Page 62 of A Rancher's Vow

“Hopefully it’s past us.”

The man gestured him forward. “See you on the next shift.”

Dustin had barely finished parking the trailer when Shim appeared.

“Finally, the man of the hour returns.” Shim smacked him on the back then pulled him in for a firm hug. “Good to see you.”

“Good to be back. Sorry I missed your arrival.” Dustin paced to the back of the trailer and opened it to release Son of a Beach. “Walk with me? I need to stable him for the night.”

“Of course. We need to catch up. And not just about your online status.”

“Tucker said it’s getting better?” Dustin gestured to the parking lot area. “No one here who shouldn’t be, and I didn’t see anyone on the highway.”

“Having the gate closed made a huge difference. Everyone’s had a blast working a shift up there, by the way. It’s a nice, easy change of pace from hard labour to just telling peopleno.”

Dustin laughed. “Nice to know there’s one good thing from the mess.”

Comfortable and relaxed defined the next couple of hours as he and his friend found Beach a stall and rubbed him down.

While they worked, they got caught up. Shim’s job at Silver Stone was a brand-new position, and even he didn’t know what it would involve. “I’ve set up a couple of apps remotely for you guys already, like theFinderapp. Going forward it’s all about keeping the tech systems up to date and virus free.”

“The new tractors have as much tech as they have old, familiar gears.” Dustin grinned at his friend. “I can’t wait for the day Luke’s poking around for fun and hits something that makes him stall out and get stuck. Hopefully he’s in a far-off field and needs to be rescued.”

“Terrible, but probable. At least I’ll be able to find him quickly.”

“We wouldn’t want the equipment to be lost for too long.”

Shim smirked, then his expression went evil. “You’ve already caught me up on your family. Good to know everyone’s doing well. Now, tell me about Charity.”

Dustin put on his most clueless smile. “She’s great. We plan to go to Rough Cut this week. Fern’s coming along, and so are you.”

“Sure. But that wasn’t the question, and you know it.” Shim closed the stall behind them, and they strolled back to the parking lot so Dustin could grab his stuff.

How much to say? Since he was still figuring it out, probably not a lot. “I like her. Always have.”

“Girlfriend, though?”

Dustin paused outside his truck. “Why not? She’s a ton of fun, she’s kind, and a looker, and her sense of humour is twisted enough to make me laugh without it going off the rails. Us getting involved makes sense.”

“It does on one level.” Shim raised a brow. “As much as you and I being friends makes sense.”

Nope, Dustin was lost. “What does that mean?”

Shim shrugged. “We met because you had a teacher who made you do a writing exchange exercise with someone outside the Heart Falls community to discuss our lifestyles—basically, we were pen pals, which no one does anymore. You’re a cowboy; I’m into technology and computers.”

“You can ride, at least enough to not fall off. And I can work a computer.” Dustin shook his head, grabbed his stuff, and headed for his room. “Also, you’re notthatgood a friend.”

“Ass.” Shim paced beside him, continuing his rambling. “Charity is an office worker, also not a cowboy. She’s got a background in dance and she’s a community volunteer.”

“I both dance and volunteer.” Dustin eyed his friend. “This is a weird conversation.”

“It is.” Shim pushed open Dustin’s door and gestured him in. “And I obviously have no issues hanging with you.”

“Thanks.” Dustin dumped his dirty laundry into the basket beside the bathroom.

“Charity has no issuesbeingwith you, either, not after what you shared about your week.”

Dustin glared at his friend. That was too far. Dustin didn’t kiss and tell. “I didn’t tell you a damn thing, jerk.”