Page 39 of Something Tangled Something True (Rosa Ranch #1)
GRANNY’S PERFUME DRAWER
My joints feel like they’re on fire by the time I’ve finished up at the barn for the day. Ryder’s been pleading with me to let him hire contractors to help me, but I don’t want him paying for anything else. Plus, it feels good to put in the work for what I want.
What doesn’t feel good are the inflamed joints and angry muscles I’ve been pushing past their limits each day.
It isn’t long after I’ve showered before Ryder enters the house, one hand wrapped around a stack of mail and Nugget tucked under his other arm.
“Looks like Nugget is ours unless his owners manage to get ahold of us somehow. He doesn’t have a microchip either,” Ryder tells me as he sets Nugget down and kicks off his boots, setting his hat on the hook by the door.
Nugget sprints to his blue-and-white porcelain bowl, lapping at the water.
“That makes me kind of sad. I love him already, but I can’t help but think about the family probably missing him right now,” I admit, patting the seat beside me for Ryder to sit down.
He does, stretching out his long limbs with a satisfied groan. He’s mindlessly sorting through the mail, listening to me talk about my day, which was uneventful, per usual. His thick, dark brows pull tight, casting a shadow over his eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
He shakes his head, tearing into the large white envelope.
“It’s from the permitting committee,” he answers, his eyes roaming over the crisp letterhead.
He flips each page, his expression softening with each turn until he’s relaxing back into the cushions, shaking his head with a huff of laughter. “These aren’t real.”
“What are you talking about?” I ask, grabbing the stack of papers he hands me.
He explains further as I read the legal jargon.
“My family has been above board since the day my grandfather opened this ranch. If there’s an update to the rules, we comply with those updates whether we’re grandfathered in or not, and with all the work I’ve done to the ranch to make our work more environmentally sustainable, none of the problems listed in these documents are remotely possible. ”
“But what if Lemmon had her father?—”
“Lola, her father hasn’t been in contact with her in three years.
They live in the same town, but that’s the only proximity they share.
He grew tired of her games, so he set boundaries that she tumbled right over every chance she got.
Seeing the way he handled their relationship was one of the things that pushed me to do the same with Lemmon despite years of gaslighting.
Fred Meringue isn’t going to play any part in Lemmon’s games, I assure you.
She’s threatened to do exactly this to me before. Now, go ahead and give it a sniff.”
His words take me from relief to confusion with a snap of his fingers. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Sniff the papers, darlin’.”
I bring them to my nose, taking in a good whiff. The smell of magnolias and lemons lingers on the pages, and my brows climb high as shock floods my heart. “Are you serious?”
“Lemmon prides herself on smelling like the inside of her granny’s old perfume drawer. That is her rather unfortunate signature scent.”
“God, the lengths that woman will go to create tension between us.”
“She’s got a lot of trauma from her mother leaving her so young, but none of it is an excuse for how poorly she treats everyone. I’m not sure we’ll ever work out the real reason, and I don’t think I care so long as she stays away from you.”
I bristle at his words, not wanting to admit my discomfort at being the target of her abuse again, but he sees right through me.
He widens his stance, spreading his thighs, meeting me with a mischievous glint in his eye. His hands are suddenly on my hips, hoisting me into his lap.
“Ry,” I whine, unsure what’s going on.
He lifts the hem of my shirt, tickling my soft belly. I squirm and squeal, wriggling out of his grasp to no avail.
“Ry! Stop!” I screech, and his hands lower to my hips with a tight squeeze.
He levels me with a serious look, pouring his intentions right into me and soothing the nausea building in my gut. “If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll give Todd at the permitting office a call on Monday to make sure everything is sorted.”
“It would. Thanks,” I admit, toying with a loose thread on his collar.
“And Pops and I will put up fliers across town for Nugget. If his parents see them and give us a call, they can have him back,” he says, kissing my forehead, acting as if this touchy-feely business I’ve been letting him get away with is our new normal.
I hate how much I love the thought of that being true, of me and Ryder just being.
“But for now, we can be his parents,” he finishes, completely unaware of my internal monologue running wild.
“I’d like to take you somewhere tonight, darlin’.
Is that okay?” he asks, tilting his head just enough that a loose wave flops to the other side.
“I’m an unfortunate sucker for surprises, so... I guess so,” I agree, a grin tugging at my lips as a flutter of excitement warms my chest. The idea of some Ryder Lockhart-type of fun has my pulse picking up, and I can't help but feel lighter at the thought.
The smile he aims my way could light up the whole world, and it has a similar effect on my aching heart.
He smacks a sloppy kiss to my cheek, gently shoving me off his lap as he swats playfully at my butt. “Go on and get changed, Lols. We’ll leave in ten minutes,” he says, heading to his room without another word.
“Ry! What should I wear?” I shout through his door.
“Anything or nothing at all, darlin’. It doesn’t matter, but I prefer the latter if you’re taking requests,” he says, pulling the door open to pop his head out, showing off his shit-eating grin. He winks and blows me a kiss, leaving me standing here, momentarily stunned.
Heat creeps up my neck and swirls around my cheeks. He’s too damn cute and disarming for my own good.