Page 52 of Broken Boundaries

“You can’t say no, can you?”

“I wouldn’t say no even if I could. If I didn’t fund it, then it probably wouldn’t happen. And people have a lot of big memories connected to the town festivals and events around here. I remember taking Zach to as many as I could when he was little. I want the kids these days to be able to experience that fun too.”

“That’s really sweet of you, Brooks.”

His cheeks turn pink as if he’s embarrassed about being sentimental. He shouldn’t be. I think it’s cute.

“Yeah, well, don’t tell anyone.”

“Your secret is safe with me.”

“You busy later? Thought we could go ridin’ again after work.”

My stupid, hopeful heart starts to beat a little faster. “Yeah, I’d love that.”

“Cool. After we get your car this afternoon, we’ll go to the stables.”

“Thanks, boss.”

He taps the desk once and winks at me before he leaves. Am I making this up in my head, or is he actually flirting with me? I have no idea. What I do know is that I get to go riding again with my super hot boss, which I am very excited about.

CHAPTER 19

Aspen

“So, guess who has a date tonight?” I ask, with a smirk on my face.

“No way, really?” Jazz says. “Dawson called?”

“Yep. We talked for a little bit last night, and he asked if I was busy tonight.” The past few nights, I’ve been doing trail rides with Brooks. We’ve gone every single night since he asked me to go after my night out on the town. It’s been a lot of fun, and I’m getting a lot more comfortable on a horse. Beck even said I’m starting to look like a pro, but I think he was just humoring me.

Unfortunately for me, it’s only intensified my attraction for Brooks. We talk about everything while we ride from the ranch, to my life before this, to books we like. Last night we discussed our favorite movies. I was shocked to find out how much he loves The Last Samurai.

Talking with him is dangerous, though, because I’m starting to get even more attached. And I can’t do that with him. I’ll only end up hurting myself. So when Dawson asked me to go out, I thought why not? I owe it to myself. And who knows, maybe Dawson is the one. Or at least maybe it’ll help me move past this little crush I have on my boss.

“So, where are you going? Do you need to borrow an outfit?”

“He said we’ll go to Melvin’s Tavern. I went there once with Zach and Brooks. I think I can put together an outfit with what I’ve got.”

“Well, I want pictures of this outfit before you go so I can approve. And I want texts after the date telling me everything. Unless you end up in his bed, then the text can wait until the morning.”

I laugh. “I’m not gonna sleep with him on the first date.”

She shrugs. “Wouldn’t blame you if you did. It’s been awhile for you. You need to get some.”

It has been awhile, and I’m starting to feel the effects of that. Literally everything Brooks does these days turns me on. Watching him put a saddle on a horse: hot. Lifting a big bag of feed: hot. Hammering something to fix a fence: hot.

I need to get my mind off of Brooks and on to someone more appropriate.

“Yeah, well, I’m not planning on anything happening, but I guess I wouldn’t say no if we were connecting.”

“That’s my girl. Alright, I’ve got one more cabin to clean before I’m outta here for the day. Don’t forget to text me. I mean it!”

“Sir, yes, sir!”

She laughs and heads toward the exit. I work on a few more things I need to do before the night shift closer gets here. We had a ton of check-ins for the weekend. School recently started back in our area, so people are loving the weekend getaways at the ranch. I’m not complaining, though. I love getting to meet new people, and I’ve already met a few families who have been back a few times since I started working here. I also can’t believe I survived my first summer season at the ranch. It makes me wonder if I’ll still be here next summer.

I’m finishing up an email when I hear footsteps behind me.