Main Street runs out into vast, open Texas land, with a sky bigger than anything I’ve ever seen in my whole life, and when there are no more buildings left to nosey at, I spin on my heel and start back the way I came. It doesn’t take me long to reach my truck, and as I get there, Miss Celia is wiping down a table outside the door.
“Everett Tanner, you’re lookin’ mighty scrawny, son. When’s the last time I made you a burger and a milkshake?”
“Too long, Miss Celia,” I say with a chuckle. “It’s been far too long.”
“Extra tomato slice and strawberry with a vanilla float, am I right?” Miss Celia recites my standing order—the one I’ve been making every time I’ve been here. I don’t remember my first visit, but for as long as Icanremember, I’ve never ordered anything different.
“As always, Miss Celia.”
“Hah,” she says, pointing her dishrag at me. “I might be an old lady, but I still got my brain. I still remember. You coming?” She spins, lumbering awkwardly through the door with the limp she’s had since I was a child. It’s never seemed to slow her down.What the hell. I could use a cheeseburger.Anda milkshake. I shrug inwardly and follow her inside, choosing my favourite two-person booth with the perfect view of my truck on the street.
The diner is quiet, too, although I remember this time of day being something of a lull between the lunch and dinner crowds. Miss Celia delivers my food, and as I chew on my burger—withextra tomato, just the way I like it—she busies herself clearing tables elsewhere, after other customers pay and leave.
The bell rings two or three times while I sit there, signalling more people coming and going. I offer a friendly smile, but I don’t talk to any of them. All I’m thinking about, as I sip my milkshake through a red-striped straw, is how I can’t wait to bring Ruth here. I can’t wait to learn how she eats her burgers and what kind of milkshakes she prefers. I can’t wait to see her eyes light up at the sight of Savannah’s flowers and Talia’s dresses, the dreamy look on her face when she smells Ellison’s famous blueberry buns.
I might not live within the town boundaries, but it’s the town closest to the ranch, and the Tanners have always been respected faces around here. Skillett is as much my home as the ranch is. I can’t wait to show Ruth around this town.Mytown.
The following morning, I wake before the sunrise to find another three texts from Ruth.
ROO
I was indeed very, very drunk last night.
I apologise for anything I may or may not have said.
Oh God, now I’m double texting. Triple texting, even. Oh God. Just ignore me.
Chapter eleven
Everett
She’s a fucking vision.And she’s not on my phone screen but she’s right here in front of me, surrounding me with…vanilla. Gone is the orange that’s been on my mind, leaving in its wake sweet vanilla and a just hint of dark espresso. It suits her. I greet her with a kiss on the cheek, handing over a bunch of sunflowers. I cut them earlier, and tied the stems together with a length of the maroon ribbon I found in town. It matches the watch wrapped around her slim wrist. I catch her comparing the two side-by-side, and my heart leaps giddily behind my ribs. She grins indulgently and falls into step beside me as I guide her out to my truck with one hand on her lower back.
Austin-Bergstrom isn’t the biggest or busiest airport in the world, but it’s pretty spread out, and it takes us a good twenty minutes to get from the terminal building to my truck in the parking lot. Once we’re finally on the road, Ruth slips her sunglasses over her eyes and tips her head back against the headrest, a soft smile playing at her lips. I know she’s awake because every few minutes, her hand pops out to fiddle with the stereo, station-hopping between songs to find something else to sing along to. She can’t sing for shit, but man, I love the sound of her voice.
“So, how was the flight? How was New York?”
“The flight was fine. Full, of course, but fine. New York was… hot. Busy. My boss is a raging thundercunt. The usual.”
A laugh bursts from my chest at her choice of expletive. She looks so cute and casual and put-together in that tight tank top that shows just the barest hint of skin at her waist when she moves, and those baggy linen pants that hang over chunky-soled sneakers, but over the small amount of time we’ve spent together, and the hours talking on the phone, the one thing I’ve come to understand about Ruth Bevan is that she’s a little wild with a filthy mouth. I love it. And so does my cock, stirring uncomfortably in my pants.
I glance to the passenger seat to find her watching me with a soft smile on her face. She spends a lot of the drive like that, eyes crinkling at the corners every time I look over.God, I don’t know if I can take it anymore. I want to kiss her, but I don’t even know if we’re there yet. She’s so fucking beautiful, so unlike any woman I’ve ever been attracted to—so unlike any woman I’ve ever met before. I want her, and the scariest part is, I don’t think I just want her in my bed. I think I might want her to stick around everywhere else in my life, too.
By the time we reach the ranch, we’ve played three rounds of I Spy and Ruth has taken a twenty-minute nap. As I pull the truck into the driveway of the main house and throw it in park, she perks up, sitting up straight and gazing at the wide open space around us.
“God, it’s huge,” she breathes. “It’s gorgeous.”
“Well, thank you, ma’am,” I chuckle, tipping my hat dramatically. My chest puffs up with pride, and it’s not just at the insinuation of her words. The very idea that Ruth likes what she sees here—that she likes my home—fills me with the kind of warmth I’ve only ever heard about before. “Words every man wants to hear.”
Her cheeks flush red to match her clothes, and she claps a hand to her mouth.
“Oh—no, I didn’t—oh, fuck.”
I meet her on the truck’s passenger side and bump her hip with mine as I take her bag.
“It was funny, Ruth. Don’t cry about it, baby girl.”
Her brown eyes flare a little as they snap to mine, and good lord above, she’s beautiful. Hair a little mussed from a day of travel, pink-tinged skin, pure wonder in her eyes as she looks around. She looks perfect on this ranch. My ranch.
