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“Sorry, Weston,” Butch finally said, breaking the stillness around us.
“I’m not the one you need to apologize to.” I lifted a brow, and he nodded.
“Sorry, Doc Tenley, for ruining your date,” Butch stated.
She smiled. “I’m also not the one you should apologize to, but thank you.”
He nodded sheepishly again, hanging his head. “I have to figure out how to bake forty-eight cookies.”
I glanced at my watch. “And in an hour, because your mom is coming home with Millie soon.”
Butch sighed and slid down from the fence. “You two have a good evening.” He waved, walking away from us, and then paused. “Even if I’m upset that you scared her off for the day,” he added with a grumble. I watched his figure fade away for a moment, wondering if I might have overreacted a smidge.
Tenley bumped me with her shoulder. “You should go with him.”
“What?” I furrowed my brows, glancing at her.
“It’s late, so I should get home, and then you should help Butch bake the cookies.”
“Would you want to stay and bake them with us?” I asked, hoping she’d say yes.
She smiled and reached up with her right hand. Gently, she laid it against my cheek and slowly traced her fingers across my scarred skin. “I think you need to have this time alone with him. He’s a fifteen year old boy. I’ve never been a fifteen year old boy, but you have. He respects you. Talk to him, especially since he is a little upset. No matter how old he is, his feelings are genuine.”
Closing my eyes, I leaned into her touch, knowing she was right. “Let me take you home first,” I whispered. Her fingers danced across my skin, igniting butterflies whispering within the walls of my stomach. Light, airy, holding the promise of something more.
“Good. And tomorrow you can take me out on our third, first date.” She giggled, and a smile slipped across my face. Once again, she reminded me how much this wasn’t upsetting to her.
“Would you want to go to the festival in town before sneaking to my house for the date I’d planned for tonight?” I asked, still keeping my eyes closed and suddenly, there were velvet lips against mine. Soft and tender, like petals brushing against your skin.
It was so brief, I barely registered her kiss before she broke away.
Snapping my eyes open, she blushed. “I’d very much like that.”
“When should I pick you up?” I quietly asked, still a little stuck on the kiss.
“Hmmm, how about I meet you there? I think my grandparents and parents were planning to go tomorrow. We keep each other posted so we can meet up when we are both there.” She winked.
“Oooo, I like that. Sneaking off like a couple of teenagers. Maybe we can find some bleachers to make out underneath.” I grinned, finding some peace within today. Though now, my heart was bubbling with anticipation and pent up affection.
“Isn’t that exactly what you just got after Butch for doing?” She lifted an accusing brow.
“But again, I’d like to state that we are both of the adult age and he is not.”
She giggled. “Take me home, old man.”
“Old? Who are you calling old?”
“There’s only one of us who is past the age of thirty. In fact, that same someone is closer to forty than thirty if I recall correctly, so you know exactly who I’m calling old.”
“Careful, darling. Thirty is creeping up on you too,” I teased, slinging an arm around Tenley’s shoulders. She cradled in against my body as we approached my truck. Man, if this was what it was like being on a non-date date with her, I was all the more excited for an actual date. Besides, with the annual Christmas Festival Rodeo our town hosted, my family would be there for most of the day. Which provided easy cover for us to remain unnoticed by my mother especially, who would stick her nose into the relationship before it really even had a chance at a proper first date.
Pulling open the truck door, she climbed on in, scooting over to the middle seat as I followed. How nice, she didn’t even bother getting into the passenger seat.
Instead, she remained closely leaned up against my body. Her small frame tucked up against mine. I practically swallowed her, and I liked that feeling.
Turning over the key, the truck’s engine rumbled and we slowly began rolling away from the ranch.
“Where’s all your ranch hands?” She asked, her eyes lazily drifting across the calm passing scenery.
