Serious Cowboy (Cowboys of Duncan Ranch #2)

Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

Aaron sat in his truck for several long moments without so much as turning on the ignition. He’d only meant his kiss goodnight to be just that, an innocent parting gesture. Yet what it turned into…

Dragging the side of a finger callused by handling ropes and other heavy materials against his lips, it felt like the essence of Joy was still there. Still with him. In reality, maybe she always had been. He’d known he was in love with her back in the day. It hadn’t been any huge mystery what his feelings were for her.

The conundrum had come when she made it clear that she didn’t feel the same way.

Yet, tonight…

Tonight.

What had transpired between them tonight? Their friendship had naturally evolved for him in high school, going from a devoted relationship where each was always there for the other to something more heated, something more powerful. But only on his end. He hadn’t realized that until too late.

So, if that was the case—an understanding that had been difficult to accept—why had Joy kissed him back? And why had it been so… passionate? So good? He had an excellent memory for such things, but even in his best recollections, no kiss with Joy had ever made him lose himself like that previously.

Not like that.

On his side, yes. He’d definitely felt the ardor necessary to make that platonic friendship into something more, but Joy had never allowed it to go that far. They’d kissed, but she’d seemed almost indifferent to it. He’d never received back what he’d given.

Not until now.

Only after Joy’s ancient and probably next to breathing its last breath Corolla had lugged itself out onto the road did Aaron feel the presence of mind to put his own vehicle in gear. He motored out to his home, down that pitted dirt driveway that wound around like a coiled snake, and to his house. He felt something he hadn’t for a long time.

Elated. Just… on cloud nine.

He never imagined the chance to get back with Joy as an adult, and the fact that it all went so well this evening had left him floating like a hot air balloon.

He’d almost felt afraid to jump to the conclusion that things might actually go well for him, but was it possible that while the first time didn’t work out for him, this time could?

The next week as he tackled the replacement of some of the old fencing along what used to be Mason’s property, he and Bobby Dean had been able to knock it out in record time. He dug a new ditch in the same week and didn’t even feel that tired once done. It was like he’d been rejuvenated from the inside out. When he provided instructions to the other ranch hands in Sam’s stead, no one gave him any lip, though he did see Brock sneering.

But whatever.

Brock could just take a long walk off a short pier if he couldn’t do the work assigned.

Even his nemesis couldn’t get him down this week. He and Joy switched from lunch dates—which he did miss, to be fair—to texting back and forth. He made sure to schedule his breaktime at the same part of the afternoon as hers, and so far, it’d been going remarkably well.

Joy: Tell me more about your job. What does a supervisor do on a ranch?

Aaron: Mostly oversee the other ranch hands. Snap that whip, you know. Just kidding.

Joy: Yeah, I can’t imagine you snapping whips at anybody. You don’t have it in you.

Aaron: Not sure how to take that.

Joy: LOL. Take it like the compliment it is. You’re a nice guy. One of the good ones. Always have been. Always will be.

His heart glowed inside his chest at that one. He was surprised it didn’t light up enough to be seen through his ribcage.

Aaron: I still do what I’ve always done as a ranch hand, too. I like getting my hands dirty. Also, it helps to show the others that I’m not trying to act holier than thou or like I’m above them.

Joy: But you are above them. That’s what supervisor means.

He shrugged, even though she had no method of knowing this.

Aaron: I’d rather lead from beside them than in front of them, that’s all.

Joy: That’s quite noble of you. How’s your family?

Aaron: Mom and Dad are great. Still, growing those flowers, you know.

Vance and Angie Hunter were known nationwide for the excellence of their blooms on their lavender farm, even though that wasn’t the only thing they cultivated. They’d sewn crops of sunflowers, herbs that grew well in high elevations, berries, and even grape vineyards. The vineyards had only been started when he was in high school, but that’s how he knew Joy would remember them.

Joy: I still remember the smell of all that lavender. Strolling there with you. Playing there when we were little.

They had played, but they’d been warned within an inch of their lives not to damage any of the crops that enabled the Hunters to make their living. Aaron could still hear their constant refrain of, “Don’t step on the flower beds,” or “Don’t step on the berry vines,” in his sleep.

Aaron: Me, too.

Joy: Does it still smell the same?

Aaron: I’ll take you if you want, so you can see.

Joy: That would be great.

He made a mental note to do that as soon as possible. The harvest season was upon them and would pass quickly. So, letting her see the flowers while in full bloom would need to happen within the next couple of weeks.

Aaron: We on for dinner again this week?

After sending that, he wanted to punch himself. Shouldn’t that be the sort of thing he asked either on a call or in person? Wasn’t texting a date request considered cowardly?

Joy: Same time, same place sounds good to me.

Well, Joy didn’t think of it that way. Thank goodness.

His mind wandered to last Saturday and that whooper of a kiss. Would they do that again? Or was it a one-time only deal? Surely it wouldn’t be a one and done. That kiss had taken up a significant portion of his brain power since he kept reliving it over and over.

So, for the remainder of the month of August, they kept having dinner at eight at The Steer House. And at the end of each date, they’d kiss in the parking lot before parting ways. Each time would be just as amazing if not better than the last, teaching him that it hadn’t been a dream or fantasy. It hadn’t been a fluke or figment of his imagination. They were connecting in a real way.

Yet the text he received prior to that next Saturday stunned him. Maybe it shouldn’t, but it did.

Joy: Mind if I bring my daughter along?

He’d stared at his phone not answering, unsure of how to feel about such a development. On the one hand, it meant that Joy trusted him to meet one of the most important people in her life. But on the other, it meant meeting the living embodiment of the choice Joy made that wasn’t him. He did like kids, though. At least he liked Kenner, Josh and Maddie’s four-year-old son.

He’d probably be fine with an eight-year-old girl. Right?

Joy: Wow. Five minutes with no response. I’m taking that as a no.

Aaron seized his phone so fast he accidentally threw it like a projectile to the other side of his truck cab. Cursing under his breath, he pried it from the opposite side of his passenger seat and sent her a text.

Aaron: Sorry, dropped my phone. Sure, bring your daughter. Sounds fun.

Hopefully, she bought that.

Aaron: Did you want to do the same thing or switch it up a bit?

What did girls that age like to do, anyway? And what was her name? Had Joy ever said? Probably. He scrolled through his past text messages trying to come up with the name and fortunately found it.

Kara. Got it.

Joy: You could come to our place, though don’t expect anything fancy. It’s a garage apartment.

Aaron: Joy, I’ve spent years of my life shoveling what comes out the backend of animals. You could live in a drainage ditch that reeked like a stale pond, and I’d think it was fabulous.

Joy: Lol. What a flatterer you are!

Man, the nerves he felt on that first date were back. This time because of a little girl. He knew this would be like some crazy job interview, except instead of getting a position somewhere, he might be meeting someone who could become a member of his…

Well, maybe he was jumping the gun on that one.

He and Joy had been having a wonderful time together, but he had no idea what to call what they currently were. Ex-best friends who occasionally kissed? His old love that got away coming back? His second chance at a new life as long as he didn’t do anything to mess it up?

No pressure.

Still, when he arrived at Joy’s place, both she and her daughter were standing at the top of the stairwell beside the garage to welcome him up.

“Kara, that’s Aaron,” she introduced him loud enough he could hear it even as he tramped up those steps. “He’s the friend I told you about.”

Aaron would give a lot of his salary to know exactly what “friend I told you about” entailed. Did Kara know that they grew up together? That they dated? That she passed him over for the man who would become her dad?

“Pleasure to meet you, Kara,” he greeted her once at the top, and she smiled at him but blushed.

“Hello.”

That reminded him to bring his arms out from behind his back. “These are for you,” he offered the cute bouquet of three sunflowers to Kara. “And these,” he spoke to Joy. “Are for you.” Joy’s bouquet was made up of lavender blooms along with a lavender satchel and some homemade lavender soap. “Compliments of the Hunter Lavender Fields.”

Joy brought them to her dainty nose, took an audible whiff. “Ah, that scent. That takes me right back.” She hugged him, and he was pretty sure his smile became goofy. “Thank you so much.”

“Yes, thank you,” Kara added, when her mother nudged her shoulder.

“Why don’t you go put these bouquets in some water for us,” Joy suggested to her daughter, and Kara obediently trotted off to do what she’d been asked. Then, she settled in to play with a digital tablet on the couch.

“She’s super well-behaved, isn’t she?” Aaron observed, and the corner of Joy’s mouth lifted.

“I have to admit that I don’t often think about that, but you’re right. She is. She’s quiet, creative, and a little shy. Don’t know where she gets that shyness. Definitely not me or her father. Come on in and have a seat.”

Aaron did as he was bid, but he couldn’t help tripping a bit over the mention of Kara’s father. Joy hadn’t mentioned Wayne Randall to him so far. Hadn’t made even the briefest of allusions to him. He had to admit that his curiosity was piqued.

Over the course of their evening together, they ate spaghetti and meatballs, had some fruit punch, and then indulged in ice cream for dessert. And quietly, Kara worked on her coloring, but it wasn’t always just coloring books. Sometimes, she drew something, then colored it in.

She was good, too.

Kara drew turtles and frogs. Horses and cattle. Then, pigs with little iridescent wings. Joy snorted at that one.

“I once said if pigs could fly as a figure of speech, and she took it literally enough to draw.”

“Joy,” Aaron murmured in her ear, sincerely impressed. “She has some real talent. Especially for a kid. I don’t think I could draw those animals that well if I tried.”

“She’s always had an artistic bent.” To her daughter, she said, “All right, Kara-bear, time for bed. Why don’t you thank Aaron for coming over?”

Kara did, word for word. Then headed into their single bathroom. There was also only one bedroom. Aaron wondered if they shared that room or even a bed. The space was miniscule, but he knew what it was like to go out on your own without having much.

“She’s amazing, Joy, really. Is she doing okay in school?”

“As and Bs. Well, her only B is math. But yeah. I think she’s doing fine all things considered.”

There it was. Another hint as to what brought Joy back here.

“How are Mr. and Mrs. Taylor doing?” he asked, and she tensed. That’s right. He’d heard something about Joy being on the outs with her parents, even though she hadn’t mentioned it herself. Was that still going on? Had they stayed with her parents when they first moved?

“Mr. and Mrs. Taylor. You still do that at twenty-eight?”

“Well, that’s what I always called them.” The Taylor’s had been somewhat formal with visitors that were kids. Even him, and he’d been there more than once. Still, she came to his family’s farm way more often than he came to her place. “When I see them in town to this day, I call them that.”

“I’d love for you to call them HZ and Gennifer just to get a rise out of them.”

He blinked at her. “Something going on with you guys?”

She did this movement that was part shrug, part head tilt, and part frown. She’d done that as a girl, as well. Usually when unsure about something.

“They didn’t approve of my marrying Wayne. Not sure if you knew about all that. So, the combination of me going against their wishes and moving so far away caused this gap between us that never got bridged. Well, things are a little better now, I suppose. At least between them and Kara. But for them and me, it’s iffy.”

“Sorry to hear that.”

“Eh, what are you going to do? I was a rebellious kid, and they didn’t like that I rebelled.”

For the first time, Aaron felt like he could say the other man’s name. Mainly because she already had. “So, where is Wayne, anyway?”

But her answer astounded him.

“I wish I knew.”