Page 40 of Ace of Spades (Hidden Creek Ranch #1)

I sink my face into the crook of his neck as I let him whisk me away, my heart fluttering in my chest. I wasn’t supposed to fall for Weston Langford. So why does it feel like that’s exactly what’s happening?

We pull up to the lodge, Poncho tucked into my work shirt as I step out of the truck, the borrowed button-down tucked into my jeans haphazardly as the loose end nearly reaches mid-thigh. Weston lets the dogs out of the back seat, the two of them racing past us to meet everyone inside.

“Well, good morning!” Debbie greets us, her auburn hair flowing around her face as she offers us each a warm smile.

“Morning, Deb,” Weston greets, moving to offer her a peck on the cheek. The space was full this morning, electricity moving through the room as everyone devoured their breakfast.

“Meet our guests—they just checked in yesterday!” Rhonda introduces, reaching over to hug each of us.

“Victor,” the older man greets, a youth in his eyes that contradicts the wrinkles lining his face.

“Hannah,” his wife introduces, a bright smile set in place over her features.

“And I’m Drew! ”

A little boy runs between the two of them, a loose pancake in hand as syrup stains his dinosaur t-shirt.

“And this is our grandson, Drew. We figured we’d give the kiddos a day to themselves to celebrate their anniversary—they ran over to Copper Springs for the day for couples massages and a bit of shopping.”

“Well, hey there, Drew,” Weston tells the kid, squatting down to his haunches to greet him.

“Are you a real cowboy?” Drew asks, a wonder sparkling in his big blue eyes.

“I guess you could say that.”

“I was a cowboy for Halloween last year, did you know that? Daddy says cowboys do super cool stuff, like ride horses and shoot guns!”

I hold back a chuckle, the bushy-tailed boy’s eyes gleaming as he takes in Weston’s spurs and cowboy hat.

“Well, we sure do get to do some cool things. You ridden a horse yet, Drew?”

“No, my mom and dad wanted to go to town yesterday. I told them I wanted to ride a horse instead, but they said I’m not big enough.”

“Well, I think you’re plenty big,” Weston tells him, offering a glance to the older couple. “If grandma and grandpa say it’s okay, that is.”

“I think it’d be just fine,” Hannah tells us.

“Well, Hailey and I have to go check on some fences—but I’ll make sure that one of the other cowboys in here gets you guys all squared up. We just popped in to drop off the raccoon, but we’ll be back in time for dinner. ”

“I wanna check fences, too!” Drew squeals excitedly, practically jumping up and down at the idea.

“Sweetie, they have work to do,” Hannah tells him.

“But I wanna be a cowboy,” he pouts.

“We don’t wanna get in their way, bubs,” Victor chimes in.

“But I wanna be a cowboy!”

Drew throws the pancake down, a look of determination on his little face as he turns back to his grandparents.

“You guys are welcome to come—if you want, that is. It’s quite a bit of time in the saddle, though. You sure you’re down for some hard work?” Weston asks the kid.

“Yes!”

“It’s up to grandma and grandpa.”

“I mean, it does sound quite fun, if I’m being honest,” Hannah admits, turning to her husband.

“We can come back anytime you want,” I tell them. “We’ll stick to the areas closest to the ranch.”

The couple exchange a look, a silent conversation passing between the two of them.

“Well,” Hannah finally says. “Let’s do it then!”

We have the horses tacked up in no time, my eyes constantly drawing back to Weston as he teaches Drew basic horsemanship, giving him a boost into the saddle and showing him the reins .

It isn’t long before we’re walking through the back pasture, the mountains stretching ahead of us as the tall grass grazes our boots, the three guests quickly picking up on Weston’s patient tips.

“Granny, I want a horse for Christmas.”

“Where would you keep it, sweetie?”

“In the backyard, obviously. It can eat the grass, and then mommy won’t get mad at daddy for buying new lawnmowers all of the time.”

“You know, bud,” Weston chimes in, Lark keeping a steady pace as the group continues to advance. “Horses are a ton of work. Sure, it’s fun to ride, but you spend almost just as much time taking care of them.”

“But being a cowboy would be so fun, and everyone at school would think I was so cool,” Drew argues.

Weston only chuckles, pulling off his hat and placing it on the young boy’s head, Drew’s face lighting up as he sinks into the cowboy hat.

“Do you see yourself, buddy? You’re already a cowboy, you've got the hat and everything. And maybe one day, when you’re a little bit older, you can come work on the ranch if you want.”

“Really?”

“Definitely.”

“I wanna stay here forever,” Drew tells him.

“It’s pretty great, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it really is.”

“So, where are you guys from?” I ask, forcing myself to draw m y

attention from Weston for the sake of my ovaries.

“Virginia,” Hannah answers, exchanging a loving glance with her husband. “We’ve always wanted to do something like this, but we’d never really found the right place. But here, the place you guys have—oh, wow—it’s so perfect, it feels like a second home. Shoot, we’re about ready to move in.”

“It’s pretty great,” I admit. “Weston actually grew up here. It wasn’t my cup of tea at first, but it has a charm to it.”

“What’s your favorite part?”

I take a moment to think about it, the soft sound of hooves in the grass taking over as I breathe in the fresh mountain air.

“The people. Without a doubt, there are some amazing people around here. It’s like a community, and everyone helps each other out.”

“I love that,” Hannah says. “We felt such a warm welcome when we went into town yesterday.”

“That tends to happen around here. It’s like one giant family.”

“So, how long have the two of you been together?” she asks.

I freeze in the saddle, Blackjack moving onward as my mind goes blank. We weren’t together—were we? We hadn’t exactly talked about it, and from what I had heard, Weston didn’t do relationships. I couldn’t help the panic that bubbled inside of me, scared that the question might chase him off.

“Oh, we’re not—”

“A few months now,” Weston interrupts. “Officially, though? I guess that all depends on her. She kinda runs the shots around here. ”

“So you’re not dating?” Hannah asks.

“We are,” Weston answers. “If she’ll have me, that is. She’s a bit hard to read, this one.”

He looks over his shoulder, throwing a playful glance in my direction. Something about it allows me to relax, a smile blooming across my face.

“We are. Dating, I mean,” I admit.

“So, when did you know?” Hannah asks. “That she was the one?”

Weston doesn’t miss a beat.

“Well, I actually didn’t particularly care for her at first.”

I can’t help but roll my eyes, my hips rocking in the saddle as we continue to move up the mountain.

“We hated each other,” I tell her.

“I see. And what changed?”

I chance a glance in his direction, my mind racing to figure out the best response.

“Everything,” Weston admits. “Don’t get me wrong, the girl is damn stubborn. She’s got a little bit of an attitude, and she puts way too much salt on her food. She’s a bit of a hot mess at times, and she has this annoying tendency to bring stray animals home.”

I can’t help but laugh as he continues.

“She has a hard time trusting anybody but herself, and she has a tendency to run away when she feels like things are too good to be true. But she’s smart—like, crazy smart.

She loves hard, and she’s fiercely loyal.

She puts others before herself, even to her own detriment.

She’s free-spirited, but in a way that should never be tamed—just respected.

She’s strong-willed, and yet soft when she wants to be.

She’s got this drive, this passion that shines like a light.

She doesn’t realize how beautiful she is, and she constantly refuses to accept the love that she deserves—because deep down, she doesn’t think that she deserves it.

She’s… I mean, she’s everything. And she doesn’t even see it. ”

My heart catches in my throat, our eyes meeting. Weston’s gaze is fierce and unapologetic, showing me just how much he means every word.

“Aw, well isn’t that the cutest!” Hannah chimes in, cutting straight through our moment without even realizing it.

“Hey, bud—I think I spot a fence that needs fixing. You think you’re up for it?” Weston tells Drew, trotting ahead to inspect the worn-down material.

“Heck yeah!” the kid squeals, the cowboy hat bobbing over his eyes as his horse follows Lark.

I watch as Weston helps him off the horse, showing him what needs to be fixed and demonstrating how it needs to be done. Drew’s eyes shine bright, his shoulders pulled back as he imitates Weston’s every move, the duo making my heart melt just a few feet away.

Hannah’s horse trots over to mine, the old bay mare taking place at my side as Drew’s grandma leans over.

“He’s a keeper.”

Don’t I know it.