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Chapter 1
Josh
"You'regoingtojoinus for the 4th of July festivities downtown, right, Josh?" my best friend Evan asks.
I'm having dinner at his house like I do every week. Every Sunday is family dinner with his four kids and his wife, and they are gracious enough to include me since I am unmarried and have no children.
"Of course. I really enjoyed it last year. There's just something about a small-town July 4th celebration that beats out any of the big town ones we've celebrated. Plus, the boys put on a hell of a show with sparklers last year. I think we need a repeat," I say. Though at the same time, I’m trying to pull my head out of the clouds and back into the conversation.
"I couldn't agree more," Evan says with a grin.
"Hell yeah. That was so much fun," Finn says. He's the middle of the three boys and a daredevil. He rides in the rodeo to earn money for the ranch the boys plan on buying but also for the thrill of it. I'm sure the attention from the girls doesn't hurt, though it has earned him a playboy reputation.
"Don't encourage them! They almost burned the deck down last year!" Evans's wife says.
"Mom, we weren't even close to burning it down. Plus, we are more experienced this year." Zach, the youngest brother, joins the conversation.
Janet gives the boys the 'I'm your mother, don't start with me look,' and I can't help the chuckle that escapes. Though when Jenna looks up at me from across the table, she’s got a small smile on her face. She was nothing but my best friend's little girl, running around in pigtails and starting her first day of school. Then, somewhere after her sixteenth birthday, she had a pool party and walked out in this lacy black bikini, and suddenly, she was no longer a little girl in my eyes.
After that, I stopped coming around claiming some big projects at work, and even moved away for a few years.
When their youngest child, Jenna, turned eighteen, they bought their place out here in the small town of Walker Lake, Texas. Once they moved here, I started to come for visits figuring enough time had passed. But the first time that I saw Jenna after all those years, I was about knocked off my feet.
I tried to keep my distance, but a few years ago, a ranch came up for sale in town, and Jenna was gushing over how much she loved the house on it and all the old details. Before I knew it, I was the proud owner of that ranch, and I moved here to Walker Lake. She was twenty-one.
Now, it's been two years of Sunday dinners, and I've managed to keep my distance. Not that she's really made it easy. Though I'm guessing she doesn't know what she does to me because there's no way she's interested in her father's best friend, who's fifteen years older than her.
"He'll take me on the rides again this year, won't you, Josh?" Jenna asks.
It's such an innocent question for everyone else at the table, but what she's asking is if I'll be going on the rides that will push us together, and many of them end up with her almost in my lap. But the way she laughs and smiles, there's no way I would tell her no.
"Of course, that is as long as no one else here wants to go with you," I say.
Since Jenna's brothers are currently looking to buy a ranch together to run, I’m sure they’ll be more interested in networking with other ranchers. There's always a big animal show on the 4th of July, so that's where they will be spending their time.
Jenna's parents like to walk around and look at all the booths and crafts and spend their time tasting food. They have no interest in the rides.
"We wouldn't dare break tradition this year. Besides, I heard the diner has a food booth this year, and they're trying out some new recipes to see what the town likes so they can add it to their menu. We can't miss that," Jenna's mom, Janet, says, reaching out to take Evan's hand in hers.
They've been sweethearts since middle school, and to see them still so head over heels in love gives me hope that maybe someday, I can still have that. But to find it, I have to get Jenna out of my system.
"Yes, Austin has been trying some new recipes. I even heard they will start offering more homemade pies. Her sister Natalie has been experimenting with some new recipes," Asher says.
I haven't known that boy to turn down anything sweet in my life.
As the conversation continues, my mind keeps wandering back to Jenna. She's sitting across the table from me, wearing a simple sundress that's hugging her curves in all the right places. Even though I try to divert my gaze, my eyes keep returning to her. She's grown into such a beautiful woman, and it's hard for me not to let my mind wander to what it would be like to have her in my arms. But I can't let myself go there. She's too young for me, and besides, she is my best friend's daughter.
"I almost forgot. I got a lead on a ranch. It needs a lot of work, from what I'm told. Though it hasn't been worked in a few years, and it's further out of town than we were looking at, but I'm going to try to set up a meeting to take a look," Asher says.
He's always been more of the take-control one. Finn and Zach are working just as hard to earn money for the ranch, but Asher has been the lead on looking. Now that they are close to buying, they have an idea of what is out there.
"Let us know, and I'm happy to go with you and take a look," Evan says.
"Me too. A woman's touch on the house you will be living in, even for a short time, is always needed!" Janet says.
"Of course, we want your opinions," Finn says.
I know they have already looked at one ranch, but it was smaller than they wanted. Also, Evan caught quite a few things they had missed that would make it impossible for them to get up and go with in a year like they had planned. Things like how the fence had to be replaced, and half the pastures were unusable as they hadn't been taken care of properly. The deciding factor for them not buying the property was that alfalfa had started to grow in a few of the fields, which can be toxic to cattle.
