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Danny had left the ranch in such a mess that Hugh hadn’t questioned her.
“Her name was Darcy Cornish. She lives a mile from where Danny went off the road. I just…knew.”
“Like a feeling,” Trey said. “And you just knew.”
“Yeah, like that,” she said.
“That’s how I knew I should marry you so we can enter the Sweetheart Classic.”
A soft smile touched Beth’s face, and she leaned into Trey’s touch as he ran his fingers along her neck and into her hair.
“I’m so sorry,” Trey said.
Beth took another deep breath, expecting the cool night air to sting her lungs. It didn’t. The kiss she’d shared with Trey should’ve stung too. At least pricked her conscience and told her that she shouldn’t kiss another man. That hadn’t happened either.
“There’s so much more to tell,” she said, sitting up and letting Trey’s hands fall to his lap. “But I think that’s enough for tonight.” She looked at him, and with her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could see the highlights of his face in the moonlight. “Thank you, Trey, for following your feeling.”
She leaned toward him, and he seemed to understand exactly what she wanted just from reading her body language. He kissed her again, keeping the union much sweeter than last time.
“I’m not going to cheat on you,” he whispered. “I’ll just tell you straight-up what I’m thinking and doing. Deal?”
“Deal,” she whispered.
“Can you do that for me?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said without even thinking about it. She wanted everything between them to be open and honest and…real. Fear plucked against her pulse, but she pushed it away. She didn’t need to be afraid of another relationship.
She was ready—finally ready—to let go of Danny, let go of everything he’d saddled her with, and start living her life again.
* * *
The next day,apple juice dripped from Beth’s fingers when her doorbell rang. Thinking it to be Trey, she called, “Come in.”
The front door opened and someone wearing boots came toward her. Sure enough, the handsome cowboy she’d spent too much time thinking about last night when she should’ve been sleeping appeared in front of her.
When the crew he’d hired to come help her with the apples and peaches had arrived at six-thirty, she’d barely been dressed.
“Hey,” he said, taking in the scene in front of him.
“It looks bad,” she said. “But this is normal.”
“Normal?” He looked at the island behind where she stood at the sink. She knew what he found there, and the shock on his face made her smile.
“Yes,” she said. “Now get over here and finish peeling these so I can check the jars I have on the stove.” A bead of sweat ran down her back, but Beth ignored it.
Trey came and stood next to her, but he looked like he had no idea what she’d said.
“You can peel an apple, right?” she asked.
“Uh, no, ma’am,” he said.
Beth found him utterly charming and adorable. “You use a paring knife,” she said, grinning at the thought of such a little knife in such big hands. Her stomach flipped at the thought of holding those strong, large hands. They’d been so warm and so comforting.
“It’s right there,” she said, indicating the black-handled knife beside the sink.
He picked it up and settled it in his hand.
“You hold the apple in the other hand,” she said. “These are already cored for you. You get off the skin and chop them into little chunks. Put them all in this pot.” She indicated the big pot of water she’d already prepped for the next batch of apples. She’d put lemon juice, a cinnamon stick, and a dash of salt to the water, and as soon as he finished the last half-dozen apples, she’d set them to cook.
