AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Last time?” Rosemary shot in my direction and gripped her cards tightly. The room stilled, thick tension swirling as her gaze narrowed in my direction.
The smirk slid from my face, a little confused and worried. She’d called her parents when we got snowed in at my house, yet here we were, with her mom asking about last time. I glanced at Tenley, wondering why this was a shocking reveal. She pulled her lips into her mouth and grimaced.
“Uh, yeah. You know, when I got snowed in at his ranch,” she muttered sheepishly, and Rosemary’s mouth fell open.
Irene gasped and tossed a thumb toward me, watching in total bewilderment. “His ranch? As in, he owns the entire thing?”
“Are you saying you got snowed in with Weston and not Cassidy?” Rosemary asked, ignoring her mother-in-law, and confirming my suspicion that Tenley hadn’t mentioned where she’d been that night.
I stared at Tenley, wondering what was going through her mind, and watched nearly every emotion possible pass across her face. Sucking in a deep breath, I remained silent as she opened her mouth. “Yes, it’s Weston’s ranch, and yes, I was at his house,” she mumbled.
Rosemary’s jaw snapped to the floor, her eyes wide, and she shared a glance with Irene. I braced for the berating that was going to come, knowing full well what was going to come with the revelation that Tenley had spent the night with me. All night. Snowed in. Even I knew the connotation that came with that, regardless of what actually happened.
“So, he owns the whole thing? Like the entire ranch,” Irene whispered mindlessly.
“It’s true, then,” her mom gasped.
Tenley clenched her pile of cards tighter. “What’s true?”
Rosemary shifted to face me, her eyes wide with bewilderment. “Your older brother turned down the ranch. You did something successful, and now you have it.” I blinked once, shocked for a moment. That was not what I’d expected her mom to latch onto. She asked if it was true how I came to own the ranch, not a thing about Tenley staying the night with me. Which once again seemed strange, knowing that about a week ago, Rosemary definitely was not in my corner.
I nodded once, and she inhaled sharply.
“What was it?”
Tenley clicked her tongue, feeling the strange tension swirling in the air. “What does it matter what he did?”
“Tenley, dear. Let us get to know him.” Rosemary pursed her lips.
And it hit me as I exhaled, not realizing I’d been holding my breath. They really didn’t know much about me other than the little that Tenley possibly explained over the past week. Plus what went down over Thanksgiving, and considering everything else, all of that couldn’t amount to much. I too would be curious if my future daughter brought home a man.
I bit back a smile, lifting my brows toward the girl ,who rolled her eyes.
“Fine, fine,” she mumbled, returning her attention to the pile in her hands and shuffled them around.
“Anyway,” Rosemary shook her head and flashed me a smile. She reached forward, turning the first card over.
“So, he owns the ranch, and from what you’ve said is close with his family. Plus he’s smart and established,” Irene broke in, unintentionally giving me a quick summary of what little Tenley’s told them.
Her shoulders relaxed, a proud grin spreading across my girl’s face. “Yes, he is.” She shifted her feet under her again. I chuckled and organized my cards.
“Anyway, Weston,” Rosemary shot a glare at her mother-in-law who, sitting on her left, slapped the first card down with a smirk. “I hear rumors about you Dukes.”
I placed a couple cards down next and lifted an amused brow. “You don’t say.”
She chuckled, a soft sigh leaving her mouth. “That’s fair. That’s entirely fair.” She grimaced, so I gave her a small, encouraging smile, silently letting her know I didn’t mind at all.
Swallowing stiffly, she continued. “What earned you the right to come back to the ranch?”
Tenley sucked in her lip as we made a full circle back to her first question. “Mom…,” she cautioned.
But it seemed, for whatever reason, it was really important for Rosemary to know, and I could understand. If I were to ever earn their approval, they deserved to know that I would be able to take care of their daughter.
“It’s fine, Tenley.” I gave her a brief smile before returning to the conversation at hand. I had no issues answering their questions, no longer wanting to hide. Her parents were putting an effort into ignoring the rumors, the things that were not true, and since they were, I could step outside of my comfort zone and open up. Besides, this was all for Tenley, and she was worth it. She would always be worth it.
As the night wore on, discussion became easier and easier. Slowly, the interrogation turned into simple conversation as we talked, leisurely getting to know each other.
Something felt different by the time Tenley slapped her cards down on the table in defeat, once again. Her mom and grandparents joked as if they’d known me for years, and while I wanted to believe that it was something I’d said, I knew it was because of how Tenley behaved with me tonight.
