I watched them leave and went inside to get the snacks. I wasn’t gonna say it in front of Colt, but this was definitely out of my comfort zone, and it did feel a little silly. I’d never done anything like this for a woman before, but I also had never been with anyone who meant as much to me as Claire did. It wasn’t just about a sunset and celebrating Claire; it was a promise to her, to this special thing we had together, that I’d do everything I could to keep it going.
She showed up ten minutes later, carrying a tote bag with things she needed for the night. “Hey there,” she grinned as she walked up the porch steps.
Her hair was down, curls wild and unbound on her bare shoulders. My favorite. She was wearing cutoffs and a dark pink tank top with sunglasses perched on her cute-as-hell nose.
“God, I’m a lucky man,” I said from my chair. I put my tablet down to take in every perfect inch of her.
She straddled my lap, lacing her arms around my shoulders, twirling the ends of my hair at the nape of my neck. “Happy to see me, cowboy?”
I leaned forward, brushing my nose with hers. “Very.” I gave her a quick kiss and stood with her in my arms, making her yelp.
“Beau!” she shrieked between laughs. “Where are we going?”
I made my way down the stairs. “You’ll see.”
Her lips met my neck, giving me teasing little pecks. “Does it involve you naked?” she whispered in that husky tone that made my mind go blank and want to fuck like an animal.
Tonight wasn’t about that, though. Tonight was about celebrating her accomplishment, about showing her how much she meant to me in a way that had nothing to do with sex, no matter how much I wanted to rip her clothes off.
I swatted her ass. “Not this time, you little sex addict,” I teased.
She pouted and looked around. “You better not drop me, Beaumont.”
“Never.”
Once we reached the small clearing, I set her down. When she turned, she gasped, her bag falling to the ground. “Beau,” she whispered, walking towards the little picnic. She turned to look at me. “What’s this for?”
I shrugged a shoulder, my hands in my pockets, suddenly nervous. What if she hated it? Thought it was stupid like Colt?God, that’d be humiliating. “Just a little somethin’ I threw together. You like it?”
“I love it,” she said, taking it all in. “No one’s ever done anything like this for me before.”
I was both relieved and bothered by that answer. Relieved that I was the first, bothered that none of the asshole’s she dated before valued her enough to shower her with the affection she deserved.
“Well, get used to it.”
We sat down on the blanket, and I grabbed the champagne out of the ice bucket. I popped the cork and she yelped, giggling. “Are we celebrating something?”
“Yes,” I said, pouring her a glass. “We’re celebrating you for workin’ your ass off for this partnership, for dedicating your life to Golden Bridle. You stepped up when no one else did and sacrificed so much for that ranch and your family. You deserve to be celebrated not just today, but every day for all your hard work. I just wanted to do this for you because I don’t think it gets recognized enough, and it should because you’re fuckin’ spectacular, baby.”
She was speechless, and her eyes were glassy when I looked at her. I raised my glass, clinking it with hers. “So here’s to you and everything you are that makes you so easy to love.”
“I love you,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.
I wiped the tear slipping slowly down her cheek, smiling. “I love you, too, baby. Now, no more tears. This is supposed to be happy.”
She nodded and settled between my legs, looking out at the pastures. “Do you regret it?”
I ran my fingers through her hair slowly, loving the way the silky curls felt between my fingers. “Regret what?”
“Rescinding the offer.”
“Not even for a second.” And I meant it. “I realized about five minutes after I accepted that I had done it for all the wrong reasons. I was just desperate for Mount’s approval, and that’s not a reason to take on somethin’ that big.”
“Who knew a cattle rancher could be so smart?”
I ran my hands over her ribs, tickling her, and she squirmed against me, champagne spilling. Her laughter was music to my ears—I knew she didn’t do it enough. “I’ll have you know I graduated summa cum laude from Texas A&M. Where’syourdegree, smart-ass?”
She snorted. “Stuck somewhere between three barrels on the back of a racing horse.”
