Turning around, my eyes find him leaning with his shoulder against the doorway, a wide, bright grin tugging on his full lips as Suzy runs across the kitchen over to him. He’s wearing a dark brown cowboy hat that looks well worn, and he’s dressed in a plain white t-shirt that molds to his arms and chest in a sinful manner, a light pair of straight leg Wranglers, with a pair of dark brown boots. Dirt—or something similar—coats his tan, corded arms and his shirt, and his cheeks are flushed, probably from all the hard work he did outside today. He squats down, opening his arms as her little body collides with him, and he looks so fucking hot, I have to turn away and busy myself with stirring the pasta to avoid risking getting caught checking him out. That wouldn’t be good.
Yes, he and my sisteraregetting a divorce, but he’s still very much off limits to me. I don’t think that’d fly over well with Jade.“Hey, thanks for letting me crash here while I was figuring my life out. Oh, by the way! Stole your ex-husband.”Not that I’m even his type or on his radar at all. He’s known me since I was a young teenager; he probably looks at me like I’m a child. He’s way out of my league, even if he wasn’t off limits.
Boone crosses the room, his boots sounding on the linoleum. “Smells delicious,” he mutters, his voice deep and gruff, sending a shiver down my spine that I work very hard to hide.
Glancing over my shoulder, I offer him a small smile. “Thanks. You’re right on time. It’s done.”
He hums in appreciation, and it has no right sounding as seductive as it does.Jesus Christ, I need to get my libido under control, and fast. At this rate, I’m going to pop a fucking boner at the dinner table.
Grabbing two of the plates off the table, he dishes Suzy up, then himself, and once he’s done, I get mine too. I grab a Coke out of the fridge, but before I shut it, I ask, “Want anything from in here?”
“Can you grab me a Bud Light?” he asks.
“Sure.”
Dinner passes easily enough. Suzy asks Boone a ton of questions about his day and the bulls he helped get back to the ranch, and he asks her about her day in return. It’s cute watching them interact. Yes, they’re doing very normal father-daughter things, but the pure love and adoration Suzy looks at Boone with is sweet. In the way I’ve heard her talk about him before, it’s clear she’s very proud of him.
After we finish eating, Boone tells me he’ll take care of the dishes, so I head down the hall to my room and try to make myself scarce, giving the two of them space to spend time together without me hovering. One of my biggest worries about staying here is that I’ll be in the way. Eventually, I hear them both head upstairs, where he’s probably giving her a bath and getting her ready for bed.
Busying myself with work, I go through all the pictures I took at the arena this week. They’re gearing up and getting ready for the annual Grand Prix, so I’ve been watching all the equestrians practice while snapping pictures and videos that the social media team can tease to their platforms. Boone’s also been busy. They have a fundraiser they’re all preparing for, so I’ve been bringing Suzy along with me and she seems to be enjoying herself. She loves watching the riders and the horses, and she’s good about being quiet when I’m trying to work. They asked me to shoot the Grand Prix event, and I couldn’t be happier. It’s still not a permanent job, but I think I’m getting closer. Hannah seems to really enjoy my work, and we get along nicely.
I lose myself to editing, and before I know it, the sun has disappeared, and it’s later than I thought. After I shut my laptop down, I take a quick shower, brush my teeth, and climb into bed.
Where I lie and stare up at the ceiling…for hours.
Seriously, where the hell is the sandman when you need him?
Annoyed, I grab my Kindle off the nightstand and exit my room. I’ve become very fond of sitting on the back porch at night when I can’t sleep, choosing to read instead. It’s relaxing. I bring my comforter, wrapping it around myself because the October chill can be a bit much. I love the midnight sky here. Nothing beats a small-town view of the sky. Since I was little, I’ve enjoyed sitting outside at night, staring up at the stars and the moon. I remember many nights, sneaking out onto the roof at my parents’ house, reading until all hours of the night. It’s something I missed when I was at college. BPU is located in such a crowded city that the stars are practically nonexistent out there.
It's nice being back in Copper Lake, if only for this reason. But if I’m being honest with myself, it’s for a lot more reasons than just that. When I was in high school, I went through a phase I’m sure every kid from a small town goes through. The growing pains. The urge to leave. Experience other places and start over. The idea of growing old here freaked me out. I wanted more. And then when I graduated and went to college, when I finally left this small town I thought I hated, I realized how much I missed it. I missed the feel of it. The unhurried pace. I missed the lack of traffic and chaos. Getting out isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.
“What are you doing out here?”
I startle at the sound of Boone’s sleepy voice, my head snapping in the direction it’s coming from. He’s dressed in a pair of low-slung plaid pajama pants…and nothing else. His chest is bare. His arms are bare. Even his feet are bare. And his hair istousled, probably from sleep, but it definitely looks like it’s from something else entirely. Something dirtier. Something that has heat pooling near the base of my spine and my mouth watering. Even one side of his mustache is smooshed up, like he was just sleeping on that side of his face. It shouldn’t be cute, but it is.
“Shit, you scared me,” I breathe out, readjusting myself so my body is turned slightly more toward him as he takes a seat next to me. “We seem to always be doing that to each other,” I add with a breathy chuckle.
“Sorry, Suzy had a nightmare, and I haven’t been able to fall back to sleep since she woke up.”
“Is she sleeping again?”
He nods. “She doesn’t have nightmares often, but when she does, she falls back asleep easily. But once I’m up, it’s impossible to go to sleep again. It’s frustrating.”
“I’m sorry. I’m the same way, except getting to sleep initially is the problem for me.”
Boone nods, and we fall into silence for a moment before he asks, “So, how’d your parents take the news of you dropping out?”
“Oh, fantastic,” I reply sarcastically. Boone laughs because he knows my parents better than that. “Nah, I haven’t told them yet. I’m a chickenshit, but I plan to soon. I know they’re going to be so disappointed, though.”
He huffs out another laugh. “If I’m being honest, I’m kind of surprised you even agreed to go to BPU at all.”
Glancing over at him, my brows pinch. “Really? Why?”
“You’ve just never struck me as the corporate office, business type. You’ve had a camera in your hand for as long as I’ve known you. I figured you’d go that route.”
Hearing Boone say that feels validating in a way I didn’t even realize I needed, like somebody other than me can see the passion I have for this.
Nodding, I admit, “I wanted to, and still do. I guess I just…I don’t know. Wanted their approval? Wanted to make them proud, I guess. And I felt the only way to do that was to follow their plan.”
