He practically skipped out of the office, unable to hide the pep in his step or the goofy grin on his face.
This felt good.
This was right.
Renley
Saturday came by far too slowly and when he finally pulled into Eveline’s driveway, he couldn’t have been more excited. As he stepped up to her door, he combed through his hair one last time and made sure his camel-coloured hat sat perfectly on his head. Slowly, the door crept open— andhungrygreen eyes trailed over his neatly polished leather boots, dark jeans, silver belt buckle, and seemed to linger on every black button on his shirt.
“Hi there,” he greeted, voice thick with desire, and the night had hardly even started.
“You look handsome.”
“And here I was hoping I would be the first one to throw compliments. You look stunning.” And she did. Her short, floral sundress barely touched her knees, and her matching leather boots were nicely polished.
She blushed, giving him room to step into the doorway. “Thank you. Let me grab my bag.”
He waited patiently, gazing around the gorgeous space. It was a well-blended mixture of old and new, the ranch seeming to have been recently renovated. The open floor plan provided a clean view into the living room and through to the modest kitchen. His boots clicked against the hardwood floors, the baseboards decorated with a deep, mahogany wood.
“You have a gorgeous house.”
“Thank you.”
Jealousy threatened to spike in his chest, but he tamped it down. Eveline had worked hard for this, and he wasn’t about to be a brat because of it. He stood in the doorway while she set down some cat food—for the cats that were currently hiding—then followed her to the garage. As he was about to get into the car, he realised she wasn’t disassembling her wheelchair.
“Do you want me to put that in the trunk for you?”
“Very attentive of you, but I already have one in there.”
He took his seat, and the garage door hummed to life with the click of a button. “You have two?”
“Yeah, I spoiled myself a bit. It makes my days easier if I don’t have to put it together every time I get home.”
“Clever.”
“My bachelor’s has to be good for something,” she laughed, backing out of her driveway.
“Have you been to the rodeo yet this year?”
“I haven’t. My sister usually comes to visit with her kids, but they got sick opening weekend.”
“They don’t live here?”
Eveline shook her head. “An hour east of Austin. She’s always wanted to have a patch of land and have her own little farm.”
“But you visit them?”
“I’m heading there in a few weeks, actually. I try to see them regularly because the monsters grow too quickly. Do you have siblings?”
“Na, it was just me and my dad—and whatever girl of the week happened to be around.” Sensing that she was too shy to ask, he added, “Mom left before I could even remember her.”
“I’m sorry.”
“There is no need.”
There was a pause, and Eveline’s face turned sombre. “My mom died a year before my accident. My sister’s been trying to convince Dad to sell the house and move closer to her ever since.”
“But he doesn’t want to leave the home that holds his memories.”
