Page 34 of Smokin’ Situation (Masked Men of Sage Springs #3)

Annie

Being at the ranch with Tripp made it hard to believe that I’d ever spent my life anywhere else—with anyone else. It was peaceful in a way that I didn’t know I needed.

When we woke up to a beautiful blue sky, it finally felt like the chaos of the past few days was finally behind us. The smoke wasn’t entirely gone, but the haze had lifted enough so that it was easier to stay outside for longer periods of time.

I still had a few more days until I needed to return to reality—aka my job at the bar—and I was determined to focus on the uninterrupted time with him. Even if I was currently cleaning stalls in the barn and up to my elbows in horseshit.

“You sure you don’t want a job?” Marty teased, watching me attempt to smoothly maneuver a wheelbarrow down the aisle between the rows of stalls, while simultaneously trying to hold my breath.

He and the rest of the ranch hands may have been nose blind to horse manure, but I was not.

That shit—literally—was pungent and huge.

“You’re only at the bar during the evenings.

I could use a few extra hands around here once the season picks back up.

And from what I remember, you used to be pretty good in a saddle. ”

“It’s been years since I rode, and I think I prefer the animals I serve to be of the party variety—not the shits bigger than my fist variety.”

He laughed, and I smiled at the sound because I was sure everyone in town had aged significantly in the last four days and needed to be reminded that while some of us may have lost everything, we still had each other. And ridiculous poop jokes.

“Let’s hope you don’t know the bathroom habits of the people you serve at the bar,” he teased, shouldering me out of the way to take the wheelbarrow. It was the latest load I’d helped Tripp cart out of the horse stalls and felt like the millionth trip I’d made down this aisle with a pile of crap.

“You wouldn’t believe half the things I’ve seen. Drunk people definitely have the ability to revert to their nasty baser selves.”

The horses were still being temporarily housed at the fairgrounds.

So, the ranch staff not supervising them there were trying to get the barn back into shape for when they were ready to come home.

While the lodge was currently deserted, Marty had told us that the next week was a full house after the fourth.

We’d all been a little worried that the fire would scare away the tourists for the rest of the summer, but once they’d let people with upcoming reservations know things were under control, very few of them had canceled their trips.

And any remaining openings had already been filled.

Tripp and Marty were supposed to go on a ride of the western edge of the ranch later in the week to assess the trails for damage, but a majority of the ranch was intact, including the cabins to the north we’d taken overnight refuge in.

Tripp was anxious to get Phi back to the ranch.

He’d spent ten minutes on the phone with the equine vet this morning asking all kinds of questions.

The smoke inhalation during the fire didn’t seem to have done any permanent damage to her lungs.

She’d just have to spend the next month taking it easy in the barn to recover as a precaution.

I still had a bit of a cough when I spent too much time outside, and Reese had tried to get me to come get checked out at the hospital, but I felt fine otherwise.

At least my lungs did. Other parts of me were a bit tender from repetitive use, but I didn’t regret how they’d gotten that way for a damn minute .

“Well, if you change your mind, the barn door will always be open to you. Although I’m sure I can wear you down if you’re living on the property.”

“I, uh…” my voice trailed off, unsure if he was upset because my room at the lodge had been unoccupied the last few nights in favor of the cabin in the woods behind it.

“I hear my new manager got a mattress delivered last week, hope he bought a good one,” Marty teased, bouncing his eyebrows.

“You know, since none of the ones in the lodge have been used recently. When I came looking for you during breakfast, Charley told me the room she put you up in was suspiciously empty this morning.”

“Oh my God, Dad, leave her alone!” I hadn’t even realized Charley was at the ranch today, but I appreciated her coming to my rescue, because while I’d known Marty since I was a kid, I wasn’t exactly keen on sharing mattress assessments with him.

“She can stay wherever she wants, and it’s none of your damn business. ”

“Just sayin,” he chuckled with a shrug. “But that’s okay because we have new guests comin’ in on the fifth and as of right now, we’re booked solid, so I was gonna have to kick you out, anyway. How gracious of Tripp to take a lady in distress into his home.”

“Who’s in distress?” the man in question asked, wiping the back of a leather glove covered hand across his sweat and dirt-streaked forehead.

While my first instincts were to say my ovaries , I had a feeling that was not the answer to his question. Even if it was true.

No matter what this man was wearing, it was seriously unfair the effect he had on me.

I only hoped I held even half the appeal to him.

And the tight denim jeans hugging his strong thighs added to a straw speckled plaid shirt that stuck to his muscles in all the right places was a seriously dangerous combination when you added a cowboy hat, some leather boots and a smirk.

“Nice of you to offer up your bed to our little Annie here,” Marty teased, winking at his ranch manager and laughing when Tripp’s cheeks tinted just the tiniest bit of pink.

“Real selfless to sacrifice your comfort like that. Since I’m guessing you’re staying on that lumpy old couch in the living room. ”

Charley snorted, and I unsuccessfully held in a giggle when Tripp tried to stutter through a response.

“Well, you see, sir… it is a king-sized mattress. So, there’s plenty of room for both of us to sleep without any problems.”

“Pretty sure the two of you could make a twin sized bed work without a problem, too,” Marty guffawed, and Tripp’s composure slipped once he realized his boss was just teasing him. “Just don’t keep my horses or my guests up at night, and you’re fine.”

Once her dad walked away to harass some other employees, Charley pulled me aside, shooing Tripp away with her glove-covered hands. “Girl talk. No sweaty, stinky boys allowed.”

When she’d dragged me far enough out of earshot, she turned on me with an expectant look. “Have you been ignoring all our texts?”

“What?” I absently patted my back pocket until I remembered I still didn’t have a phone.

Which honestly wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be.

What had seemed like a necessity in my life before was easier to live without when you were enjoying the person you were spending most of your time with.

“Oh… no. My phone was lost when Tripp rescued me, and I haven’t been able to replace it yet.

That’s why I called Hudson from Tripp’s phone to check in. ”

“Gotcha. Well, maybe I need to get his number to get ahold of you. Hudson was trying to see if you wanted to come in tomorrow night for a little while. Should be slow with the holiday, but since fireworks are still prohibited with the burn ban right now, it might pick up in the evening once people get bored.”

Hesitating, I didn’t want to agree to anything.

Selfishly, I wanted to spend a little more one-on-one time with Tripp, but I didn’t want to assume he felt the same way.

I knew his family lived nearby, and post wildfire, their emotions were still running high.

Maybe they wanted time with Tripp, and maybe that time wouldn’t include me .

“I’ll think about it. I can call Hudson to let him know later once I figure out what my plans are.”

She looked over my shoulder, her grin widening. Turning to follow her gaze, I smiled as I took in the man leaning against the wall, his gloved hands propped on the handle of a stall shovel.

“I have a feeling your plans are gonna involve a whole lot of that man,” she teased. “Don’t forget to write my dad a thank you note for his matchmaking skills. Who knew bringing on someone to lighten his workload would lead to love at first horseback rescue ?”

“Not me,” I laughed, shaking my head. Part of me had just resigned to being alone. Now I had all kinds of crazy thoughts running through my mind, each getting just a little too far ahead of itself.

“I’m gonna assume since you don’t have a phone, you haven’t heard from Reid’s cousin?”

Charley knew of Jayden from when he came into the bar, but since he was closer to Reid, and not as much with Hudson, I wasn’t sure how well she knew him personally. Jay was quite a bit older than her, so it wasn’t like she ran in the same circles as him before she started dating my boss.

“Last I knew, he was still up in Breckenridge,” I commented offhandedly, feeling a little guilty that I hadn’t made more of an effort to check in with him.

But that’s not how things were between us.

Especially not lately. “He’s been trying to get some chef to come down here to help him open the restaurant.

But Jay’s been tight-lipped about things. ”

“Gotcha,” she replied, nodding toward Tripp. “Well, just be careful. Once he gets back to town, things might get a little more complicated for you. I’m sure Hazel can have Reid talk to him if you need him to.”

Shaking my head, I glanced at Tripp out of the corner of my eye, glad he was giving us space to talk. “Tripp knows I was involved with someone. But I’m ending it when Jay gets back to town. I mean, it’s kind of been over for months, anyway. ”

“Just be careful. I know things were casual with you and Jay, but men can get territorial when they think their toys are about to be taken away.” I gave her a look, and she held her hands up.

“I wasn’t saying you were a toy, per se.

But the comparison works. I just don’t want to see your friendship blow up because he’s jealous. ”

“Things weren’t like that between us. It was never an exclusive arrangement.

” To be honest, I wasn’t sure if Jayden could be jealous.

Even after seven years together, he still never truly showed me the real him.

The only people who seemed to get the real side of him were his best friend Colette and the ex from college he never talked about.

“Well, I’m glad Tripp found you, because this is the happiest I think I’ve ever seen you.” She thankfully let the conversation go, brushing off her jeans before she left her parting shot. “But I’ll still fuck him up if he hurts you.”