Page 59 of Live Love Lasso

Well, me too, city girl.

And we do for fucking hours.

Lemon

“You’re doing well, Lemon.” Letitia sniffs at the bubbling potion in my pot.

I hold back the whoop of joy I could let out at the rare praise from my prickly boss. After stirring the potion three more times, I carefully set the spoon down beside the cauldron. “Thank you. This needs to simmer for a few hours, but I’ll have it ready for you as soon as that’s done.”

She doesn’t smile exactly, but the edges of her lips tip softly upward as she clasps her hands at her waist. “I’ll let your father know how things are going, but I feel comfortable to move along to another potion.”

I nod, trying not to look overjoyed at her acceptance of my work.

When she doesn’t move, I pull in a steadying breath. “Is there something else?”

She cocks her head to the side. “I’ve watched you, Miss Denton, and this is the third potion you’ve made for me with a rather convoluted set of instructions and a few steps that young potioneers often miss. I’m trying to figure out how you fucked up as badly as you did, badly enough to be sent here.”

I blanch, but she’s right. An internal debate rages about whether I share the truth or not. In the end, I opt for a watered-down version of it.

Crossing my arms, I force a careful expression. “I had an assistant for that particular potion, and I knew assisting wasn’t his greatest love, that he didn’t really have the knack for it. But I allowed it anyway, and he mixed up two critical ingredients. For reasons unknown, I trusted him and didn’t double-check.” I open my arms wide. “And here we are.”

I think about the message Hunter left me this morning, asking how I’m doing. Yet it was obvious from his tone of voice that he wasn’t calling to actually be helpful. A-hole.

Letitia nods slowly, sliding her hands into the wide sleeves of her robe. “Rookie mistake, Miss Denton. One you’ll hopefully never make again. Assistants turn potioneers lazy, many times, and you let that happen to you.” Her expression softens. “But it doesn’t have to define you. You can move past it.”

I sigh, surprised at her opening up to me. “I’d love to move past it, and I know father foisted me upon you, which you haven’t loved…but I swear I will do my best to represent Glimmer with care.”

She inclines her head, eyes landing on the softly bubbling potion at my side. “See that you do, Miss Denton.” Turning, she flutters across the room and out the door.

I release a breath when she’s gone. Oh my gods, it was almost pleasant. I’m making progress with her. I’d almost like to call Hunter and gloat but I haven’t called him back since I arrived. Not that I don’t think about him often. It’s just been nice not to talk to him or my father over the last few weeks.

I’ve barely talked to my girlfriends, either. I’ve been hiding out here in the Gulch and if I’m honest with myself, it’s been a breath of fresh air in some respects.

Despite the investigation and whatnot.

After grabbing a handful of firewood, I bank the fire beneath the cauldron enough to keep it going for the next three hours without burning. As much fun as watching potions boil sounds, I need lunch, and I can’t wait to tell Furyon what just happened.

Realizing he’s the first person I think of gives me pause. What he said last night at the event replayed in my head all morning. I leave the potions room and walk through the maze of other rooms until I get up to the front of the building.

Outside, Furyon stands there with both hands in his front pockets, his jean shirt unbuttoned a little farther than usual. The cowboy hat on his head sits neatly over both gorgeous horns. Horns I used last night as handlebars while I rode that pretty, sinful mouth in the jail cell.

A shudder races through me as I stare at him.

He stares back from under the brim of his black cowboy hat. “Miss Knox, you look ravishing in that dress.” He reaches for my hand and spins me. The weight of his gaze is as palpable as the hand holding mine.

He pulls me close and guides my head into his free hand, lips closing on a spot beneath my ear that makes everything inside me ache with need. “I’ve got a little surprise for you, Lemon. We’re taking lunch on the road, so to speak.”

I beam up at him. “That sounds great, Furyon.”

Grinning, he presses his lips to mine, stealing a kiss that feels more like a promise. I could have this all the time, this thing with him that’s more than what we’ve fully explored.

“Would you ever leave Pine Gulch?” I stare deeply into those gray eyes as I blurt out the question I’ve been wondering since the moment I licked his wound and it healed.

Dark lashes flutter against angular cheekbones. “If that’s what you want, Lemon. If that’s what you need.” He grips the back of my neck, holding me tight. “But I’d rather put down roots here. Rather see you throwing feed to the chickens while wearing my shirt and nothing else. You look good here, Lemon. You seem happy, even if this ain’t what you thought it was gonna be.”

“I am happy.” The words leave me before I really absorb them. But the moment I say them, I realize they’re true. Pine Gulch is cozy and charming and friendly and every day I learn something new. There’s so much more to it than I thought when I took my first stroll down Main Street. What’s more…I feel free here in a way I’ve never been back home.

In the city, the Denton name hangs around my neck like a noose. I always thought it opened doors and created opportunities. I’m sure it did. But all of that came with a set of sky-high expectations and political wheeling and dealing. Not to mention living with my father and brother.