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“I know you have to be at work early in the morning, but do you want to stay?” I’d been staying over on the weekends, but the life of a rancher meant early mornings, so I didn’t normally stay in town during the week, but something in his voice told me he didn’t want me to leave.
“I hate to wake you up that early, but if you don’t mind, I’d love to stay.”
“Nope, I don’t mind at all. So let’s go to bed.”
Chapter 18
Nash
I was nervous on the drive to Spencer’s family’s house the following weekend. I knew how much they all meant to him, and I wanted it to go well. Plus, this was the first time I’d ever gone home with someone to meet their family, so even though I felt like I knew these people because Spencer often spoke about them, meeting them as his boyfriend was an entirely different experience.
“Alright, let me make sure I’ve got this straight,” I said, attempting to mask my nervousness. “Pops is one of your dads. His name is Lincoln, and he’ll likely be in jeans and boots. And depending on where we meet, possibly a cowboy hat. Your other dad is Matt, and he’s more clean-cut, probably wearing slacks, loafers, and a polo shirt.”
“Right. Or my dad could be wearing cargo shorts instead of slacks, but either way, definitely loafers. You’ll be able to tell them apart face-to-face, trust me.”
“Then there are your aunts, Meg and Kayla. Kayla lives in Austin, and Meg stayed here and manages the ranch.” Spencer nodded, so I continued with the most important person.
“Then there’s your grandmother, and if I can win her over, I’m in good shape.”
“I never said that.”
“You didn’t have to. I could tell by the way you talked about her.”
“You aren’t wrong. Gramma Patty is special. Grandpa Mike is more quiet, but don’t let him fool you. He pays attention, and he speaks up when it matters.”
“Anybody else?”
“Well, there’s my Uncle Nathan. He’s a nurse. He’s married to a former military guy who works in emergency services for the city of Austin.”
“Right, and they have twins, David and Danielle, right?”
“Yep. That should cover it for the family. There’ll be a lot of other people at the party who’ve known my grandparents for years, but no one you have to worry about.”
“Good thing, ‘cause that sounds like plenty,” I grumbled, and he laughed.
“It is a lot, but don’t worry, they’re going to love you.”
“I sure hope so, cutie.” I reached over, intertwining our fingers and bringing the back of his hand to my lips. “Because I don’t plan on going anywhere.”
A slight blush spread across his cheeks, and he ducked his head, but not before I saw the smile that played on his lips.
“It’s the next left, just up there,” Spencer said, pointing at a massive stone fence with a huge gate and a wrought-iron archway over the top. I made the turn and drove up the gravel driveway that was lined with cars and pulled up in front of an expansive single-story ranch-style home with a fully covered front porch. To the left, there was a barn that matched the size of the one on the Double C, complete with an attached covered riding arena that was lit up with twinkling lights. People were milling out there, so I was guessing that was where the party was taking place.
“I thought you said this was going to be a surprise party, but I don’t see how you could keep this under wraps.”
He laughed and shook his head. “Yeah, the idea they were going to keep it a secret was silly to begin with. A couple weeks ago, my grandmother told Meg if they were going to plan a party in her honor, the least they could do was give her a warning so she wouldn’t turn up looking, and I quote, like something the cat drug in. So Meg fessed up and told her the details.”
“Your grandmother sounds like a pistol.”
“She is that. You can just pull around to the back of the arena. Meg said that’s where we’ll need to put the cake.”
I drove around and parked where he’d indicated, which gave me a good view of the arena. It was huge and really nicely done. It even had a seating area where people could sit to watch the horses perform. Spencer had initially portrayed his grandparents’ ranch as a relatively small operation, but that was evidently not the case. This was a very professional setup.
“How big is this spread?” I asked.
“I don’t know. You’d have to ask Meg. It’s not as big as the Double C,” he replied with a shrug.
“Not many places left are as big as the Double C,” I said. Many of the ranches that used to exist in this area had been divided and sold off for development, making the concept of large, sprawling Texas ranches less common than it used to be. But even if this wasn’t as big as the Double C, it wasn’t a small operation by any stretch of the imagination. It was just more evidence that Spencer was way out of my league.
