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I nodded.
Gran settled back in her chair. “But now Wolf is behind bars, and Theodore Walker is running things. He’s a good man, Theodore.”
I poorly stifled a chuckle at hearing Teddy being called Theodore. “Yes, I know Theodore.”
“Well, he has invited me to the barbecue,” Gran continued. “Naturally, I accepted. And naturally, nothing would make me happier than to go to the barbecue with my granddaughter. What do you say? Will you give me the pleasure of accompanying me to the barbecue at the ranch?” She waited a beat before adding, “Unless you can think of one good reason why you shouldn’t?”
I could think of seven, but I kept them to myself. I raised my brow, tilted my head, and asked, “Did someone put you up to this?”
She swatted down my question and feigned offense. “Put me up to it?” she said unconvincingly. “My, who could imagine such a thing?”
Gran’s invitation was only the first of many surprises. I was also surprised to find myself, the day of the barbecue, not the least bit nervous at returning to the ranch and seeing my old flames. I was even cheery and confident. With Wolf in jail and Gran at my side, everything’s going to go just fine.
I was also not the only one who had received a special invitation to the barbecue. Among all the riders and cowboys eating and dancing and celebrating, one man stood out in particular. I ran over to him.
“Aiden! What are you doing here?”
“Hello, Ruby.” He took my hands in his and spun me around. “It’s great to see you. You look well.”
“I… I’m surprised to see you.”
“Surprised?” He tilted his head to the side and smiled. “Surprised and happy?”
“What are you?” I stammered. “How?”
“I was invited,” he said cheerfully.
“By Gran?” I asked, motioning to her, but she had already left me and was mingling among the crowd.
Aiden shook his head then waved someone over. “No, by this guy.”
“Hello, Ruby,” said Wyatt. “I’m glad you came.”
“So am I,” I said. “You’re looking good.” And that was an understatement! His skin had tanned since the last time I saw him, further warming and softening his near-hypnotic dark eyes.
A band was setting up on a make-shift stage. I motioned to them. “They look familiar.”
“That’s the Sinful Sisters,” said Wyatt. “I’ve never heard them before, but they came highly recommended.
I put a hand to my mouth to hide the grin I could feel betraying me. The Sinful Sisters at a rodeo barbecue! Lincoln had taken me to see them in Cheyenne on one of our first dates. They were dreadful, but we’d had a great time. In fact, since then, we’d reference ‘Sinful Sisters’ whenever something was so bad it was good, or whenever something was so wildly out of place it was entertaining.
Highly recommended? That’s suspicious.
I looked at the crowd Gran had disappeared into. “It looks like I’ve been abandoned.”
“Not in the slightest,” said Aiden. He gave me his arm, which I took, locking elbows. Wyatt took my other arm in his and side-by-side-by-side we walked toward the stage.
I looked at Aiden then at Wyatt and smiled. “I guess I haven’t been abandoned after all.”
Chairs had been set out on the lawn facing the stage. But instead of leading me to a seat, my escorts veered me toward the back, to the picnic tables where a group of five men was waiting: Teddy, Samuel, Grayson, Ryder, and Lincoln.
I looked at Lincoln and motioned to the stage. “Lincoln, are you the one who recommended the Sinful Sisters for the rodeo barbecue?”
He smiled mischievously and shrugged. “What can I say? They bring back fond memories.”
“Why?” said Teddy. “Are they not a good band? I paid good money to get them here.”
Lincoln and I shared a laugh.
Teddy elbowed Lincoln. “You told me I should hire them.”
“And I’m glad you did,” said Lincoln. “They’re perfect. Don’t you think, Ruby?”
I nodded. “I like them. We’ll see how they go over with the crowd.”
“Oh,” said Wyatt, as if he had nearly forgotten something important. “Samuel has a present for you.” He looked at Samuel. “You do, right?”
Samuel nodded. He reached into the bag he was holding and pulled out a folder. “It didn’t turn out quite as well as I’d hoped. But we were missing an essential component.” He handed me the folder.
I opened it and pulled out its contents: a glossy print of a photograph featuring the seven guys shirtless posing in the stables.
“We never got the chance to finish the calendar,” said Wyatt. “We know it’s not a great picture, but we thought it might inspire you to want to get back to work on it.”
I put a hand to my mouth to cover the wide smile stretching across my face. “It’s a great picture. I love it. Thank you.”
Wyatt beamed. “Does that mean you’ll consider finishing the calendar?”
