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“Sure, but yellow is different. I hear it’s cool now.”
Dusty chuckled. “You’re never going to finish this thing if you keep changing stuff.”
“Of course not. What, do you think the goal of working on a hot rod is to finish it?” Another bottle of soda popped. “You’ve got a lot to learn, son.”
I bit back a giggle. Dad had never been in a hurry to finish his car, but since Dusty had been coming around, they’d spent a lot of hours out in that garage. I doubt they actually got much work done, but they always came in laughing together. And that made my heart happy.
“Yellow sounds perfect, then,” Dusty agreed. They were quiet for a minute, probably drinking their sodas. I hated to break things up, but Dusty had left his phone on the kitchen counter, and it had been exploding with texts. From Luke, naturally.
I stepped around the corner, holding the phone, and my dad and Dusty lowered their bottles. “Uh, oh,” Dad said. He winked at Dusty and gave him a friendly nudge with his elbow. “Duty calls, eh?”
Dusty set his soda aside and came toward me, his smile enough to light my sky. He slipped a hand around my waist and kissed my cheek. “Let me guess. My brother?”
“Yeah. I think you’d better get back to the ranch.”
Dusty took the phone and glanced through his messages. A smile tugged at his lips now and then, and finally, he shook his head and sent a quick reply.
“Calving season?” Dad guessed. “They need you back up there, huh? When is that over for you guys?”
“Oh, another month at least, but that’s not what Luke was texting about.”
I looped an arm around Dusty’s shoulder, and he tucked me closer to his side. I loved holding this man, and I’d never even felt awkward about it in front of my dad. He was just part of me, and being in his arms was as natural as breathing. “I’ll bite. If it’s not about work, then he’s horse shopping again.”
Dusty held up the phone. “There’s one horse ad. Wouldn’t expect any less, but the rest are pictures of string lights and big wooden spools.”
Dad squinted. “What would you use something like that for?”
“Tables. Decor. He found ideas online for a rustic barn wedding, and he’s got all these crazy ideas.” Dusty turned down to me and kissed my temple. “What would you think of getting married up at the ranch? I know it’s not very elegant. I can tell Luke to stop.”
“At the ranch?” I hadn’t even thought of that. I’d already booked the church, and we’d agreed we didn’t want a fancy wedding. Just something simple, authentic andus. “You know, I love that idea!”
“You do? I want you to have the wedding you deserve. We don’t have to rush or settle on anything.”
I shook my head and framed his face with my hands. “It’s perfect. Big and airy and we can spend all the time we want, just celebrating with our friends. What do you think, Dad?”
But my dad wasn’t there. He’d slipped out again, letting us have a few minutes of privacy. That was one of the hundreds of little ways he had of letting me know how much he liked Dusty.
I’d always felt deep in my soul that I could never be content in loving a man who didn’t have my dad’s approval. Dusty had more than that. They were close, like family already. I would have married Dusty no matter what because he was the one my heart treasured. But it was a blessing beyond what I could have ever hoped that he and my dad enjoyed and respected each other.
I wrapped my arms around my cowboy’s neck and smiled up at him. “Two more weeks. Can we get everything done in that much time?”
Dusty’s arms slipped behind me, his hands resting lightly at my waist, and he leaned his forehead on mine. A deep sigh of pleasure lifted his shoulders, then another. “I don’t even care if we get everything done. I just want yours to be the last face I see before I drift off to dream each night and the first to greet me with the sunrise each day.”
I wove my fingers into his hair and just held him. It didn’t matter what we were doing or if we were even doing anything at all. My heart rate actually slowed when I was holding Dusty, like my soul was at peace at last. “When do you think we can break ground on our house?”
“As soon as things dry out a little more. I’ve ordered the gravel to start the driveway, and I talked to Cody’s guy about lumber and trusses.” He cupped my cheek. “This is really happening, love!”
“I can hardly believe it! How did I get so lucky?” I stroked his cheek with my thumb and kissed the dimple of his chin.
“It’s not luck. We were meant to be, Jess Thompkins. I don’t know how or why, but I’m sure of it, deep in my marrow. In fact…” He held up a finger and tugged something from his pocket. I laughed when I recognized that worn leather journal, the one I used to think belonged to Austen… Michael… whatever his name was. Dusty flipped it open, which was no easy feat because he had one hand locked around my waist and wasn’t letting go.
“I wrote this for you yesterday. Well, actually, I’ve been working on it for a couple of weeks.Stockman’swants me to send something in, but… I wanted to show you this first.”
I took it and read. And in his easy, rhythmic, free verse, I found the words I’d been trying to express since the first time he kissed me. How I was home now, and how our hearts were singing harmony and melody of the same beautiful, haunting song. And there was more than just ourselves—we were part of something bigger, richer, something that would grow and change and endure long after we were no longer of this earth. I would plant myself, plunge my roots down deep into good soil, and flourish alongside my cowboy.
And that was all I ever wanted.
“Can I be selfish about this one?” I nibbled my lip and held the journal close to my heart.
