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“Well, you don’t—”
“Yes, Lucy. I’ve always known.” He grinned. “Maybe that’s narcissistic of me, or maybe I’m just too confident, but I know that you feel the same way. And I know what we have is special.”
“I know,” I admitted. “It’s just scary to feel this way about someone you haven’t known that long.”
“I know.” He kissed me on the lips this time. “But that doesn’t mean that it’s any less real or any less intense. Now, come on.”
He took my hand and led me into the study where we sat down on one of the leather couches. I looked around the room at the buck heads on the wall and the leather-bound books on the shelves. If I’d ever thought about what a study on a ranch should look like, it would have been this.
“Do you like it?” Austin asked. “It’s not too much with the stag heads?”
“No, it fits. I’m not really into hunting or anything, but I don’t mind it.”
“Maybe you’ll be into hunting someday. I’d love to take you.”
“I’d be willing to try. I might be scared, but I’d be willing to try.”
“That’s all I ask of you, sweetheart. I’m not going to push you out of your comfort zone. I know you weren’t brought up in this world. I know that you’re not a cowgirl at heart. But whatever you’re comfortable with, whatever you want to do, I support you, okay?”
“Thank you, Austin,” I whispered.
Then Amelia and Ranger walked into the room. Ranger shut the door behind him, and they sat on the couch opposite us.
“So what’s this, your mom says you want to talk to us?” He frowned as he stared at Austin.
“Yeah, Dad, Mom. I need to talk to you about something serious.”
“Okay. I hope nothing’s wrong.” He looked concerned. “What’s going on?”
“Well, Mom …”
“Yes, dear?” Amelia looked worried, too, now.
“I know when you wrote that ad for the newspaper, you were looking for a wife for Beau because you wanted grandkids and he’s your oldest.”
“Yes …”
“And Lucy responded to the ad and you liked her and you thought she’d be a good match for Beau.”
“That’s right.”
“And so you sent for her, and she came.”
“Yes, dear.”
“And you hoped that she would marry Beau and have a wonderful life together and lots of kids, and well, I’m just letting you know that’s not going to happen.”
“What do you mean?” Amelia looked at me. “I thought you were enjoying your time here.”
“Oh, I love it, Amelia. And I’m so grateful for you having me come and stay and—”
“Mom, Lucy and I are together.”
“What?” Amelia looked shocked and then her face broke into a smile. She looked over at her husband and gave him a knowing look. “You two are together?”
“Yes, Mom. I know you sent for Lucy so that she could be with Beau, but she and I have the connection, and we’re together, and you need to stop trying to push her and Beau together. You didn’t make a match for them, okay? I know you think that Lucy and Beau are falling in love and that they’re going to give you grandkids and all this stuff, but I’m telling you that there is no Lucy and Beau. And you’re just going to have to deal with it because she’s with me. I like her, she likes me, and—”
Ranger started laughing then, and then Austin frowned. “Dad, are you okay?”
