CHAPTER 9
Bliss
“You know what?I heard a strange rumor this week,” Henry tells me as I set my food on the counter.
It was two days ago that Zane’s dad caught us in his truck. I’ve successfully avoided people since then, but today I needed some lunch on my way through town. Dad asked me to go check on his group of feeder calves that were south of Pine Ridge, so I didn’t have time to swing by home and grab anything to eat.
“You can’t always believe what you hear,” I reply with a laugh. “But tell me anyway.” I lean forward and rest my arms on the counter.
He looks both ways to make sure no one is close enough to hear, then leans forward to say quietly, “I heard you’re dating Zane Madden.”
I swallow the lump in my throat. “I am.”
Henry’s eyes go wide, and he leans forward to rest an elbow on the countertop. “Really? Zane hasn’t dated anyone since …”
“I know,” I whisper.
This time, Henry’s mouth falls open. “And you’re just dating him for fun? Nothing too serious?”
Henry’s not usually one to gossip, so this is a weird conversation to have with him.
“I mean, I guess time will tell how serious it is,” I reply.
A throat clears loudly behind us.
“He’s right behind me, isn’t he?” I ask Henry.
Henry jerks back abruptly, staring over my shoulder with wide eyes.
Whoops.
A strong hand rests on my shoulder and pulls me into a side hug.
“I didn’t know you were going to be in town this morning.” Zane’s deep voice washes over me.
Both Henry and I stare like guilty kids. Zane, the devil himself, is standing next to me. I didn’t even notice the bell on the door; I was so wrapped up in talking with Henry.
“Hello, honey,” I reply, making sure I’ve just the right amount of dripping sweetness in my voice. “I was just explaining to Henry that the rumors are true. You and I are dating.”
Zane looks down at me, his gaze warm and direct. “That’s right. I finally convinced her to go out with me. She’d been avoiding me for a while.”
I reach into my back pocket to pull my phone wallet out, but Zane’s hand closes over mine. My brows raise as I stare at our joined hands.
“Let me get this for you,” he says.
“You don’t have to do that,” I answer with a laugh.
“It’s a sandwich and a coffee. I think it’s okay for me to buy my girlfriend some lunch.”
He swipes his card and pays for my lunch as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. It might just be a sandwich and a coffee, but there’s something oddly sweet about his buying my lunch, and I have to admit it feels nice to have someone else takecare of me. Only two days into being a girlfriend and it already has some benefits.
“Hey, I heard from Max that Magnolia and Nash are moving out here this weekend,” Zane tells us as he enters his PIN in the keypad. Nash Whitlock, who is partners with Max on his ranch, is moving back to Pine Ridge permanently to work full-time on the ranch. He moved to Bend for a while to help his grandpa, Alexander Whitlock, whose health was failing.
But Alexander has now made a full recovery, making Nash and Magnolia free to move home. They recently got married and are ready to settle down on Pine Ridge Ranch. It’s the biggest spread around here. Though the Maddens might be a close second.
“I heard the same thing,” Henry said. “In fact, they’re supposed to be coming in this afternoon. They’re coming by here to check the progress on the bakery and distillery.”
“Oh, really? I heard something about that, but I wasn’t sure if that was just the rumor mill talking,” I say.
