“Thanks.”
His hand lingers on mine before letting go. “You’re welcome.”
It’s a quiet drive back to the ranch, and I keep an eye on Colt since I’m nervous he might have been more tired than he let on, and he still needs to drive back into town to his place.
He drives right up to the guesthouse and pulls alongside my Jeep. Before I can turn to him, he’s out of the truck and around the front, opening my door before I can even pull the handle.
“Um, thank you.” He nods, and I slide out and stand next to him. “Thank you, Colt. This was a great night.”
“It was.”
God, I want to kiss him or have him kiss me, but he pushes me to the side and opens the truck door again.
“You, ah…you said you want to learn to fly fish, right?”
“Yes, of course.It looks bad ass.”
It really does!
He thrusts a paper bag at me, and even in the moonlight, I notice the flush rise on his cheeks. “I got you something. Just because, ah, it’s helpful for fishing. It’s one of my favorites.”
Opening the bag, I pull out a tan colored vest full of mesh pockets and snaps. Sadly, I don’t know what it is or what it has to do with fishing.
“Okay, so first. Thank you very much. But second…I don’t know what this is.”
After a beat of silence, we both laugh, and Colt motions for me to pass it to him.
“It’s a fly-fishing vest. All the pockets are for flies or stashing line for when it breaks. You can carry extra spools of line. Your pliers can click on the carabiner here or a fish net.” Colt presses his lips together, and a slight flush appears on his neck. God, he’s adorable. “It’s useful, and I have one like it I wear all the time.”
“Could I keep snacks in the pockets?” I tease, and Colt shrugs.
“I’m sure you could.” He passes me back the vest but doesn’t let go. “This one is different from mine and has this larger pocket here.” His fingers dust over mine as he turns the vest to show me the pocket. “It’s big enough for a cell phone. I checked. You could still take your phone and not miss the pictures you like.”
“Oh. That’s…”
I don’t know what to say because it’s extremely thoughtful, and I’m absolutely touched that he thought of me this way. It’s not a flashy name-brand pair of shoes or VIP tickets to a concert. It’s thoughtful and about me.
“I can take you in two days if you’d like?”
“Yes!”
I might seem overly excited, but it masks the emotions swirling over his unexpected gesture.
Colt smiles and walks backward around his truck to the driver’s side.
“Goodnight, Ethan.”
“Goodnight, Colt.”
He reverses and waves before he drives off, and I enter my cabin with the vest clutched against me.
I’ve had Trevor take me to the fanciest of restaurants, buy me expensive gifts, and even whisk me away for a long weekend at a tropical resort. Not one of those gifts meant as much as this vest.
It’s ugly as fuck. I suppose if I fish, I’d love it like Colt does, and maybe in time I will. Right now, though, I love it because it’s thoughtful. Sliding my phone into the pouch, I laugh softly.
It’s a perfect fit.
Chapter 9
