“Sweetheart.” Hank smiles tightly. “You two have a nice evening.”
“Hank. You two okay?” I ask. Star hears my voice and skitters across the floorboards toward me. I drop down to greet her, nuzzling her wet nose with the tip of mine. The two men don’t answer me. “Hayden, how about I drive us today… in my new truck?” I grin up at him, catching his serious expression. “Sawyer gave it to me as a present. I actually have my very own cool truck. I don’t have to depend on anyone now. I can come and go as I please. It makes living here so much easier.” I realize I’ve been talking really quickly, and he probably has no idea what I just said. “Let me drive you about today.”
“You already drive me wild, so you may as well drive me around town too,” he says with a drawl and a lazy wink.
A fitted denim shirt leads to loose fit jeans and tan boots. He’s a site to behold, and my insides agree when they quiver. His casual swagger brings him to me, carrying the most amazing smell of fresh laundry and peppermint. I like it when he’s dirty and wet, but this combination makes me weak at the knees.
“Ready to go?” He tips the brim of his hat and a slow smile creeps up at the corner of his mouth.
I scoop Star off the floor. “Just wait and see the amazing job Sawyer did on the new paintwork. It’s the perfect shade of green, just like your eyes, Hayden.” Swinging around, I begin to walk to the door.
He slides up behind me. Hands fall to my shoulders, and his mouth drops to my ear. “Drop the dog, honey.”
“Why?”
“Because when you step foot outside of this house, I want your legs wrapped around me, so I can kiss you properly.” There's a certain gravelly texture to his voice, like he’s stressed or desperate.
I gulp. Star jumps out of my arms and sits at our heels. He whisks a wisp of my loose hair free from my lashes. Then his hand links mine, and we walk out together, me a step ahead as we cross over the threshold. Once we hit the glorious sunshine, palms cinch my waist, and he whips me around to face him. With a slight jump, he helps me lift off the ground. My thighs hug his hips, and he walks me back to the wall.
Our lips explore and burn with such fierceness that I swear I’m going down in flames - and he’s the fire. “I’ve been waiting for this all day.” He breathes the words with urgency. “I’ve missed these lips.”
“I’ve missed you too, Hayden.”
“If you don’t stop looking at me like that, I’ll end up fucking you here. And neither of us need to see Hank’s face on that one.”
His hands come away, and my legs lower. “Take a look at my new truck. Isn’t she beautiful?” My heart is bursting. The kiss, the truck, the pup, the sun, the fresh air that carries his minty scent and most of all, his large fingers threading mine, slotting my hand where it belongs, with his.
“So where will we go?” I turn into him, squeezing his fingers.
“Some place where we can cool off.”
It’s a weird feeling to be Hayden’s chauffeur in my truck. I’m driving this devilishly sexy rancher around Heartville in a truck that I renovated with my cranky old relative.
“You’re smiling to yourself.” Hayden trails a calloused finger along my jaw. “What has you so happy?”
My shoulder tightens a little. “Oh, nothing.”
“It ain’t nothing…”
“I just feel so different out here. The person I was this time last month isn’t the person I feel like today.”
“We all change. What matters is being the person you truly want to be. Which one is that?”
I take my time to answer because I sure as hell don’t want to sound too keen and needy. “I love this truck more than I’ve ever loved any of my father’s flashy sport cars.”
“And that’s a good thing?” He sounds off balance, waiting for an explanation.
“Everything was about the latest style, the most expensive car, the most likes on a social media posts… the sexiest selfie.” I check the rearview mirror. “I haven’t been on any of my social media accounts the entire time I’ve been out here. It’s refreshing.”
Hayden lifts his finger and points to a sign for the Watering Hole. “Take a left.”
“The watering hole? Like where the cattle go to drink?”
“You’ll see.” That's all he says when he tilts his hat and grins.
A few minutes later, I put the truck in park and check that we’re stationary. “Just need to make sure she doesn’t roll away on us.” I stifle a laugh.
Beyond the truck all I see is the bluest water, reflecting the cloudless sky and a jetty that stretches long, with rowboats tied up randomly at either side. There’s no one else around when he takes my hand and helps me out of the driver's seat. “It’s beautiful here.” I peer around him because there’s no way I’ll be able to see over his shoulder. He’s just so tall and handsome. He’s perfect.
