Page 54 of Ethan

Ethan looked at him for a moment. They meant it. Both of them did, underneath all the ribbing and the grins. That was the thing about his brothers, they were a lot to deal with, but they were genuine.

“I don’t want to push her,” Ethan said finally. “She’s been through some things, and she came here for a fresh start. I don’t want to be something that complicates that.”

“And if she wants to be complicated?” Cole asked.

Ethan was quiet for a moment.

“Then I’ll figure it out,” he said.

Cole nodded. Seth nodded. And that was the end of it, the way things ended between them when something actually mattered, not with a joke or a grin but with a simple nod that said everything that needed saying.

Ethan picked up his coffee.

Outside the diner window Clifton went about its Saturday morning and he thought about getting back to the ranch. He thought about her.

Chapter Eight

Naomi wasn’t sure what to do with herself.

The weekends were hers, which was wonderful in theory, but she hadn’t quite figured out what that looked like yet. She’d love to explore Clifton properly, but she didn’t want to go alone. Ethan was at breakfast with his brothers and even if he wasn’t, she couldn’t imagine dragging him through shops. Not many men had the patience for it.

Serena though.

She pulled out her phone and scrolled to Serena’s name, then hesitated. It was still early. She’d wait until nine.

She tucked her phone back in her pocket and headed up to her apartment. Breakfast would take up some time, and she was hungry anyway. She’d had other things on her mind last night and hadn’t thought much about food.

She smiled to herself as she pushed open the door.

She was halfway through a bowl of cereal when her phone buzzed on the cushion beside her. She picked it up and grinned when she saw the name.

“Hey, I was going to call you.”

“Great minds,” Serena said. “I wanted to know if you felt like exploring more of Clifton today.”

“Good heavens, you read my mind. That’s exactly why I was going to call you.”

Serena laughed. “I can pick you up. What time? We could grab lunch at the diner after.”

“Eleven? I need a shower. I’ve been cleaning Jewel’s stall.”

“You know there are ranch hands for that, right?”

“I do. But she’s my horse.”

“Fair enough.” Naomi could hear the smile in her voice. “Eleven it is. Wear comfortable shoes. I plan on doing a lot of walking.”

“Good to know. I’ll see you then.”

She set the phone down, finished her cereal, and thought that Saturdays in Clifton might turn out to be her favorite thing.

At exactly eleven she heard a car horn, opened the door, and peered out to see Serena’s SUV at the bottom of the stairs. She grabbed her purse, pulled the door closed, locked it, and ran down.

She climbed in and buckled her seatbelt. “Hi. This is going to be fun.”

“So much fun. We’ll hit every shop we can.” Serena grinned and pulled out of the yard.

They were halfway to town when Ethan’s truck passed them going the other way. Both women waved and he touched the brim of his hat without slowing.