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But like Valentine’s Day last year, the year before, and the year before that, Gus did his best to distract himself with work. As night fell, though, he found himself getting a little restless, and that was when his attention drifted to the property to the right of theirs.
He stood on his front porch, looking in that direction, and thought about the family living there. He’d never dared do it before, but what would happen if he grabbed one of his horses and…?
As he tended to do lately, when Gus got an idea, he went for it. He hopped in his truck, drove out to the horse barn, grabbed one of his horses, and took a ride toward the fence that separated their property from their neighbors.
It was a rickety old fence. In fact, Gus had strict rules about keeping the cattle away from this part of the property. He didn’t trust it. There were clear gaps in the fencing, and at times, parts of it fell completely down.
As he approached it tonight, in fact, he saw that his boys hadn’t come out and done their routine check in a while. An entire section had collapsed at some point, felled by a tree that still rested next to the nearest post.
Gus hopped down, tying his horse to a section of the fence that wasn’t on the ground, and went to work clearing a path for them to get through. In minutes, he had an opening and was back on his horse, galloping straight onto Cupid Ridge Dude Ranch.
Technically, he wasn’t trespassing. This was legally his family’s land. But if he could get Bobbie to agree to partner with him in the movie theater…
He smiled as he remembered showing up at the movie theater at the same time as her. Matinees were his biggest secret. He snuck away from the ranch every week to catch whatever the newest movie was. The movie theater changed what it was showing every Friday morning, so he’d be there at opening, get a large popcorn and soda, and settle in for at least an hour and a half of pure escapism. It’d never once occurred to him that Bobbie Ludington might have the same secret.
Gus guided his horse, Cash, across the property toward the main drag that ran in and out of the ranch. It was very similar to theirs. He not only had the property records, but he’d checked out the satellite view online years ago and then again earlier this week.
He wasn’t there tonight to spy. Yes, he’d been a bit nosy the first time he’d looked up the property, but his most recent peek at it had been motivated by something completely different. It was the same reason he was trespassing now. He couldn’t seem to get Bobbie Ludington off his mind.
Sitting next to her in that theater for that brief amount of time had pushed him over the edge. He realized this wasn’t just some passing attraction that came from him having no woman in his life. He certainly suffered from that as well.
No, this was an attraction like nothing he’d ever seen. No disrespect to his late wife, but the truth was, he was older and wiser now. He couldn’t compare his initial attraction to her in middle school to what he felt now.
The smell of smoke yanked Gus from his thoughts. He looked to the right, slowing Cash almost to a full stop. His first thought was that something was on fire, but then he remembered this was Valentine’s Day. No doubt they’d set up the giant campfire promised on their website.
S’mores and other goodies, promised the ad for the Valentine’s week package. He’d made a mental note to ask Bobbie what “other goodies” meant. What else could you roast over a campfire but marshmallows?
Gus urged the horse forward, not sure what his plan was. Whoever was around that fire, he was betting a Ludington family member was present. There wasn’t a Ludington, except maybe Georgia, who wouldn’t confront him about being on their property.
He spotted the horse and buggy before he even had a chance to look at anyone by the fire. Sawyer Ludington was at the reins.
Gus kept the horse as still as he could as he watched Sawyer navigate a U-turn and head toward the front of the ranch. He counted on the darkness that surrounded him to keep him well hidden.
Now, what should he do? He should get himself and the horse off the property as quickly as possible, that was what.
But as he watched Sawyer’s horse and buggy fade off into the distance, Gus couldn’t seem to bring himself to turn this horse around. There was a couple in front of the fire—one of the Ludington brothers. He couldn’t tell if it was Brendon or Joshua from here, they looked so much alike. But the woman with him was definitely Marnie.
Wait—he’d forgotten all about that. One of the Ludington brothers was romantically involved with their family’s attorney. And Bobbie’s daughter was involved with Gus’s family attorney. All of this was a clear conflict of interest.
That thought boosted his confidence. Why was he running from the ranch? He had nothing to be ashamed of.
Still, as he urged Cash forward again, it hit Gus that he had no plan, no destination in mind. He was heading straight toward the front of the ranch, toward Bobbie Ludington. Full speed ahead, confident he could tackle whatever challenge came his way.
That confidence was nowhere to be found as he neared the inn, though. This horse was not quiet, clomp-clomping along the black asphalt drive that ran through the ranch. If they stayed on the path, he and his horse would end up directly in front of the inn.
Gus saw the horse and buggy as he approached, obviously tied down to something. There was no sign of Sawyer near it. That was good news, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t come out on the porch at any second.
At that thought, Gus’s gaze immediately leaped to the porch. There was definitely someone standing there. The form of a female who looked like…
No, he couldn’t get that lucky.
As he continued toward the inn, the woman began walking down the stairs, her arms crossed over her chest. She wore a thick coat, and her hair was pulled back. In the porch light, he saw that it was definitely Bobbie Ludington.
If not for the fact that she was walking toward him, Gus probably wouldn’t have had the courage to approach the inn, but he urged Cash into a full trot, intent on meeting her halfway as she crossed the parking area toward him.
“What are you doing here?” she called out as she neared.
She glanced back over her shoulder, probably verifying that nobody was back there. For now, they were alone. That wouldn’t last long.
