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I knew he’d worked at his in-laws’ cattle ranch, but I hadn’t known he’d liked doing it. The fact I didn’t know that detail irritated me.
There was so much I didn’t know about West.
And now, with this job? I was worried about being too busy to date him.
Regardless of how busy it would get, I would go on the one date I’d promised him. After that, I’d have to see.
Because work was my safe place, the one thing constant in my life. I wanted to hope for more with West, wanted to think I wouldn’t mess things up and could accept some happiness without drowning in guilt.
And yet, nothing was certain. Definitely not at this point.
But my work was. It always was.
So I dove into what I did best, ignoring the slight pang in my heart about not having more of what I’d had in Reno.
* * *
It was early evening by the time I had scheduled a meeting with Zara for the next day. Between that and the work for an upcoming wedding, I didn’t have time to eat.
So when someone knocked on my office door, I was grumpy, tired, and hangry. I barked, “Come in.”
Avery and Wyatt dashed inside, with West not far behind him, and my irritation faded at the sight of them. He carried two pizza boxes, and as soon as the cheesy, greasy smell hit my nose, my stomach growled.
Avery spoke first. “Daddy said we could help deliver your dinner, but we couldn’t stay very long. You’re super busy, and we can’t bother you.”
I smiled at Avery. “I can take a break for dinner, if you three can stay?”
Looking at West, I was unsure of what to expect. Even if we weren’t telling his kids about us maybe being a thing, I still wanted to spend time with them.
West smiled at me, and I let out a breath of relief. “We can stay for dinner. Just not too late, though. Avery and Wyatt have swim lessons in the morning. Although why the fuck it has to be at nine a.m., I don’t know.”
Avery tutted. “Bad word, Daddy!”
I bit my lip to keep from smiling. I suspected it was more a game West and Avery played than any real scolding.
West sighed. “Yes, I know.” He held up the pizza boxes. “Shall we?”
I stood, and we made our way to the kitchen. Avery chatted about riding Beck’s horses when we’d been away in Reno, and even Wyatt had jumped in to talk about their ride.
As I retrieved some plates, I asked Wyatt, “You love horses, don’t you?”
He nodded. “Some of my friends in Ridgefield dreamed of motorcycles or sports cars. But I just want to have a few horses of my own. Maybe breed them someday too. One girl in my old class, her mom and dad did that.”
Since Wyatt was rarely this chatty, I decided to keep him talking. “Would you want to learn some more about horses? Because I might know someone who could teach you.”
“Yes, that would be awesome.”
“Well, the King family has a big stable of them, and the brothers know just about everything to do with horses. Maybe I could ask my friend Amber if her brothers would take you on a tour and you could meet some of their animals?”
Wyatt’s eyes lit up. “I’d love that.” He looked at his dad. “Can I go if they say it’s okay?”
I glanced at West, and the soft expression on his face, as he stared at his son, did something to my heart.
After clearing his throat, West replied, “If they say yes, then of course.”
Wyatt beamed at his father. “Thanks, Dad.”
I helped dish out the pizza, the kids busy inhaling it like they hadn’t eaten in days. I shared a smile with West.
