Page 11

GRAY

T he low mooing of a bull about to be vaccinated cut through the scorching afternoon sun, mingling with the clinking of metal gates and the soft thuds of hooves against the dirt. From a distance, I watched, arms crossed, as one of the ranch hands skillfully maneuvered the large animal into the squeeze chute. The bull, a magnificent Charolais with a coat that shimmered like the snow-capped peaks in winter, flicked his large head back to view the ranch hand who approached him. The animal’s frustrated huffs of breath reminded me of the way Ozzie had looked at me this morning when I bailed on him. All wary, like I had some hidden motive for abandoning him.

Surely, he had understood how awkward it would have been to walk back to the house side by side with the lingering taste of his cum on my tongue. But even more awkward was the need to know what the rest of him tasted and felt like.

I’d had no choice but to leave at that very moment before I made everything worse. He shouldn’t take it personally.

You’d have felt some type of way too. He’s new to the ranch, and you just left him there.

I let out a groan and lowered my head, kicking a stone with the toe of my boot. Leaving him alone hadn’t been a smart move, but no surprise there. I’d been making stupid decisions one after the other since collecting Ozzie from the airport.

This was Carter’s damn fault. Had he picked up his fiancé like he was supposed to, none of this would have happened. Ozzie wouldn’t have been wandering on the outside with me. We wouldn’t have been trapped in the barn together. I wouldn’t have known he liked to wear lacy underwear.

Sweet mercy, but that had been a pleasant surprise…and not something I should be thinking about while overseeing the vaccinations. But the imagery of Ozzie’s naked body played in my mind anyway, as stubborn as the Charolais who’d refused the squeeze chute.

“Dad!”

I snapped my spine straight. Shit. How would I survive this guilt if the sound of my son’s voice sent my heart into overdrive?

Matty tramped across the dusty divide with his long, confident gait. My chest swelled with pride. Every inch of him from his dust-covered boots to the worn Stetson that hung at an angle over sharp, blue eyes screamed of a seasoned rancher. If I died tomorrow, I had every faith Matty could run this place. It was what Carter did with his half that bothered me. No matter how I wanted him to pitch in and help Matty, I couldn’t force him to have the same love for this ranch we did.

“What’s up?”

Matty halted a couple of steps away from me. “I’ve been trying to reach you. Travis is running late. Says there’s an emergency at Lawson’s ranch that he has to take care of first.”

“It’s not serious, is it?”

“He didn’t say.”

I furrowed my brows. An outbreak of brucellosis had recently affected two smaller ranches, one of which had been too late to contain. Our priority was being vigilant and immediately isolating any animal that showed symptoms. With our large herd, an outbreak could spell trouble. While outbreaks of diseases and natural disasters came with the territory of ranching, no one wanted to wake up one day to find their livelihood decimated.

Ranching was hard work. Sometimes it was a fight against nature that we couldn’t win, yet we kept on fighting. But I would be lying if I said the thrill of the unexpectedness didn’t drive me.

“I’ll check in with Lawson later and see if he could do with some extra hands.” After years of struggling to keep his ranch when his ex-husband robbed him blind, Lawson had finally gotten back on his feet. If he lost everything again, he would be devastated.

“While you’re at it, why not bring Carter’s fiancé back to the airport?”

I frowned, balling my hands into fists. Matty’s treatment of Ozzie got on my nerves. He wouldn’t even try to get to know Ozzie a little. “Why are you giving him a hard time, Matty?”

“The guy just rubs me the wrong way.”

“By doing what? Breathing?”

“Well, he came back this morning wearing nothing but a blanket he’d stolen from the stable. And on my way here, I saw him get into Hudson’s truck. Doesn’t that seem weird to you?”

“Ozzie went off with Hudson?” A low heat radiated in the pit of my stomach. Good gravy, was that jealousy? I had no reason to be jealous. Ozzie could go out with whomever he wanted. It was none of my business.

“Yes, after you didn’t show up to take him to some wedding appointment, I assume he asked Hudson, and he agreed to drive him.”

“What? I never agreed to take him to a wedding appointment today.”

“You sure about that, Dad? Because he said he was waiting for you. Did Carter say anything to you?”

Carter. Shit. This had his name written all over it.

“Where are you going?”

I sprinted toward my truck. “Take over for me, will ya?”

I yanked open the door and picked up my phone from the dashboard. Two missed calls from the vet and a voice note from Carter. Dammit. He couldn’t even call? I hopped into the truck and hit the Play button.

“Dad, it’s Carter. Ozzie needs to see the wedding planner today at two. You can take him, can’t you? Thanks.”

Thanks? Would he tell me thanks too when he learned I’d given his fiancé a climax? All this was his job to do, not mine. I slammed my hand on the steering wheel, my blood pressure rising. I could only imagine what was going through Ozzie’s mind. First I got handsy with him, then mouthy. I’d run out on him, and now he must have thought I stood him up.

After hours of being in the sun, I was sweaty and dusty, but I had no time to go back to the house and change. Ozzie was already on his way to the wedding planner. Hudson might have taken him into town, but he wasn’t the kind of person to stick around. Hell, I was surprised he had volunteered to drive Ozzie. Was he even coming back to the ranch? He lived in town with his wife and their three-year-old.

The truck roared to life, and I sped out onto the dirt road, sending a cloud of dust billowing behind me. I drove too fast on the bumpy road, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t have Ozzie think I had bailed on him. I wasn’t Carter. The poor guy must have had to deal with that enough from my son. At least one person in this family would treat him decently. That was obviously not going to be his fiancé, and Matty was too suspicious of what Ozzie had up his sleeve to use his common sense. Anyone who spoke to Ozzie for five minutes would know he wasn’t the kind of guy to take advantage of anyone.

The road flew beneath me as I squinted against the blazing sun. The closer I got to town, the tighter I gripped the wheel. I’d hoped they hadn’t gotten too far ahead and I could run into them on the way, but no such luck.

Finally, a cluster of buildings came into view. Hudson’s battered Ford stood parked in front of the post office. As I pulled up next to it, Hudson walked out. Alone.

“Hudson!” I poked my head through the window. He looked up from the letters he was shuffling through.

“Gray?” He sauntered toward the truck. “Matty said you were working the ranch and didn’t have time to give Ozzie a ride. What are you doing here?”

“Matty talks too much. Where’s Ozzie?”

“Dropped him off at the photographer’s.”

I was already late, then. Well, better to be late than not to show up at all. “Thanks. I’ll give him a ride back to the ranch.”

Hudson gave me a quick nod of acknowledgment, patted the hood of my truck with a dusty hand, and marched away. When he got into his Ford and drove off in the opposite direction, I sped off toward the photographer’s studio.

My heart pounded as I parked in front of the brown building with pictures of smiling brides and grooms in the window. I climbed out of the truck, leaving behind the dust and grit from the ranch. As I straightened my hat, a familiar figure walked on the sidewalk on the opposite side. Miss Jessamine.

Shit.

When she didn’t see me, I breathed a sigh of relief and hurried inside, where the air conditioning hit me like a much-needed slap in the face. After the heat and the added stress, I welcomed it.

The studio must have been a part of the town for at least five years, but this was the first time I’d stepped foot inside. Vibrant photographs adorned the walls. Sunlight filtered through sheer curtains, casting a warm glow over the polished wooden floor and giving the place a cozy ambiance. To the right, a narrow door, slightly ajar, bore a modest sign “Wedding Planner.” Beyond it, a compact office space unfolded, a neat desk facing the entrance, flanked by shelves overflowing with fabric swatches, bridal magazines, and meticulously labeled binders.

I took a deep breath in, exhaled, and rapped my knuckles on the door.

“Come in.”

Disappointment slammed into my gut. Ozzie wasn’t in the office. The blond young man sitting at his desk glanced at me and smiled. I frowned. Were there two wedding planners in town?

“Hi!” He jumped to his feet, his eyes sparkling. “Welcome to Knot Your Average Wedding, and yes, that’s Knot with a K. I’m Rowan Hart, your wedding guru, and you’re in luck. We just had a last-minute cancellation, so I am happy to see you without an appointment.”

I blinked rapidly as if that could help me keep up with the way he was speaking so fast. “Excuse me?”

“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be overwhelming. It’s my first day taking over from my aunt, and I’m so excited.” He clapped and flashed me a perfect toothy grin that showed off a smiley piercing. “Gosh, I didn’t ask your name.”

“Gray.” I shook my head. “Wait a minute. You said you had a last-minute cancellation?”

“Yes. The poor guy looked so dejected when he walked in here ten minutes ago. He’s such a sweetheart too. Whoever broke his heart deserves a special place in hell.”

Yup, this new wedding planner would fit right in with the busybodies of Bristlecone Springs. Another one for the gossip mill.

“Do you know where he went?” I asked. “I’m here to find him.”

He gasped and covered his lips with a dainty hand bearing several minimalist tattoos in cursive writings, black lines, dots, and a long-stemmed black flower.

His nails were longer than I’d ever seen on a man—most women too—with pointed tips. They were polished in a nude color, each nail detailed with gold foil or glitter that traced along the edges of the nails, creating a V-shape design. Small rhinestones added a touch of sparkle and complimented his jewelry—two rings, one a simple gold band with what looked like real diamonds and the other a more intricate design with a small horseshoe. I’d never noticed someone’s hands in such detail before, but for some reason, my mind went to Ozzie and his lacy underwear. He didn’t have his nails adorned, but his fingers would look so pretty like this. Did he ever get his nails manicured?

“You’re the heartbreaker fiancé?” Rowan made a distressing sound at the back of his throat, pulling me out of my thoughts. “Oh man, oh man. What to do?” He paced forward, then swung back to me, muttering to himself. “Bad, Rowan. It doesn’t matter how hot he is. He is not for you.” He flashed me that blinding smile again. “Here’s what we’ll do. You’ll go and make up with your sad boy right now so I can throw you the fanciest wedding this town has ever seen. I’m sure whatever the problem is, you can work it out.” He placed his hand at the side of his mouth as if in a whisper. “I fancy myself a bit of a matchmaker, and I have the tingle about you two.”

Eh, if he indeed was feeling a tingle, he should visit a doctor. “Thank you.” I tipped my Stetson toward him. “Good luck on your first day.”

“Thank you! Spread the word that there’s a hot, new, single ”—he whispered the last word low—“wedding planner in town.”

I shook my head and couldn’t hide a grin as I walked out. Things were about to get interesting in Bristlecone Springs.

The second I stepped out into the sweltering sun, my smile dropped. Where could Ozzie have gone? There weren’t too many options, but I’d rather not poke my head into every shop, trying to find him.

“Hey, Gray!” Mrs. Rooney, who worked at the local newspaper, waved to me. “I just met your new son-in-law and gave him a big welcome.”

“You did? Where is he?”

“The café.”

Of course. “Thanks!”

I hurried along the sidewalk, the rhythmic echo of my boots adding to the cacophony of the small-town afternoon bustle. The café was just around the bend, and my heart clenched in anticipation as I slowed my pace. The old-fashioned wooden building had large, modern windows that allowed patrons to people watch as they sipped their lattes and nibbled on freshly baked pastries. The small tables outside were all filled.

Ozzie sat by himself in a corner, a steaming cup in front of him, along with an untouched pastry. He scribbled in a small notebook. I let out a sigh of relief. He didn’t look dejected. If anything, he seemed quite busy writing quickly.

He lifted a hand and brushed his cheek. A tear hit the page. Ozzie raised his head as though aware of my presence. He wore the most miserable expression, and his big, beautiful eyes were swimming in tears.

My heart pounded. Shit, I was the lowest scum on earth because I had contributed to those tears. I didn’t know how, but I had to fix this.