Page 49 of Rancher's Return

“Really?” She hated that woman. Whoever she was. Whoever she had been for all those years.

“Yeah. I mean, not for the last couple of years. I was deciding what to do as far as adopting the boys. I was realizing I needed to make some changes. Sex was more of an itch to scratch, I guess. Kind of like leisure time. It felt good and relaxing. I made it my mission to make it as good as possible for every woman I was with. And that made me enjoy it too.”

“I see.” Was that what she was? A sex vacation?

“No,” he said, like he had read her mind. “It’s not the same as you. You’re different. Before, I never cared who the woman was. Blonde, brunette, slim, curvy. Didn’t matter. Just somebody to be with for a little bit. It was the companionship, the touch—that was what mattered. With this, it’s you. Because I haven’t felt the need to go out and find anybody since I adopted the boys. And I didn’t go out and find you. You found me.”

“Right.”

She held his gaze, and she felt something in her chest expand.

She didn’t need to have feelings for him. She really didn’t. It would be a mess. An absolute mess. And so would she.

“There’s a big barbecue happening at my parents’ house this weekend. Colton wants Lily to come.”

Marigold closed her eyes. “I really do worry about them.”

“Yeah. We all have to go through some heartbreak, don’t we? And hey, maybe they won’t. Maybe they’ll go off to college, and it’ll feel natural for them to let go of each other. Or maybe they won’t. Maybe they’ll find their way back to each other.”

“Maybe.” It felt so loaded, him saying that.

Was that whattheywere doing? Finding their way back to each other?

Don’t romanticize it. Just friends with benefits.

“Anyway. I thought it would be nice if you could come. I could introduce you to my parents.”

Her heart slammed against her breastbone. “Why?”

“Because,” he said. “We’re doing business together. Also, your daughter is dating my son.”

“Yeah. Okay.”

She wanted to go. That was the thing. And maybe it felt like a bit of a letdown that he didn’t want to introduce her to his parents because she was special, or whatever else it could’ve been.

But, it also didn’t feel like a letdown. It didn’t.

Because she just wanted to spend time with him. And the reason didn’t much matter.

They finished up their dinner and walked alongside each other back to the truck. It felt hideously awkward to not hold his hand. They had never held hands before, so she couldn’t fully explain why it would feel awkward, but it did.

She let out a long, slow breath, as she settled into the passenger seat and let him drive her back to her house.

He walked her up to the front door, and she felt a tense pause inside of her. Her breath hitched; her heart lifted. Right then, she heard the sound of tires on the driveway. Lily pulled up alongside Buck’s truck, and Marigold froze.

“I guess that‘s good night,” she said.

“Guess it is,” he said.

He waved, like they hadn‘t just been about to kiss. “See you this weekend, at least.”

“Yeah. See you then.”

He started to walk back to the truck and greeted Lily as she headed toward Marigold.

“Great timing,” Marigold said, smiling.

“Yeah.”