Page 25 of Ropers Can’t Tie Knots (Kissing Ridge Cowboys #3)

“So, tell me, Mr. Handsome, have you and the husband been back to the Happy Badger since you set the place on fire?”

Riley smacks my arm as I chuckle. “You two went dancing? Shit, we are long overdue to catch up.”

“No, we haven’t been back. We were supposed to, but then one of the horses got sick and…yeah. Not yet.”

“They’re having a big New Year’s Eve Party. With dancing. You two should go. From what I hear, you’re a natural.” Diamond pushes off the sofa with a sigh. “I also want to watch.” Laughing, he struts away, and I shake my head.

“Gabe…you clearly have a lot to tell me. Are things working with you and Hunter more than you thought?”

Scooping a mouthful of crumble into my mouth to delay answering his question, I think about how to reply. There are no secrets between me and Riley, and it’s why I wanted to meet with him today. I need an outside perspective. One I can trust.

“A lot has happened, Riley. We went dancing because I learned his grandmother used to take him. It was the most incredible evening, but I went to bed alone. When we planned to go again, Mack got sick. We’ve…

” I trail off, thinking about how it’s been me avoiding Hunter lately instead of the other way around because I’m too afraid to hear bad news.

“Oh my god, Gabe,” Riley whispers. “You really like him, don’t you?”

“I think I do.”

I know I fucking do. We may have spent a few evenings together since that last epic night, but Hunter still hasn’t spoken about what he went to the lawyer for.

Probably because I keep changing the subject.

We’re only six months into this fake marriage, and we agreed to a year, but my mind keeps telling me he’s got what he wanted and he’s just waiting to let me down gently.

My eyes burn, and I blink it away quickly. I don’t want to miss seeing him or Mack every day, and I need to be there in the spring to see that stupid groundhog.

Riley’s hand appears with a tissue, and it’s only then that I notice the wetness on my cheeks.

“Sorry. I’m sitting here crying over a man. How fucking pathetic.”

“It’s not pathetic. You care, Gabe. He probably does too, but neither of you wants to take the first step and admit you have feelings.”

That’s half true. I did tell Hunter that night I really liked him. Just like any middle school kid would. Lord, I’m a love-sick loser .

“About six weeks ago, I found Mack sick. She had colic.” Riley grimaces and reaches for his cup. “I was supposed to meet him for dancing that night. He sent me a teddygram to work and everything, Riley. I almost called you to see if he asked what to do.”

“He sent you a teddygram? Like the singing one?” I nod, and Riley’s eyes would have cartoon hearts if it were humanly possible.

Reaching for my crumble, I smile as I remember the little bear with glasses I still keep in my office.

“He did. But then I found Mack and panicked, and we spent the night in the barn eating snacks and just talking about everything while we monitored Mack. When we finally went inside, it was…fuck, it was intense.”

“I don’t say this enough about Hunter, because he prefers people think he’s an ass, but the man has a heart of gold, Gabe. He doesn’t show that to many, but it sounds like you’ve seen it several times now.”

“I just wish he’d tell me exactly how he feels, you know? He brought up the lawyer, and when I asked if he needed me there, he took so long to answer, I assumed the worst. I’ve been stuck in a negative space ever since.”

Riley sits back with his coffee, comfortable like its own living room, as he tucks a foot under him. “If his meeting was to start the divorce, and he serves you…Will you fight him on it?”

Divorce.

I’ve drawn dozens, no, probably hundreds, of divorce agreements during my time as a lawyer.

I’ve listened to the initiating spouse, and not once did I consider how the receiving spouse would feel.

Families broken and spouses blindsided, all because one of them was no longer happy with the union.

Now I feel sick and set my apple crumble down with a shaky hand .

“Technically, we agreed it would end after a year, and I’d be an ass to fight it if he wants it sooner.”

“But you weren’t in love when you agreed to that.”

Riley’s words roll off his tongue easier than they do mine, and I turn my head towards my extremely perceptive best friend.

“No, I wasn’t.” Which is as close as I’ll get to saying those words to someone other than Hunter since I’ve not even told him that.

“You need to tell him, Gabe.”

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this, Rye. This was just helping a friend. He scratched mine, and I scratched his.” Puffing out a breath, I lean back on the sofa and turn towards Riley again. The smile on his face is soft, and his eyes carry hurt for me.

“Sometimes people come into our lives when we think we don’t need them, only to learn that they make our lives better by being there.

” He shifts forward and grabs my hand. “Look, Gabe, you know I’m a romantic at heart, and I’d love nothing more than to plan a real wedding for you one day, but I’ve never seen you like this. Don’t keep this to yourself.”

“What if he says he doesn’t feel the same way?”

“Do you really think that?”

“No. I think he cares.” My body still remembers how it felt that night. How he lit me up and how he kissed me. The way it felt to wake up his arms. “He feels something. I just don’t know how much. ”

My phone pings with a text, and I suck in a breath.

Hunter: Hey, counsellor. Just wondering where you are. A clipper is supposed to move in soon, and I don’t want you stranded somewhere in that shitty car. Let me know when you’re coming home, please?

Turning the phone towards Riley, he pulls his phone out when it pings and laughs.

“Jackson sent something similar. We should probably get going to keep these two from worrying themselves to death.”

Riley gathers our cups and plates, and I end up finishing the last bit of crumble after all. It seems like most patrons have the same idea to split because the Thirsty Cow is so empty you could bowl in it.

“You two drive safe, okay?” Diamond tucks a phone in his pocket. “I just called my staff for the evening to stay home, and I think I’ll head home early, too. It’s getting nasty out there.”

“Do you need us to help with anything to get you out of here faster?” Riley asks, but Diamond shakes his head.

“Thanks, sugar, but I won’t be long. I just need to shut things down and lock up. I don’t live far either.”

“As long as you’re sure?” I say and share a glance with Riley.

“Get yourself gone, Mr. Handsome. I’m more than capable.”

Diamond pushes us towards the doors, and after zipping up, Riley and I hug once more outside.

“Text me when you’re home!” He calls out.

“I will! Drive safe. ”

Fucking Alberta clippers. An entire season of snow dumped in an hour or two. Something else I hate but will choose over snakes in my bathtub any day.

After driving for ten excruciating minutes in the heavy snow, I’m finally making the turn onto the first country road to the ranch.

As an Albertan, I know how to drive in the snow, and I’m well aware of how fast the snow accumulates in one of these storms. But I’m also not used to driving in these conditions in the dark on back roads.

I lived in the city all my life and snow removal follows different rules there.

My knuckles ache along with my jaw as I slowly creep forward along the road and keep to the centre to avoid any chance of accidentally hitting the ditch. It feels like ages have passed when I finally reach the stop sign to turn for the last stretch to the ranch.

“Okay. I’m almost there,” I mutter as I pull out onto the road and pray to god I’m actually still on it. Tire marks disappear too quickly in the country with the reduced traffic, and the only thing guiding me is the GPS diagram showing me I’m still on the road.

But I have no frame of reference for how far I am from the ranch.

Familiar markers are invisible, and I’ve resigned myself to just keep looking for the light at the end of the driveway.

My shoulders are tight, and I’m leaning so far forward against the steering wheel to see better, my nose could touch the windshield.

The wipers work triple time, and if I go any slower, I’m afraid I might get stuck.

“Come on, come on. Please let me see the light pole for the ranch soon.” I mutter to my empty car. Time seems to stand still, and I focus on my deep breathing to stay calm .

Finally, the light of the ranch shines through the snow, and I give the car more gas to make the turn…and get caught at the end of the driveway. After streaming curses, it could be worse. I could be in a ditch somewhere.

After I kill the engine, I check my coat zipper is completely closed, pull my hat lower, and begin the walk up the lane towards the house, instantly regretting not grabbing a warmer hat to cover my ears before I left.

When I finally reach the door of the ranch and step inside, I feel like an icicle and press my back against the door while wiping the melting snow from my eyelashes.

“Gabe! Are you okay? I was just about to go look for you!”

Hunter rushes towards me, and finally, the stress bleeds out of my body. My teeth chatter from the cold, and Hunter rushes to help remove my snowy clothes.

“I-I got s-stuck at the end of the d-driveway.”

“You walked up the driveway? No wonder you’re freezing. I started a fire already. Take off everything that’s wet, and I’ll grab another blanket.”

Hunter almost runs into the wall in his haste to get a blanket, while I still shiver and shake with cold. God, I could never pass a wilderness survival test. I’d die from hypothermia in June, for god’s sake.

My pants are soaked through, and I kick them off at the door along with my underpants and socks, but I leave my sweater on since it’s the only article that’s dry. Hunter returns with a blanket and wraps it around me, leading me away from the cold and wet pile of garments .

The warmth of the fire in the living room is heavenly, and the wall of heat smacks into me. “Oh god, it’s so warm. You’re a lifesaver.”

He places me on the couch and instantly sits next to me with his arm around my shoulders to pull me closer.

“You need a better vehicle if you’re staying here, counsellor,” he says, and his voice hitches. “I tried to track your location, but the internet is shit with the storm, and it never updated since you left town.”

“W-were you actually going to look for me?”

“Yes. And I wasn’t coming home until I found you.”

Riley’s words echo in my head, and I turn to look at Hunter. “We n-need to t-talk,” I chatter, and Hunter nods slowly.

“Yeah, we do, counsellor.” He brushes his knuckles over my cheek. “But let’s get you warm first, okay? We have a lot to work out.”

He hugs me closer, and I burrow into the blanket and his side while I cautiously hope we’re on the same page.