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I push the rolling chair in and grab my truck keys from the desk.
I’m eager to get to Ester’s place. Updating her books will take me ten minutes tops, unless she’s sold a secret stash of quilts she had hiding in the attic and never mentioned. But all I have to do is ask her what’s happening on Yellowstone—her latest TV obsession—and she’ll talk for hours about her favorite cowboy.
It’ll buy me the time I need to ensure Cassidy doesn’t so easily dodge me this visit.
When I first laid eyes on the curvy beauty at Haley’s rehearsal dinner a couple of weeks ago, something inside me shifted. It wasn’t until we were paired up for a practice run down the aisle that I finally learned her name.
Cassidy James.
My future wife.
Even in three-inch heels, the top of her head hardly met the top of my shoulder. The scent of her perfume as we linked arms drove me fucking insane until I finally got my sister to find out what it was. A month ago, I’d have laughed my ass off at any man who knew the scent jasmine by name. Now, I’ve bought up every jasmine scented candle, soap, and room spray I could find just to remind me of her.
Until that night, I was content with my life the way it was. Casual dating that never held promise of anything serious. It was the safe option. The no-one-gets-hurt option. Though I’ve watched both my older brother, Malcom, and now my little sister, Haley, find true love, I didn’t think it was in the cards for me.
No one ever stirred my soul the slightest.
Until Cassidy.
Because until I saw the curvaceous redhead across the table in the private party room at Jax’s Bar and Grill, I never felt drawn to anyone like this before. I never felt this absolute certainty. My soul seemed to recognize hers and it didn’t just shift. It thundered.
And now I’ve turned into a complete fucking romantic sap—and a man on a mission. Cassidy James is my future, and I am hers. I saw that flicker of truth resonating in those beautiful green eyes as we danced the night away. Something she tried the next morning to blame on alcohol.
She backpedaled—hard.
I don’t know what’s holding her back, but I’m a patient man.
I’m not going anywhere.
Haley finally allows me to slip out the door, giving up on whatever question she was considering. But she does follow me out. The barks from the other side of the concrete wall grow from minimal to chaotic. Must be treat time.
Relieved that I’ve reached the front door without too much interrogation, I rest my hand on the knob. “I’ll be back tomorrow to work a shift. I think I’m overdue.”
“You are.”
“See you then.”
“She likes white chocolate.”
“Ester?”
Haley laughs. “No, silly. Cassidy.”
“I didn’t—”
“You didn’t have to.” Haley pats my arm before dashing down the short hall to the kennel room. “Just don’t break her heart,” she calls back. “It’d be awkward having to hide your body.”
3
CASSIDY
“My liquor license is here!” I exclaim to Ester, clutching the envelope to my chest and dancing in a circle in the kitchen. Though the local approval was easy enough to get thanks to my great-aunt’s ties to Daisy Hills, I’ll admit I was a bit nervous about state approval. I didn’t want to get my hopes up too high and already had a backup plan to offer virgin cocktails—all with clever bookish names, of course—if needed.
But this—especially after the news that the entire fucking sprinkler system has to be replaced—is such a happy relief.
“Told you,” Ester says, a lot of spunk punched into those two words for such a petite woman. This firecracker of an old lady has been an absolute joy in my life these past few weeks. I suspect she doesn’t need me as much as she first pretended, but I definitely need her. “I don’t know why you were worried.”
I crush her in a hug.
