“She used to love hot dogs.” And tonight he planned to take her on a little trip down memory lane.
Sighing heavily, Everly hurried to her industrial-sized refrigerator. She opened the doors and rummaged around. “Aha. I thought I had some of these.” She pulled out a package wrapped in white paper and handed it to him. “This is organic chicken sausage. I use it in some of the pasta dishes.”
“Never tried it.” He held up the package but couldn’t see much through the wrapping.
“Well, it looks like a hot dog,” she said with a grin. “But it tastes a thousand times better, and it won’t eventually kill you.”
Sounded good to him. It’d be a plus if Cass actually liked the food. “Can you cook it over a fire?”
The question seemed to stump her. “I’ve never tried it, but I don’t see why not.”
“Perfect. I’ll take it.” He grabbed a brown paper bag branded with the Farm’s logo and hid the package inside.
Everly walked him back to the dining room. “This sounds like some date you’re taking her on.”
“Yeah. I’m hoping she’ll think so too.” This time there would be no limo, no fancy restaurant. Nothing showy. Just the two of them and a bunch of memories he hoped to rekindle.
“If I had to guess, I’d say she’ll be quite enchanted,” Everly said.
That’s what he was counting on. “Don’t say anything about the hot dogs.”
“Organic chicken sausage,” she corrected. “And don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me.”
* * *
Levi stood outside the corral with Ty and Mateo, watching as Charity closed down the day’s events by racing through the barrels on Ace. The sleek, black horse dodged barrel after barrel, guided by Charity’s expert hands. She crouched low and had that killer look about her, the one that said she wouldn’t stop for anything.
In the stands behind them, the kids cheered and whooped, giving her more praise than they’d given to either Ty on the bull or Mateo on the bronc. Somehow, she’d turned out to be the favorite performer by far.
“It’s because she’s blond,” Mateo grumbled. “Everyone loves blondes.”
“It’s because they don’t know her,” Ty muttered with a grin. “All day she’s been friendly and sweet. Hell, I feel like I don’t know her anymore.”
Levi laughed. “There’s something about barrel racing. The speed. It’s impressive to watch.” He turned to his friends. “But I’d say you both impressed them too.”
“They impressed me,” Mateo said. “That’s a bunch of great kids you found.”
“Yeah,” Ty agreed. “I didn’t think this would be my thing, but I actually didn’t mind it so much.”
“I’m glad you both feel that way.” This was the opening Levi had been waiting for. “What if we made it a more permanent thing?”
“Permanent?” Mateo had never seemed to enjoy that word. There’d been a time when Levi hadn’t either. But he was ready for some stability in his life.
“What if we offered more programs? Mentoring young riders throughout the year and training them to compete?”
Ty frowned. “Kind of like what we did at Gunner’s place?”
“Sure. Except the kids would be younger. And we’d prep them for the junior circuit.” And they wouldn’t live on the ranch. He may have come a long way, but he still couldn’t imagine having kids around 24/7.
Mateo draped his arms over the fence. “And we’d do that here? In Topaz Falls?”
“It’s as good a place as any.” Better, seeing as how he had so many connections and they could use the facilities for free…
The kids’ praise rose higher as Charity finished her ride. She guided Ace into the chute and dismounted before ducking under the corral fence to join them.
Gunner headed up to the small podium in front of the stands. He’d agreed to round out the day with a motivational speech before they sent the kids on their way.
“Gun-ner! Gun-ner!” The crowd chanted his name as he stepped behind the mic. All afternoon, he’d rotated through the different clinics, chatting with the kids and signing autographs, earning their approval and respect.
The noise died down, and the man started in with a story about his first bull ride. It was one of Levi’s favorite Gunner stories.
“What have you three been up to?” Charity asked suspiciously, glancing from him to Ty to Mateo.
“Levi wants us to move to Topaz Falls,” Ty informed her. “To make these camp things a more regular deal.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Seriously?”
“You three don’t have solid roots anywhere.” Levi aimed a glare at Ty. “You want to live with your parents forever?”
“Hey,” his friend shot back, “my parents need help on the ranch.”
“And you’d still be able travel home. I’m thinking maybe eight clinics a year. Some a week long. Some a few days.” It’s not like they’d have to relocate. Unless they wanted to.
“I don’t know if I could make that work with my training schedule,” Mateo said.
“You could train here,” Levi reminded him. He could do the clinics alone, but his experience was limited to bull riding. “We have everything we need for training, between the rodeo grounds and my family’s ranch.”
Charity stared past them, seeming to watch Gunner as he spoke. “Or we could build our own training facility.”
“Pardon?” Out of all of them, Levi had expected her to respond with a hell no. “You’d actually consider it?”
“I like it here,” she said simply. “The mountains. The town. It’s not like I have anything to go home to.” She didn’t talk much about her family, though her mother had quite the reputation. But Charity didn’t seem to have any close ties with anyone.
He hadn’t either. Not before the start of this summer…
Once again, Levi looked up into the stands to where Cassidy sat next to Theo.
“Does this whole clinic thing have anything to do with you wanting to stick around for a certain EMT?” Ty asked. “Because I don’t want to agree to it and then have everything fall apart if things don’t work out in that department.”
“It has to do with wanting to give back, and this seems like the best place to do it.” He was all in. Committed to staying in Topaz Falls as much as possible. Yes, because it would be closer to Cass than, say, his old training facilities in Oklahoma, but also because this place was part of him. Over the last year, he’d helped to build it, and he wanted a life here.
“Well, I’m in,” Charity said definitively. She gave Mateo and Ty the same look she used to intimidate her opponents.
“I’ll try it out.” Mateo shrugged. “Give it a year and see how it goes.”
They all looked at Ty. He heaved a sigh. “Fine. If we can schedule the camps around competitions and visits home, I’m in too.”
“Perfect.” Now all he had to do was create a nonprofit. And raise a shit ton of money. Speaking of…
“I think we should consider signing another sponsorship deal with Renegade.”
“No.” Charity shook her head. “Absolutely not.”
Levi ignored her and focused on Ty and Mateo. “It could help fund the camps.”
Ty gave Charity a look. “You’d say yes to spending most of the year in Topaz Falls, but no to some simple pictures?”
“They make me wear jeans so tight I practically have to use Vaseline to get into them,” she complained.
“So we’ll write that into your contract,” Levi promised. “The jeans have to be in your size.”
“And no more tight, low-cut shirts,” she added. “I get to decide what to wear.”
“Shouldn’t be a problem,” he lied. “I’ll have my agent work on it.” Which pretty much meant Renegade would dictate the terms. But he’d deal with Charity later. Right now he had bigger things to do. “You think you could close things down and supervise pick up?” he asked his friends. “I have to get a few things ready for tonight.”
/> Mateo rolled his eyes. “Man, you’re asking for all kinds of favors today.”
“I’m happy to return them. Anytime.” Yes, he was being particularly needy today. “I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t life or death.” He had one more shot to convince Cass they belonged together. And it’d better work because, after being with her today, he’d decided he pretty much couldn’t live without her.
“Don’t worry, Romeo.” Charity intoned. “We’ve got it. Just make sure tonight doesn’t bomb like your last date did.”
“It won’t.” He never made the same mistake twice. This time, it would be all about Cass.
Chapter Twenty-One
That was the best day ever!” Theo bounded out of the arena behind the rest of the kids, who were being reunited with their parents.
“Whoa there.” Cassidy caught his shoulder before he tore out into the parking lot. “Slow down, trigger. There’re a lot of cars right now.”
“Here.” Lulu quickly collected his hand. “Why don’t you help me to the car? After all that work, I’m tuckered.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Theo dutifully took the lead, guiding Lulu in the direction of the Subaru.
Cassidy followed behind them, smiling to herself. It warmed her heart to see her mom treating Theo like one of her own children. Working the roping station with Mateo had been good for her mother. Cassidy hadn’t seen her that active in years.
Partway to the car, her mom turned to her. “Where do you think you’re going?”
She stopped. “I’m coming with you.”
“Aren’t you supposed to spend some time with Levi?”
“Hey, where is Levi anyway?” Theo demanded. “I didn’t get to see him after the show.”
The evening sun beat hot on Cassidy’s face. “I don’t know.” She hadn’t seen him either. She’d figured something must have come up, and they could get together to talk another time. That wouldn’t be a problem for her. She’d be just fine going home to hide from the obvious chemistry between them.
Theo turned in a slow circle, his eyes searching. “Oh! There he is!” He pointed across the parking lot. “I see him!” Without hesitation he took off in the opposite direction and headed straight for Levi’s truck. The man was perched on the tailgate and seemed to be packing a cooler or something.
Butterflies swarmed Cassidy’s stomach, threatening to lift her right off the ground. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?” she asked her mom. “Maybe I should go home with you…”
“Honey,” Lulu’s voice was firm, “I’ll be fine. Are you going to be okay?”
Her gaze drifted over to Levi again. She had to take her mom’s advice. Find enough courage for each moment. “I don’t know.” Why did she find it so hard to gather her courage when she was with Levi?
Lulu looked straight at her. Her mother’s eyes were beautiful, a watery green color that Cassidy used to wish she’d inherited. “Can I give you some advice?” Lulu never used to ask permission, but it had been a few years since Cassidy had sought her mother’s advice.
“Of course.” She was pretty sure she knew what was coming.
“Don’t think so hard,” Lulu said. “I know you’ve had to worry about a lot. More than a young woman should have to worry. But it would mean the world to me if you’d stop fretting and enjoy your night.”
She couldn’t stop fretting. Her biggest worry was that she’d enjoy the night too much and then they could never go back.
Her mom pressed her palm against Cassidy’s cheek, something she hadn’t done since Cassidy was very young. “Sometimes it’s okay to let your heart guide you, sweetie.”
The warmth from her mom’s hand seeped into her. “I’m not sure I know how.” She’d managed to shut off that part after Cash’s death. There were so many details to take care of. She willingly buried herself in them, letting the distraction soothe away the ache that nothing else could seem to touch.
“Maybe you should do whatever you did that night when Dev caught you making out in Levi’s truck,” her mom proposed with a wry smile.
Cassidy gaped at her. “You knew about that?”
“Neighbors talk, honey.”
“Right.” She thought back to that night. How it’d felt when he’d kissed her for the first time. How quickly she’d lost herself.
“I see how you look at him,” Lulu said quietly. “I see how he looks at you. You both get a light in your eyes.” She peered at something past Cassidy’s shoulder. “See? He can’t take his eyes off you.”
Cassidy turned. Levi was on his way across the parking lot with Theo, and Lulu was right. He didn’t take his eyes off her. Not to look for cars, not to watch where he was going. He simply gripped Theo’s hand in his and stormed across the distance between them.
She couldn’t look away from him either. Not when he was ten feet away and not when he stood right across from her.
“Levi said I can come over and meet one of his bulls next week!” Theo seemed to want the whole world to hear.
“If it’s okay with your mom.” Levi didn’t break his concentration on Cassidy.
“That sounds so fun!” Lulu opened the Subaru’s back door for Theo. “But right now, we’d best get you on home. Your mama’s going to want to hear all about your day.”
“Okay,” the boy grumbled. He threw himself at Levi in a super-sized hug. “Thank you. This was my favorite day in the world.”
Levi did look away from Cassidy then. He knelt in front of Theo. “You’re a great kid,” he said, tapping the rim of the boy’s hat. “We’ll definitely keep in touch. I’ll give your mom a call and ask when you can come and hang out.”
“Sounds great!” Theo climbed into the car. “See you later, Cassidy.” He waved from the backseat.
She waved too.
Her mom opened the driver’s door. “You two have a good time tonight.” Cassidy didn’t miss the glimmer of amusement in her voice.
Levi didn’t seem to either, judging by the sly way he grinned at her. “You too, Lulu. Are you and Gunner all set?”
“Um. Yes, I think so.” Her mother’s face colored in a way it hadn’t since her father used to tease her. “We decided we’d meet up in town a little later on.”
“I can’t believe you’re going on a date.” Cassidy couldn’t resist the urge to poke fun at her mother too.
“He’s a quality guy,” Levi said, as though he sensed how nervous she was. “Real laid back and easy to talk to.”
“He’d better be.” Lulu gave them both a stern look. “Or I won’t agree to any more blind dates set up by you two.”
“You’ll have a great time.” Cassidy leaned in to give her mom a hug.
“I’m sure we will,” Lulu murmured, ducking to get into the car. Before she closed the door, she gave Cassidy an encouraging smile. “Make sure you have a good time too.”
* * *
Funny how good she was at small talk when there were big things weighing on her heart.
Cassidy forced her mouth shut and pulled on the shoulder strap of her seat belt to give herself more space to breathe. She’d been babbling for five minutes straight about the camp—reliving every funny comment the kids had made, every success they’d experienced.
Levi had indulged her with the occasional “mmm-hmm” or a laugh, but otherwise he’d been abnormally quiet.
Which meant she should be quiet too. He was the one who’d asked if they could talk, after all. Ever since they’d gotten in his truck, she’d filled the silence. She couldn’t help it. Her nerves kept jarring her into saying something.
She forced herself to look out the window. The sun hung low in the western sky, still bright and warm. She loved the way it backlit the mountains, fringing the horizon with a vivid glow.
Still quiet, Levi turned the truck out onto the highway.
She had no idea where he was taking her, other than the fact that they were headed in the general direction of his family’s ranch.
“Want to know what my favorite part of toda
y was?” Levi asked, drawing her gaze back to him.
She simply waited.
“It was watching you with the kids. You’re gonna make one hell of a pediatric nurse.”
“Thanks.” The compliment warmed her through. “But you were the popular one.” He’d entertained those kids all day, with jokes and stories and his fun, good-natured attitude.
“We made a great team.” He slowed the truck and turned off on a jeep road a few miles from the entrance to the ranch. “Thanks for being there, Cass. It meant a lot to me.”
“I’m glad I could help.” Why did her voice sound so awkward? Thick and sultry. It was the emotions churning through her—anticipation simmering above them all. “So where are we going?” she asked, trying to get her bearings. She’d always been directionally challenged in the mountains. Once you were this deep in the forest, it was hard to tell one direction from another.
“You’ll see.” Levi guided the truck up a rocky slope. “How’s the packing going?”
Oh, the packing. For the last eight hours, she’d forgotten the pain of trying to fit her life in boxes so she could move away. “It’s good, I guess. I don’t have much to bring to Denver, honestly. I’m leaving a lot for Mom. My apartment will be pretty bare for a while.”
The uncertainty she’d been fighting off gained ground. Lulu seemed to have made a lot of progress in the last month, but how would she do once she was on her own?
“Naomi still has some of her old furniture in storage somewhere,” Levi said. “I bet she’d be relieved to get rid of it.”
“I hadn’t even thought about that.” She’d been so busy she’d hardly seen her friends at all, but she loved Naomi’s style. When her friend moved into the Hidden Gem Inn, she’d bought all new furniture. “I’ll have to check in with her.” The truth was that she’d been avoiding everyone. Now that the move date was so close, she found herself getting choked up constantly. She’d miss them all so much.
The truck bounced along the dirt road, climbing higher until the trees started to thin. “Wait a minute…” She looked around, taking in the rock face off to her left, the way the trees opened into a view of the valley. She sat taller and tried to see what was ahead. “Are you taking me to the hot spring?”
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