“Really?” Jesse didn’t mean to sound like a kid on Christmas morning, but it was too late.
“I mean, my dad is here, and so is this super-hot guy I want to ask to be my boyfriend.”
“The answer is yes, but go on.”
Her expression grew serious as she ran her thumb over his shoulder. “I think I was looking at Charming through the lens of a thirteen-year-old with exactly two friends. I was convinced this was a place I would outgrow. Small-town life was too small for me, and I left. I saw the world, and I wouldn’t change those experiences—well, the good ones, anyway. But none of those places were home.”
“I know the feeling. I thought things would change in undergrad and in grad school, but I just wanted to come back and be on the ranch.”
“I really convinced myself there was nothing here for me. But it never occurred to me that mornings like this one were a possibility. Your brothers are funny.”
“Oh, so you’re saying you’re staying for my brothers. Great.”
“No.” She laughed. “Part of me was so Jesse-drunk, I wasn’t thinking clearly, but when we were heading back to the stables this morning, I was thinking about stepping out of my place back in the city. Waiting for my car service, going to some annoying party, or sitting in some boardroom, and I’m just over it. I’ve been getting offers for meetings all week, and every single one just made my stomach curl, but being here with you and my father and your family? This feels right.”
Jesse felt like his heart had just tripled in size. “I just want you to be happy.”
“I know.” She leaned forward and kissed him again. “I was thinking of maybe starting an animal sanctuary. I looked last night, and there are a bunch of rescues, but somehow there’s not a single sanctuary around here. I could open one and give animals their own happily ever after.”
“That’s an amazing idea.”
“Thanks. I have to get my own place in the meantime though. There are a few things I want to try with some nylon rope and a riding crop, but we can’t do that under my father’s roof. I think I’m gonna head back up north on Monday and settle things up with my place. Rent it out, figure out what things I want to ship back.”
“I had some news of my own, but it’s not as significant, I don’t think.”
“I’ll be the judge of that. What is it?”
“Well, first I wanted to apologize for not coming with you this morning.”
“Jess, it’s okay.”
“No, it’s not. I might live to regret it one way or another”—Jesse winced—“but I asked Zach to teach me how to ride. I can go to Dr. Brooks for the crippling-fear part.”
Lily-Grace’s mouth popped open, then closed again. “Are you sure?”
“You almost drowned, and then you were willing to get back in the pool the next day. I’m holding on to a fear from a grudge with a horse that’s been dead for years. Maybe, while I’m working on some of my issues when it comes to connecting with people, I can take a look at my issues with members of the animal kingdom. And maybe it would be a good idea for me to be comfortable in a barn if I’m going to be owning another ranch.”
“I am one hundred percent on board. With personal growth, with the horse whispering, with the idea of you up in the saddle. God, I can just picture it. So hot.” Lily-Grace paused, the tongue darting out over her bottom lip like she was really taking a moment to process the vision. She shook herself and looked back down at him. “Well, if you’re sure, I definitely don’t want to stop you. I want to go out with the whole gang again, and I’d love it if you were there too. It was me and a lot of couples.”
“What’s this about my brother proposing to you?”
“He just wants to book me into the family in some way, shape, or form so he can tap into my financial genius. I’ll just give him my hourly rate and he can see if he thinks it’s worth it. Speaking of your brother. And his wife. Is Evie pregnant?”
“Uh, I don’t know,” Jesse replied.
“Oh!?” She leaned back, her eyebrows shooting up.
“What?”
“Nothing, just another interesting thing to know about you. You, sir, are a terrible liar.”
“What? I don’t know.” They were going to tell the family today and then call their parents tomorrow, but it was still their news to tell.
“Sure. Whatever the truth is, her secret is safe with me.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Uh-huh.”
