Page 78 of Lucky Haven

The blankets get tucked behind me, then he jogs around to his side. He grins at me. “God, you’re pretty.”

“Thanks.”

Because what else is a girl supposed to say when overwhelmed by all the emotions?

Chapter Twenty-Three

Cash

We head south of town, then climb a ridge that turns into a long, flat plateau. The ranches down here are massive operations. Cutthroat corporate machines. At the next town, we stop at a grocery store.

It feels good, holding Haven’s hand, being proud to have a gorgeous girl beside me as we buy sandwiches and fruit, coffee and iced tea.

She’s a little self-conscious about her dress, the way the satin hugs her curves, but I fucking love it. She’s sexy and lush, and as soon as I get her up into the mountains, all mine.

Back in the truck, I head west and start climbing out of the foothills. Once upon a time, I loved the switchbacks. They felt like freedom, and it’s long past time that I reclaim that.

“You ever been up here?” I ask as I take the steep turns with ease.

“No, never.”

I grin. “It was a popular place to park in high school. But you never did that, I bet.”

“No.” A little flash of emotion flits across her face. “You did it a lot?”

“Some. Not as much as people assumed. But I had my days of being young and dumb.” So fucking dumb. “This is actually where I was arrested.”

“I didn’t know that.” She goes quiet for a beat. “But you don’t mind coming back?”

“I haven’t actually come up here again until tonight.” I shrug. “I’m pretty sure the sunset with you will make it worth the pain.”

“Oh, Cash.”

“Don’t oh, Cash me. I’m a big boy. I can handle looking at my past mistakes. And there isn’t anyone else I’d rather walk down memory lane with.”

“I’ll try to be gentle and not ask you too many—” The road levels out and she stops, looking out the windshield. “Questions.”

The sun is hanging low in the sky and the view is incredible. She lets out a low, appreciative noise as I pull off at the lookout and park the truck.

“Yeah, exactly. You aren’t gonna want to ask me any questions. Just stare at the pretty sunset and let me teach you a few dance steps.” I grab my hat.

“What? Here?”

I come around to her side of the truck and help her down. I keep my hands on her waist when her feet touch the ground, and I spin her around, never letting go of her completely. “No place better than the top of the world. It’s private and almost as pretty as you in that dress.”

She laughs, a little nervous. “We don’t have any music⁠—”

I interrupt her, singing a line from a recognizable song, and then instead of the next line of lyrics, I count numbers instead. “One two three four. Just like that.”

I alternate between lyrics and counting steps.

She’s not as bad a dancer as she thinks. She likes being in my arms, that’s clear.

She steps on my toes twice, but I just shift her to where she’s supposed to be, and she’s fucking cute when she stammers an apology.

I keep singing.

At the last line, I spin her under my arm and settle her in front of me, her back to my front, so we’re both looking at the mountain lake in the little valley below us and the peaks on the other side.