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“What?” I ask.

She glances across the restaurant. “I think Dallas likes you.”

Looking around, I smile. I’m tall, so I’m used to getting some attention when I walk into places. But this is the kind of attention you have to laugh at. Otherwise, it’ll make you blush.

Several people, men and women, openly stare as I hang my hat on the rack and follow Mollie and the hostess into the dining room.

“Long live cowboys,” one woman says to her friend after I pass.

I chuckle.

“I think he heard you,” the friend says.

“I hope he did. And I hope he hears that those Wranglers fit him real,realwell.”

I spot Aubrey well before we get to the table. She’s blonder than Mollie, but they have the same nose and proud shoulders. Her gaze catches on her daughter first, then darts to me.

Aubrey purses her lips before pasting on a tight smile. “Hey, y’all.”

She rises and pulls Mollie in for a hug.

“Mom! Hey! I hope you haven’t been waiting long?”

“Not at all. I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t late and ended up here a bit early. Traffic wasn’t bad today.” Aubrey’s gaze is on me again. Her eyes go a little wide as she takes me in, boots to beard. “You must be Cash.”

“Yes, ma’am. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

I extend my hand, and she takes it. In Hartsville, we kiss our kin on the cheek. While Aubrey isn’t technically family yet, I figure I have nothing—and everything—to lose.

So I lean in and peck Aubrey’s cheek. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Mollie grin while her mom covers her cheek with her hand after I lean back.

“I’m Aubrey.” Is that a pink flush I see working its way up her neck? “When Mollie told me you’d be joining us, it was a…surprise.”

I pull out Mollie’s chair. “I think we’re all surprised I ended up here. Mollie and I didn’t exactly get along when we first met.”

“So I heard.” Aubrey watches Mollie sit in the chair. I push her in, then reach for Aubrey’s chair too. “I’m all right, thanks.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The back of my neck burns as I sit opposite Aubrey. Unfolding her napkin, she’s quiet as she settles it on her lap.

Yep. This is gonna be awkward. But I can’t give up. I may not win Mollie’s mom over today, but that doesn’t mean she won’t accept me eventually. I just have to show her I’ll work my ass off to make her daughter happy.

Yeah, I don’t have a ton of money. Not yet. And my family’s kind of a mess. But I love them, and they love me. I take care of my own. I’ll protect this woman till my last dyingbreath, and while I’m still alive, it’ll be my mission to help her make her dreams come true.

I’m not here to take those dreams away. To dim Mollie’s light. Luckily, I have proof of that in my back pocket.

“You look…tan.” Aubrey’s eyes flick over Mollie, lingering a beat too long on her face.

Mollie’s grin is back. “Thank you. I’ve been spending a lot of time outside.”

“Doing…”

“Stuff.” Mollie turns that grin on me.

“Give yourself more credit. Aubrey, there’s not much Mollieisn’tdoing on the ranch. She’s lookin’ mighty fine on horseback these days.”

Aubrey does that thing where her lips twitch before she pulls them into what could be a sneer or a smile. “Is that so?”