us girls are going to my apartment to chat. You men have fun!" Sky says, pulling them out the door.
"Have fun and remember, only fifty percent of what she says about me is true!" Mac calls after them.
"You want a beer?" I ask him after the girls have gone.
He smiles. "Yeah, maybe a tour of your set up, too. I could use a good walk.”
I laugh. "That’s what makes your family the second biggest ranch in the state of Texas."
"And ties for second largest in the country!"
We walk outside toward the barn.
"My dad taught me the same thing. Always check out what other ranches are doing, no matter their size. You never know what you can learn," I tell him.
An hour later, over a beer on the back porch, I realize I haven't hung out with someone like this since my days at my first duty station.
It's nice to shoot the shit, even if he's only here for Sky.
Sky
"You know, back home, we have these girls' nights once a month with everyone. We catch up and have some good food, maybe some drinks. I love it," Sarah says.
"It's been so long since I've had a girl's night like this," I tell her.
"That makes two of us. We should make this the start of our girls' night. We can get Austin, Natalie, and Candy to join, I bet," Jenna says.
"I'd like that. But I'm not sure how long I’ll be here," I say.
They both turn to look at me.
"This was temporary. I was supposed to find out what I was doing next before my parents figured it out. I'm shocked they haven't already."
"Honestly, me too. Everyone is talking about it," Jenna agrees.
"Great," I grumble. I turn to Sarah to change the subject. "What's going on In Rock Springs?"
"Megan is pregnant again. Lilly is pregnant, too, and so is her horse, Black Diamond. Kelly seemed to fall off the face of the Earth, so things would have been pretty boring otherwise."
"What about you, Jenna? I know your brothers are on the hunt for a ranch. How are they doing on it?" I ask.
"They’re still saving, but have started looking. They say they’ll know the right place when they find it."
Jenna has three older brothers, and they have this dream of owning and running a ranch together.
"Okay, we’ve talked about everything we can. Now you have to talk about Dash," Sarah says.
"I don't know what to say. I keep seeing the boy I was in love with all those years ago. The one I'd have waited for if he had only asked. But he's different. There is this new side to him I want to get to know."
"I think that's why you haven't done your research on what you want to do next. I don't think you want to leave," Jenna says.
"I agree. I think there was something there even before you knew it was Corey. It's why you took this job," Sarah says.
I can't deny it because there is something there, and I wanted to figure it out. The job to save me from my parents was just a bonus, though now I can see why he offered it.
"Yeah, but I can't let it be the reason I stay."
Chapter 14
