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That got him a small smile. “I am happy. I know I haven’t sounded like it lately, but I’m really happy with my life.” She straightened and adjusted to get comfortable. “Actually, there’s something else I forgot to tell you. Ava told me today that I can stay in the main house after she moves out. That is, if I still haven’t found a place by then.”
“You’re leaving already?” The question came out before he’d thought it through.
“Not right now. She’ll be living there until the wedding, but then she’ll move in with Jameson. Mr. Chambers said it was okay for me to stay there. I’m kind of excited about it. The main house is really nice, in a comfortable sort of way, and I’d never have to drive to work. I’d already be there.” Her eyes lit up with excitement as she spoke.
Blake relaxed. Seeing Everly happy did something crazy to his insides. “And you thought you wanted to leave.”
Everly rolled her eyes. “Okay, that was a stupid idea. I mean, I want to stay here. Blackwater feels like my home. I want to find a permanent place here. I’ve been looking at some rental properties, but I’ve talked to a real estate agent too.”
“Are you serious? That’s great.”
“Yeah.” She sighed. “At first, it was scary to think about settling down and doing it all on my own, but now I’m excited about it.”
“You don’t have to do anything alone. You know that, right?”
Her smile was tired but genuine. “I know. I might not be so brave if you weren’t here to tell me I could do it.”
Blake winked at her. “You’ve got this.” The unspoken ending of that sentence was “With or without me,” but he couldn’t get those words out.
Everly yawned and covered her mouth. “I’m getting tired.”
Blake looked at his still full mug of tea. He lifted it to his lips and chugged half of it. It was lukewarm, but it tasted sweet and comforting going down. “Me too.”
They both stood, and Blake went to put his mug in the kitchen while Everly gathered up her laptop and books. When they met at the bottom of the stairs, he took the things from her hands and followed her up to their rooms.
Once again, they were standing outside her bedroom, and Blake wasn’t feeling any of the nervousness from earlier.
“Good night,” he whispered.
“Good night.” She took the laptop and books from him and slowly backed toward her door. She didn’t turn away from him until she was closing the door behind her.
Blake rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. It was after one in the morning, but what was left of the night was going to be good. He’d found out what he wanted to know about Everly, and she’d also assured him they were on the same paths: Blackwater, Wolf Creek Ranch, and a home where they belonged.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Everly
Stella propped her elbows on the desk in the check-in office. "So, let me see it."
Everly reached for her phone under the desk and pulled up the real estate page for the house. They'd been swamped with check-ins and guests hanging out in the gift shop before supper. Now, the office was empty.
"This is it." Everly turned her phone around to show the first photo of the house. It was a wide shot of the exterior and the manicured lawn on either side.
"Well, I'll be. That's gorgeous," Stella said, taking the phone from Everly to look closer.
"It's small, but I don't need much. I made an offer this morning."
Stella grabbed Everly's hand and squeezed. "I'm so happy for you."
"It's not mine yet, but I really hope I get it." She'd been bursting with the news all day, but Stella was the first she'd had the chance to tell.
Jess walked in with two to-go plates stacked in her hands. "I brought the good stuff."
Stella accepted both plates and handed one to Everly. "Thank you, dear. You just moved up a spot in my will."
Jess huffed and rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't know what to do with your sewing machine, so you can just scratch me off the list."
Stella often joked about her will, and though the comments were always in good fun, it never failed to make Everly's chest clench. Stella's husband died years ago, and they hadn't had any children. Though Stella probably did think of the ranch family as her own, Everly didn't want to think about losing Stella or any of the other older friends they worked with at the ranch.
