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Rowan: Works for me :)
Diesel: Why don’t you come over tonight since you work a short shift, and I’ll show you all the ways I can console you?
Rowan: Hmm…you paint a tempting picture. You think that’s a good idea?
Diesel: Park at the B&B and take a four-wheeler over to the equipment barn, and I’ll pick you up there.
Rowan: Okay, I’ll be done here in two hours and will text you when I’m leaving so you can meet me.
Diesel: I’ll be waiting!
His eagerness always makes me smile. It’ll be the first time visiting his house, and I’m not quite sure what to expect. I know he’s been fixing it up since he basically got kicked out of the cabin he and Riley shared. Once Zoey came to town, and they decided to try to make things work, Diesel moved into one of the ranch hand cabins that needed a lot of work. I know he’s been remodeling it in his spare time, which I’m learning isn’t very much. Probably even less now that he’s spending it with me instead.
Ethan’s working till close tonight and knows how to do the reports and safe, so I don’t worry about it when I decide to dip out early. Claire will arrive at eight, and since we aren’t that busy, I decide to leave a half hour early.
I take the extra time to freshen up and change before heading to Diesel’s. Before I can leave the house, my mother walks in the door and asks where I’m going so late. I hold back any comments on how it’s barely dark outside, and that I’m twenty-three years old.
“Maize and I are meeting up for a girls’ night. Nothing special.” I smile, hoping she believes me. I hate lying to my mom. We’re close, and she trusts me, but I can’t tell her this secret. At least not yet.
“Oh, alright. Tell her I said hi. You two have fun.” She gives me a kiss on the cheek and a hug, and my soul dies a little at how easily the lie spilled from my lips.
By the time Diesel picks me up, I’m in a sour mood, and I hate that I can’t be more excited to see him tonight. My eyes water, and I wipe away the tears before they can fall.
“Looks like someone needs cheering up,” he says, guiding me through the front door. “Wanna start with a tour?”
“Sure.” He takes my hand and shows me around, telling me how he plans to fix it up. Some of the things include: knocking out walls to open up the living room, adding a kitchen island for more storage space, replacing a window with patio doors, and then building on a huge deck.
“Wow…that all sounds amazing. I bet it’s going to be gorgeous once you’re done.” I look around and see empty spaces with tarps and paint cans. He’s done some stuff already but has quite a bit to finish.
“I hope so. Riley was supposed to help me, but now that he’s on permanent Dad duty, I may have Grayson and Wyatt help too. Maybe Ethan.”
I snort at the mention of my cousin. “Ethan barely wants to get his hands dirty as it is, so good luck.” His parents are both doctors so he was never forced to do chores until my other uncles got a hold of him and basically threw him in the dirt. So now he’s going to school for agricultural science and has one year left, but since he’s home for the summer, he helps at the bar or anywhere he’s needed on the ranch. Once he graduates, he’ll work on the ranch full-time and plans to help find ways to expand.
“Maybe I’ll bribe him with a few beers to help.” He grins. “Maybe I can bribe you?”
“That wouldn’t look suspicious at all,” I mock.
“We’ll say you owed me.”
My jaw drops. “Owe you for what?”
“For kicking your ex’s ass,” he states proudly.
“Mm-hmm, right. Not sure what I can do anyway, besides paint maybe.”
“Perfect. Sounds like a date.”
“You really are relentless, aren’t you?”
“All part of my charm.”
When I smile, he lifts my chin and softly presses his lips to mine. “There’s that gorgeous smile I love so much. My plan worked after all.”
Nick is officially off my mind, and all I can think about is Diesel.
“Guess it did.” I fist my hands in his shirt and bring his mouth back to mine, and soon we’re making out like a couple of teenagers who have a curfew.
Diesel leads me to the couch and sets me on his lap without even breaking the kiss. His fingers thread in my hair, cupping the back of my head and pulling it back slightly so his tongue can slide in deeper. Hot electricity sparks between us, and it takes all the energy I have to pull away.
