“Thanks. One of my many party tricks.”
I waited for him to walk away, but he didn’t. He just stood there, one hand wrapped around that cup as his free one dipped inside the pocket of his faded blue jeans. I hated that I noticed the way they fit him, the way they hung off his hips, the edge of his brown belt just barely visible under the navy blue t-shirt he wore. It had a logo on it that I wasn’t familiar with, but combined with the low orange light of the fire, that shirt set off the cobalt in his blue-gray eyes in a mesmerizing way. His thick biceps strained against the fabric of the sleeves, and when I glanced at his face again, I realized he was checking me out, too.
His gaze was fixed on my legs.
I cleared my throat, crossing my arms over my chest as I shifted my weight. “Aren’t you a little old to be here?”
“Aren’t you a little young?” he countered, taking a sip of his beer as his eyes scanned the scene behind me like he was suddenly bored.
I scowled. “Look, if you came over here to berate me, feel free to leave.”
At that, his eyes snapped back to me. He pinned me with that gaze, like I was a child or his next target — which one, I couldn’t be sure.
“I came over here to bring you a beer,” he reminded me. “I was trying to be a gentleman, and I was going to apologize for upsetting you earlier this week at the distillery. But now, I’m not sure why I bothered.”
Noah shook his head, his shoulder brushing mine a bit as he walked past me with my mouth hanging open like a fish. I blinked several times, digesting what he’d said before my cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Annie cringed. “I don’t think he’s being a creep, Ruby Grace,” she said as Noah walked away. “It seemed like he was trying to apologize. Maybe you should let him.”
I closed my eyes, letting out a long exhale before I turned, jogging after him. “Wait!”
He paused where he was, turning as I caught up to him. I swallowed when our eyes met again.
“I’m sorry,” I said, running my hands back through my hair before I let them hit my exposed thighs with a slap. “I didn’t mean to be so rude. It’s just…” My voice faded, and I had a laundry list of excuses I wanted to spew — about the stress of the wedding, the fact that my best friend had toted me to a party I didn’t even want to go to and then wanted to leave an hour in — but, I knew Noah Becker didn’t want to hear my problems, so I stopped there. “It’s just been a hell of a week.”
Noah nodded, waiting.
“Anyway,” I continued. “Thank you for the beer, even though I didn’t take it. And for apologizing for the distillery.” I paused again. “I guess I should probably apologize for that day, too.”
Noah tilted his head a little, his eyes curious. “So, are you going to?”
I rolled my eyes. “Can’t you just not be a brat?”
He chuckled at that, sipping from his cup. “I don’t think anyone has ever called me a brat, outside of my mom.”
“Mom’s always right.”
“Touché,” he said, tapping his cup with one of the fingers that held it before he nodded over his shoulder. “Come on. Let’s ditch this place for a while.”
My eyes widened. “What?”
“You don’t want to be here,” he reminded me. “And honestly, I’m bored out of my mind. There are some stables down by the creek. Let’s go for a midnight ride.”
“We can’t just ride someone else’s horses.”
“One of them is mine.”
That shut me up.
I shifted, tucking my hair behind my ears as I looked around us. People were already watching, whispering, wondering what in the world Ruby Grace Barnett was doing talking to a Becker boy.
“We can’t leave together,” I said, lowering my voice as I folded my arms back over my chest. “People will see.”
Noah furrowed his brows like he didn’t understand it, but when he followed my gaze, noticing the group of girls around my age with their eyes on us, he nodded in understanding.
“Ah,” he said, sliding his free hand back into his pocket as he took another drink of his beer. “I see. You still give a fuck what other people think of you.”
“No,” I said quickly, too quickly, blowing my faint attempt at nonchalance.
Yeah. Clearly he’ll believe that.
The truth was I did care — more than I wanted to admit. Our town loved to talk, and the last thing I wanted was to be the subject of anyone’s gossip.
“No, that’s not it,” I said again, voice more steady, though it was still a lie.
“Mm-hmm.”
“It’s not,” I argued again, like a child. “I don’t care what anyone in this town thinks of me.”
“Okay. Prove it, then,” he said, draining what was left of his beer before he tossed the cups in one of the trash cans nearby. He didn’t look over his shoulder to see if I was following him, just started off in the direction of the stables in the distance.
I bit my lip, looking back where Annie and Travis were — were being the big key word. They were gone, and when my phone pinged, I looked down to a text from her.
We’re heading out. Seriously, stay and have fun. Don’t let the old married couple drag down your night. Call me if you need a ride later. Love you!
I groaned, sliding my phone back in my pocket as I glanced back at Noah. He was already on the other side of the bonfire.
“Prove it,” I mocked, crossing my arms. “Whatever. I’m not a kid, I don’t need to prove anything to him.”
But even as the words rolled off my tongue, I knew they didn’t reflect what I actually felt. I wanted to prove him wrong, to prove to him and everyone watching and maybe even to myself that I could do whatever I wanted and it didn’t matter what anyone had to say about it.
Plus… I hadn’t gone riding since before I left for college. I used to love riding. That would be way more fun than sitting around drinking with a bunch of people I didn’t really care about… right?
I told myself that was the reason I went jogging after Noah, telling him to wait up. It wasn’t because I was being stubborn, or defiant, or because I wanted desperately to put my money where my mouth was and prove to Noah that he didn’t know everything about me like he thought he did. And it wasn’t because it was him, or because I wanted to be near him.
It was because I wanted an excuse to ditch that party and ride horses.
Noah chuckled when I caught up to him, my breath labored. He didn’t say a thing as we walked, and when the voices and music from the party were out of range, the familiar sound of the creek and the crickets chirping came to life, instead. I sighed, my breath steadying, tension seeping out of me like water through a leaky faucet.
“Better?” he asked when the sound from the party was completely muted by the sounds of Tennessee, instead.
I smiled, shoving him in lieu of admitting he was right. I blushed a little when my hand wrapped around his bicep before I pushed him away, because even that brief contact reminded me how stout he was, years of raising barrels building him into a specimen unlike any other.
He smirked, bouncing back from my shove easily before his eyes trailed down my legs. “Now, let’s see if you can ride in those boots.”
* * *
Noah
I didn’t know what made me do it.
I didn’t know what made me fill a second cup up with beer after my own was full and walk it across the Black Hole to Ruby Grace Barnett. Part of me really did want to apologize for whatever I’d said that had upset her after the tasting at the distillery, but part of me also just wanted to talk to her — period. I didn’t have a reason, so I’d brought that beer, thinking it’d be an ice breaker.
For a less stubborn woman, it might have been.
But, whatever the reason, I was glad I’d gone over to talk to her, because regardless of her being feisty and acting like she didn’t want to give me more than two minutes of her time, she’d let that same part of her slip that she had at the distillery
— the young girl inside. She’d let her guard down, confessed her anxiety over being back home, over being at the Black Hole. I didn’t know the complete reason why, but she’d needed someone in that moment.
And I was that someone.
I smiled as Ruby Grace ran her hands over the smooth, white and black tobiano pattern of Tank’s neck, her polished fingernails scratching a little as she did. Tank leaned into the touch, neighing softly, tail swishing back and forth in his stall.
“I never knew you rode horses,” she said after a long moment, wide eyes glancing at me before she focused on the horse again. “No offense, but it’s not exactly something I pictured a Becker doing.”
I scoffed. “What, you think we just drink and fight all day, every day?”
She didn’t respond, but her apologetic glance told me she actually did think that.
I chuckled, kicking off where I’d been leaning against the stable watching her. “My mom taught me how to ride when I was a kid. My other brothers never really got into it, but it’s always been a release for me. Dad bought me Tank when I turned fourteen. He was just a year old, then.” My heart ached a little at the mention of my father, just like it always did. “We keep him out here at the Jensen’s because they have everything they need to take care of him. I pay them a monthly fee, and I can come out here and ride him whenever I want.”
“And do you often?”
“At least once a week, sometimes more.”
Ruby Grace smiled, both of us falling silent again as she ran her fingers through Tank’s mane. He was an American Paint Horse, strong and muscular, his spotted coat and multi-colored mane the most eye-catching elements about him. Tank was fifteen years old now, and though he didn’t show signs of becoming a senior horse anytime soon, I still went easier on him now than I had when I was younger. We used to jump logs and round barrels, dredge through the creek, gallop as fast as I could get him going. Now, I usually took him for long, easy rides, letting him stretch his legs as I got lost in my thoughts for an evening. Sometimes we’d go out to the old tree house Dad built for me and my brothers, other times we’d just walk the trails, along the river, or wherever Tank’s hooves wanted to take us.
Watching Ruby Grace pet him made my pulse quicken. She wasn’t the first girl I’d used that line on. I’d used it plenty of times, bringing whatever girl was into me that night down to the stable to watch them pet Tank and fuss over how cute he was before I laid them down in the straw bales and fucked them until the sun came up. But Ruby Grace was the first one I brought here because I knew she needed to get away, she needed to escape.
And this is where I came to do just that.
I knew I wasn’t going to fuck Ruby Grace. For one thing, she was nineteen. For another, she was engaged. She was also the most infuriating girl I’d met, stubborn and judgmental, and nowhere near my type. I liked my women wild, little spitfires who could give me a run for my money in the sack. But none of that changed the fact that she was very, very nice to look at.
I’d wondered that day at the distillery what she would look like in boots instead of heels, and I’d gotten my wish. Her brown and turquoise buckaroo boots covered her calves, spanning up to just below her knees where her smooth, tan skin was exposed. That skin was mesmerizing, her toned thighs seeming somehow longer in those boots and the tiny, ripped-up white shorts she’d paired them with. The outfit was nothing like what I’d seen her in that first day, no fancy dress or belt or designer heels. She was just a girl in a tank top and shorts and boots.
A country girl.
And I hated what seeing her that way did to me.
I swallowed, shoving those thoughts aside and tearing my eyes from her legs as I crossed the space between us. I reached up to pet Tank right under where she did, debating if I was really ready to offer my next statement, because I never had before.
“Wanna ride him?”
Ruby Grace lit up, smile as wide as her face as she turned to me. “Really? You’d let me?”
My chest tightened again, because I’d never let anyone ride Tank — save for the Jensen family who cared for him. But, this was the most relaxed I’d seen Ruby Grace since she barreled back into town, and for some reason, I wanted to keep her like that.
“Yes, really,” I said on a chuckle. “Hang on, let me get her suited up.”
Ruby Grace looked around the barn as I brushed Tank, strapping him up with his riding pad, saddle, girth and bridle next. I checked everything twice, including each and every hoof. I’d been out earlier that week to trim his hooves, but I wanted to be sure they were in good shape to ride. Once I was satisfied with my inspection, I guided Tank out of the barn and into the warm summer night.
“Alright,” I said, patting the saddle before I turned to Ruby Grace, reins still in my hands. “Hop on up.”
I expected her to whine, or scoff, or ask how in the world to you expect me to do that in these shorts? But to my surprise, little miss Ruby Grace didn’t say a single word. She put the toe of her boot in the stirrup, reached one hand up to grab the horn, and heaved her opposite leg up and over, shifting her weight a bit until she was comfortably seated.
She smirked when she saw my face, tossing her long red locks behind her shoulder as she shrugged. “What? Did you think I was too prissy to know how to ride a horse, Noah Becker?”
I put my hands up in a surrendering gesture. “I didn’t say a word.”
“You didn’t have to. That trout mouth of yours said it all,” she said.
“Alright, watch your foot for a second,” I said, ignoring her last remark. She frowned as I handed her the reins, confusion rolling over her as I put my own foot in the stirrup and heaved myself up to sit behind her. When I edged forward, the zipper of my jeans hitting the back pockets of hers, I inhaled a steep breath, looking up to the moon like it would somehow save me from getting a boner once we started riding and that sweet ass was rubbing up against me.
“Oh,” she said, and even from where I sat behind her, I could see her cheeks flushing in the moonlight. “I… I didn’t realize you would be up here, too.”
“You think I was just going to walk alongside while you rode, princess?”
She frowned. “Don’t call me that.”
“Whatever you say, ma’am.”
She growled a little at that, elbowing me in the ribs as I laughed. Then, I grabbed hold of the reins, and away we went.
The moon was full and bright that night, reflecting off the creek as we rode along its edges. For a while, we were both quiet, soaking in the dampness of the night’s humidity, the sounds of the water and insects around us, the smell of the country. I closed my eyes and inhaled a deep breath, finding that peace and comfort I always did on Tank’s back, mixed with a little of something unfamiliar with Ruby Grace being there, too. I wondered what she was thinking, if she was happy to be there, if she was still anxious about what people would say tomorrow.
And they would have something to say.
I couldn’t remember how old I was when I realized that would never change, but that I changed my perspective on it, not giving people the power they wanted with their gossip. I knew I was older than Ruby Grace when it happened, and I knew it was after my father had passed. At first, I’d been so triggered by the rumors, by the way that whole town talked about my father like they knew him when they didn’t. But after a while, I started to care less, and less, until I didn’t give a single fuck about anyone but my family.
We trotted along my favorite trail, ducking our heads when the branches of the trees dipped a little too low. I was right about Ruby Grace’s ass rubbing against me, and when she edged back, adjusting her weight for what I assumed was comfort, the fabric of her jean shorts rubbed over the length of my cock in a way that made me bite my lip to keep from groaning out loud.
“So,” I said, trying to spark up conversation that would get my mind off her body touching mine. “What’s got you so stressed out that you’re biting off a nice guy’s head when he offers
you a beer?”
I expected her to pop off back at me, but she just chuckled, letting out a sigh on a shrug before she spoke. “I don’t know. Being back home, I guess. UNC felt like my new home, and now I’m back in this place where I’m not sure where I fit in. And my mom is all over me about the wedding, which I know we still have a lot to do with it being only six weeks away. But… I don’t know. It’s summer, it’s supposed to be fun, and I just feel…”
“Smothered,” I finished for her.
She turned a little over her shoulder, and though our eyes couldn’t meet, I knew I’d struck a nerve. “Yes,” she agreed, turning back forward. “Exactly that.”
I nodded. “I’m sure it’s a lot of pressure, being the Mayor’s daughter. And now, getting married.” I debated my next words carefully before speaking them out loud. “Don’t take this the wrong way, because I don’t mean anything by it, but… you’re young. I was surprised when my boss told me I was showing a barrel to an engaged nineteen-year-old.”
“Plenty of people get married at nineteen,” she spouted back. “Especially in Stratford.”
“I know,” I said, soothingly, calming my voice so she could see I wasn’t picking a fight. “I guess it’s just that when I was that age, I didn’t even know who I was, let alone who the person was who I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.”
Ruby Grace fell quiet at that, and for a while, it was just the sounds of the night around us. I thought I’d overstepped again, and I waited for her to push me off the horse or demand that I take her back, but instead, after a long pause, she just sighed.
“I think they just expect me to be like my sister,” she murmured. “Mary Anne loves this kind of stuff — picking colors of flowers, choosing between ribbon or twine, finding the perfect dress.”
I remembered her older sister, especially because she was only a couple years younger than Logan. They’d run in similar crowds, been in similar parties. But, after college, Mary Anne had made her way over to Europe to study fashion design. The town hadn’t seen much of her since.
I wondered if that was part of Ruby Grace’s sense of obligation — the fact that her older sister was gone, and she was here, waiting to fulfill her family’s legacy.
Fall in Love Book Bundle: Small Town Romance Box Set Page 284
