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Jake got our luggage, and Dad made his way up the stairs, holding onto the railing. From the back, he looked like an elderly man. My vision blurred at the sight. He reminded me of his dad, Pop-pop Smithfield.
“He’s so handsome,” my mother whispered, pulling my attention off my dad.
“No kidding. Why didn’t you tell me he was so sexy?” Olivia waggled her brows as she kept stealing glances at Jake.
“Olivia,” Mom hissed. “You shouldn’t say such things about your sister’s boyfriend.”
“Does he have a friend? Someone equally hot?” Now she had to be trying to rile up our mom.
All I could do was giggle at my mom and sister as we went inside. Jake followed a few steps behind us. I might have heard him snort.
“These women… they’ll be like this all weekend.” Dad chuckled and a gleeful twinkle sparked in his brown eyes. He put his hand on Jake’s shoulder. “Let’s take these bags upstairs to Shelby’s room.”
“Yes, sir.”
I nearly choked on my spit as I watched Jake. If he kept up being nice and polite, I might fall in love with him, and loving another man wasn’t something I’d ever thought could be possible.
2
Cade - Age 17
History fucking sucked. How would knowing about the Gilded Age or immigration help me with my chores on the ranch? It wouldn’t,obviously. Mucking stalls and unloading feed took strength and muscles, not book smarts.
The truth was, I didn’t give one lick about school. Never had. I was a cowboy, a rancher. My family raised the best angus beef cattle west of the Mississippi River. Ranching was all I ever wanted to do.
One day, I’d be my own boss. Nothing better than that. Except my parents wanted me to graduate from high school, so I needed to pass my classes.
School was important to Shelby, always had been. Because it was important to her, she made sure I had done well, too. She wanted me to have all the advantages of getting into college… if I changed my mind.I won’t.
I was staying put in Burntwood. Unfortunately, Shelby was determined to get out of our small town and move to a big city. Of course, she wanted me to go with her but I didn’t give a crap about fine dining and an arts district, or diversity. It wasn’t easy to avoid all her college talk and plans for the future, but I did the best I could. Speaking of my ambitious girl…
Shelby appeared to be zoning out, which was unusual. She had been the most focused person I knew, unless something piqued her curiosity.
An angelic glow radiated off her as I watched from her desk chair. She was perched on her bed, per her father’s orders. He hadn’t wanted us to betempted. Too late for that…
Shelby Smithfield was the sweetest, most irresistible girl, and I loved her with every cell in my body. She was my forever, and I was hers.
“Cade?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you think it’s really possible to make love all night long? The way Tim and Faith are singing about it in the song?” Her chocolate-brown eyes burned into mine, anticipation glittering in them as she waited for my reply.
Like a dumbass, I stared at her, speechless. She fucking stole my breath away when she looked at me.
Lyrics? What lyrics?
Tim and Faith? The names sounded familiar, but I had a horrible memory and only remembered people who meant something to me, like Shelby. We’d grown up together since we were babies. We’d been inseparable since we could walk and talk. Nobody and nothing else mattered to me more than Shelby.
So yeah, I hadn’t been paying attention to the music, much less the lyrics. My attention had been on my girl, as always.
Captivated by her beauty?Absolutely.
Hypnotized by her sweet voice, explaining progressivism and reform?Without a doubt.
But the song? There’d been a song playing?Nope, didn’t hear it.
“Really, Cade? You have no idea what I’m talking about?” Irritation dripped off her like thick, stinky molasses. “You never pay attention to anything.”
