Page 18 of Huckleberry Hill (Saddles & Spurs #1)

Chapter Seventeen

The Ranch

My phone buzzed in my jacket. I slowed Goldie to a walk and unzipped my pocket and extracted my cell.

I pressed a button and put the phone to my ear. “Hey.”

“Entertain me,” Wyn said. “I’m at the Bridgehampton station leaving Sagaponack and the train has been delayed so I’m standing on the platform with nothing to do.”

“I’m flattered you called me,” I said with a laugh.

“Well, Salem and Poet are both at work.”

“Ah, so I’m your last resort.”

“Not really. I wanted to catch up. It’s hard to get a grasp on the situation with a four-way video call.”

“Grasp on what situation?”

“Your situation with Declan.”

I closed my eyes as I remembered my experience just a few hours ago.

“Hello? Did you cut out?” Wyn asked.

“No, sorry. I’m here.” I flipped my eyes open and took in the beauty of the place I’d grown up in. “Wait, why are you on the train platform? I thought you were in the Hamptons for another week.”

“Change of plans. The dad surprised the wife and kid with a trip to Paris. They’re taking the other nanny. The one that speaks French.”

“If only they’d decided to go to Norway, you could’ve gone,” I said.

She sighed. “Yes, if only. So anyway, I’m headed back to the city and I have a week to myself. Whatever will I do?”

“You could fly out and see me. I miss you. I miss all of you, really.”

“What about Declan?”

“What about him?”

“I thought you were going to go for it,” she said. “That was the plan.”

“That was the plan the three of you wanted for me,” I said. “I’m still not entirely sure it’s a good idea.”

For some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to admit to her what had happened between me and Declan. And it wasn’t because I was ashamed or embarrassed. I wasn’t entirely sure why, but I wanted to keep it just between me and Declan.

I heard the sound of clopping steps behind me. I turned in the saddle, phone still to my ear and saw Declan approaching on Merlin. Declan was wearing a cowboy hat, but his eyes were shielded by sunglasses.

“I gotta go,” I said hastily.

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. I just need to go.”

“Damn, we were just getting to the good stuff,” she said.

“No we weren’t. There isn’t any good stuff.”

“Get on that. Get on Declan.”

“Bye, Wyn.” I hung up and shoved my phone into my pocket and zipped it up.

Declan slowed his mount as he neared me.

The breadth of his shoulders had me sighing internally. And then I remembered my legs thrown over those wide shoulders . . . and my cheeks immediately flamed with heat.

“Hey,” he greeted. “What are you doing out here?”

“Going for a ride,” I said. “What are you doing out here?”

“I’m mending fence today.” He faced my direction, but I couldn’t see his eyes. “How are you?”

“Fine.”

“No, I mean how are you? ”

His question had a deeper meaning. Like, how are you after I’ve come inside you, deeper meaning.

“I’m fine, Declan.”

“You don’t look fine.”

“How do I look?”

“Like you’re trying to find a polite way to leave. I’m right, aren’t I?”

I swallowed. “Can we not do this?”

“Do what?”

“Whatever this is.”

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I told you I didn’t want you to be shy.”

“Declan,” I began. “It’s broad daylight on the ranch. There are things you can say in broad daylight and things you can’t.”

“You didn’t text me back.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I texted you good night and you didn’t reply.”

“I was already asleep.”

He grinned. “You little liar.”

“Fine, I wasn’t asleep.”

“You were overthinking, that’s what you were doing.” He gestured with his chin to the hill. “Ride with me to the fence.”

He didn’t give me a chance to reply. Instead, he nudged Merlin and turned toward the hill.

With a sigh, I reluctantly followed. Goldie was interested in Merlin, so she trotted a few steps to keep pace with him, putting me right next to Declan.

“Who were you talking to on the phone?” he asked.

“Wyn.”

“Which one is Wyn?”

“The nanny,” I explained. “She was on the train platform, and I was supposed to entertain her.”

“I see.” He fell silent for a moment. “Your dad is leaving tomorrow for the livestock auction.”

“Yeah, he told me.” I bit my lip. “Can I ask you something?”

“You can ask me anything.” He turned his head to look at me.

“Do you know if my dad is dating someone?” I blurted out.

When he didn’t reply right away, I pushed on, “I used to go to the livestock auctions with Dad all the time. It was kind of our thing. Salem would stay home with Mom and Muddy . . . and even after Mom died, Salem would stay home and I’d go with Dad.

He made the lamest excuse for why he didn’t want me to come this time.

He said Muddy was slowing down and he wanted me to look after her. ”

Declan let out a chuckle. “Muddy? Slowing down?”

“That’s what I’m saying. It was a flimsy argument. But I didn’t push him to take me.”

“Why not?”

When I remained silent, he pressed, “Hadley, why didn’t you insist on going?”

I groaned.

He smirked.

“You trapped me,” I muttered. “You trapped me into admitting the truth.”

“Which is what, exactly? That you can’t get enough of me. That you want to feel my huge di?—”

“Is it your mission in life to embarrass me?” I demanded with flaming cheeks.

“No, it’s my mission in life to get you to be honest. And for the sake of honesty, I’ll go first. If your dad is gone for a week, we have an entire week of you sleeping in my bed.”

“Sleeping, huh?”

“Among other things. Lots of other things.”

I couldn’t stop the shiver that raced down my spine. I swallowed and then unzipped my jacket.

“Can I take you to dinner tomorrow night?” Declan asked.

“Take me to dinner where? We live in a microscopic town and if we show up at one of the two restaurants that exist, it’ll be all over the news.”

“You think they’d print it in the Huckleberry Hill Crier?” Declan asked.

“I think I don’t want to draw attention to you and me.”

He grinned.

“What?” I asked with an eyeball.

“You said you and me . There’s a you and me .”

My lips quivered. “You’re impossible.”

“Impossible to ignore,” he quipped. “Well, if you won’t let me take you to dinner in town, that leaves one of two options.”

“Go on.”

“We drive separately to Silver Springs, meet at a restaurant, not drink too much because we have to drive back. Or . . .”

“Or?”

“Or you come to the guest house and let me cook for you. And then you let me take you to my bed again. And you spend the whole night with me this time.”

“You cook?” I asked in surprise.

“I’m fond of this thing called eating, so I learned how to take care of myself. Ergo, I cook.”

“You’re going to cook me dinner after a long, hard day on the ranch?” I asked.

He frowned. “Well, yeah.”

Do it for the plot, Hadley.

“Dinner sounds wonderful,” I said. “But I’m bringing the drinks.”

“You know what this means, don’t you?”

“What?” I asked with a smile.

“We’re dating.”

My smile slipped. “Declan, I can’t?—”

“Tomorrow night,” he interrupted. “Tomorrow night we’ll iron it all out.”

“Iron what out? What’s there to iron?”

“Tomorrow night,” he said emphatically. “Wait until tomorrow night. Red.”

“Red,” I repeated in confusion. “Red what?”

“Wine.”

I blinked. “I thought you were a microbrew kind of guy.”

“We’re having steak,” he said. “And you like red, don’t you?”

“I do.”

“If you like it, I’ll try it and see how it is. If I don’t like it . . .” He shrugged.

“You’ll try it and see,” I parroted.

“Trying new things is fun.” He flashed a wicked grin. “You’ll see.”