Page 31 of The Runaway and the Rugged (Dusty Meadows #1)

EMELIA

I was in a crap mood today. I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to cry or scream into a pillow, but ultimately decided on a stroll through the ranch.

This morning when my alarm went off at the ass crack of dawn, I nearly got myself dressed to meet Garth at the stable but decided against it.

I didn’t have the patience to deal with him just yet and especially not with his overbearing masculinity and his attempt at being my “protector.”

Earlier, as I was getting ready, I heard the low rumble of an engine driving past the cabin.

Not just once, not twice, but three times.

I made sure to peek through the curtain of the window to see if my mind was playing tricks on me or not, and sure enough, it had been Garth doing a slow drive by in the ATV.

I suppose I expected it, but what I hadn’t expected was the sudden fluttering sensation in my stomach when I realized he genuinely cared.

Yet, was too damn prideful to come up to cabin and check on me.

I told myself he just couldn’t find the right words to say to me and I didn’t blame him. It took me until the day of my wedding to finally speak up, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t still upset with him.

Because I was.

I didn’t want to see Garth as another Nathaniel, but his words yesterday had hit too close to home, triggering flashbacks of whenever Nathaniel would speak for me.

It made me feel powerless, like I was slowly losing my self-expression and in its place was resentment for the man who would silence me and the woman who willingly let him do it.

And from here on out, I promised myself to never let a man make me feel weak like that again.

And the last person I thought would have me re-experiencing it was Garth.

Instead of dwelling on it any longer, I decided to take this moment of being alone to really soak in the beauty of Hideaway Haven.

I didn’t know anything about the origins of the ranch, or how it came to be.

I wish I did. All I knew was that it was as beautiful as it was peaceful.

Even when there was nothing to behold, nothing to admire, the ranch’s surroundings possessed a quiet, undeniable uniqueness.

From the wide array of smells, to the gentle breeze that swept in every now and then, creating waves like the ocean through the fields of wildflowers and native plants.

It was easy to envision myself falling in love with this place. As for the people and lifestyle? That was still to be determined. Yesterday proved that I wasn’t an ideal worker for this place and way of life, while the people, I’m not sure even like me.

Possibly tolerate because of my situation, but genuinely like me? I wasn’t sure.

And as I pondered through all the reasons why they wouldn't, the sound of a rumbling motor appeared off to the left of me, pausing all current thoughts. At first, I thought it was Garth and my heart spluttered in my chest.

Crap, I’m sure as hell not ready to face him yet.

With my chest sinking in with each passing moment, an old, familiar pickup truck came into view, and almost immediately I found myself breathing out a sigh of relief.

Beau.

He pulled up to a stop next to me, cranking the passenger window down.

“Sunshine? What the hell you doin’ all the way out here?” His blond brows were practically touching as he observed me anxiously.

He probably thinks I was running off again like I did on my wedding day.

Sweat clung to my palms but I swiftly wiped them down the length of my denim shorts and leaned both hands onto the door panel.

“Just thought I’d take a walk and get some fresh air.”

He appeared reluctant to believe me, but ultimately nodded with a grin.

“Perfect place to do that,” he declared. “You doin’ okay? You know, after yesterday with Garth?”

It was apparent in his expression that he was hesitant to ask. He witnessed my flare-up after all, and now, I was certain he saw me in an entirely new light.

“Yeah, I’m doing better, thank you for asking.” My eyes dipped down and away from him. “I’m sorry you had to see that. Garth triggered a memory that I’d rather forget and the way he was treating you, I didn’t think it was called for.”

“No need to be sorry, sunshine.” He grinned happily. “It was nice seein’ you hold your own against him. Garth’s not a bad guy, far from it, but he has a tendency of comin’ off as a real jerk just to stay guarded and I have a feelin’ you’re fuckin’ all that up for him.”

My stomach did that thing again where it feels like it's flipping around.

“I’m… fucking it up, how?”

His grin widened as he leaned his body over the middle and passenger seats, opening the door for me.

“Hop in,” he demanded, a cocky, playful hint in his tone.

Apprehension started to fill me, not because of Beau personally, but because I was terrified to hear more of Beau’s insight on Garth.

It was all speculation anyway, right? There wasn’t evidence to prove anything, nothing to make me believe what he had to say, but that didn’t stop me from choosing to ignore everything that was telling me to leave it alone and I hopped inside.

It took me a few seconds to get settled into the seat, a strong smell of cologne and aftershave saturating the air. And that’s when it hit me, he was dressed stylishly casual, with a cleaned-up face and fancy, wide-brimmed cowboy hat.

He was going on a date.

“You’re going on a date,” I stated matter-of-factly, causing the corner of his mouth to curl up slightly.

“Not a date, just a friendly dinner,” he corrected.

I rolled my eyes.

Of course he was the type of man that didn’t refer to a date as a date.

“Why’d you tell me to hop in then?”

“You really think I’d let you walk all the way back to your cabin by yourself?” He scoffed as if it were the most outrageous thing he’d ever heard. “Not a chance, sunshine.”

Instantly, I folded my arms over my chest, annoyed that I had another “protector” I had to worry about.

“I walked all the way out here, I’m sure I could find my way back no problem,” I defended, feeling a shot of heat creep up my back as Beau watched me with lighthearted intensity.

I’ve learned that this was his thing. He loved a little back-and-forth, playful banter, and thankfully, there was nothing flirtatious or grimy about it.

It was simply his way of communicating without the worry of things getting too serious.

I had a strong feeling there was much more to Beau, but it was hidden under a mountain of guarded secrets and hidden stories.

Maybe one day I’d get the chance to know the real Beau, without the facade he maintained, but today clearly wasn’t the day.

“Besides,” I added. “I’m not ready to head back yet.”

“Well, where do you want to go then?” he questioned, shifting around restlessly as if seeking to find a more comfortable position. “With me?”

“No!” I shouted, the volume of my voice beyond what was necessary. “No—no, definitely not with you. I don’t want to risk you missing out on the chance to get lucky tonight with your friendly dinner companion.”

As painful as it was humiliating to say, it was the truth. No way was I about to become a third wheel to whatever Beau had planned. I’d much rather walk back and not do anything than suffer through that.

“Aw, sunshine,” he teased, bringing his hand to my cheek to give it a soft, playful squeeze. “That’s damn sweet of you to be courteous of my needs, but I promise, ain’t nothing like that goin’ down tonight. I have standards to uphold, you know?”

Standards to uphold?

What the hell was he talking about?

I assumed he was calling it a friendly dinner because he planned on being extremely friendly with her tonight. Was I all wrong about Beau? Was he simply a man who followed firm to his standards and didn’t sleep with anything that had tits and legs?

I wanted to ask, to at least clarify what he meant, but it wasn’t my business. I was merely just being nosy.

“As fun as being a third wheel sounds, no thank you.” I chuckled.

“It’s Friday, sunshine, you got to at least have somethin’ in mind that you want to do.”

His words sunk in and replayed in my head like a mantra.

It’s Friday, sunshine.

It’s Friday.

Friday.

My throat instantly went dry, as a craving for something cold and sweet lingered on my tongue. It wasn’t my best plan, but it wasn’t the worst. I could sulk in peace with a cold drink in hand, and at that moment, I knew exactly what I wanted to do and with a quiet smile, I told beau.

“Ain’t you gettin’ a brain freeze yet? That’s at least your third slushie and you don’t look like you want to stop anytime soon,” Carl criticized with a bewildered expression and toothpick dangling from his nearly toothless mouth.

“It’s my second, Carl, and no, I haven’t had a brain freeze yet,” I grumbled in the small fold-up chair that I set up beside the counter, near Carl.

“Drink another one and you’ll get one,” he warned. “You still haven’t told me why you’re here. Don’t you have anywhere better to be on a Friday? You should be out, havin’ the time of your life, takin’ that grumpy ol’ Garth along instead of wastin’ here.”

I scoffed into the straw.

“Rather be here alone, without the presence of Garth, drinking this delicious slushie and having small talk with you.”

He snorted, clearly amused.

“Hm, somethin’ tells me he did somethin’ real stupid to have you here.”

“He doesn’t have much experience with women, does he?” I asked, prying for more information from an old man who probably had little to no insight on Garth's dating life.

He laughed.

“No, and it shows too, doesn’t it?”

My mouth cracked a smile.

“Why do you think that is?”

“Not sure, I often wondered myself why he hasn’t found a good woman to settle down with yet.

He’s a good-lookin’ man, with a stable job on the ranch, so it shouldn’t be a problem for him to find someone.

” He shrugged. “Thing is, he wasn’t lookin’ to add someone to the equation, well, that was until you came into the picture. ”

My heart stuttered over his words, wondering if maybe I had heard him wrong.

“Until I came along? What do you mean by that?”

He smiled, resting his arms onto the counter.

“A man like him doesn’t just let anyone into his life. He may talk to a woman here or there, friendly of course, but I’ve never seen him act the way he does with you.”

The straw fell out of my mouth in shock.

“And… and how does he act with me?”

“Like he’s damn terrified to admit that he wants to let you in.”

I didn’t want to believe him just as much as I wanted to.

It seemed reckless, foolish even, to entertain thoughts of anything beyond the relationship I shared with Garth.

He was merely the man who saved me when I was lost on his ranch.

The one who chose to see something in me despite all the reasons why he shouldn’t.

I knew I wasn’t in the position to start anything new and I had a feeling he was too guarded, too hesitant, to let his heart have a real chance at love.

“I can’t risk anything with him. He’s a good man, with a genuine heart, but I’m too messy for someone to be tied to.”

It was the truth, I was messy. Messy past. Messy present. Nothing about me was appealing to an out-of-my-league single dad. If anything, he should be avoiding me at all chances.

“Messy? What the hell makes you messy?”

I explained to Carl how I ended up here: the wedding, Garth finding me, I told him everything. Once I was finished, I waited for repulsion, a confirmation that I was messy, but instead he laughed.

“Garth Calhoun went and fell for a runaway bride?” he teased, slapping his palm onto the counter three times before standing straight. “That’ll be one helluva story to tell your babies.”

My god.

I couldn’t help but laugh. A loud, genuine laugh that gripped my stomach and made me lose my breath.

Maybe this was all I needed. Someone to make me see the funny side of things and realize that not everything had to be taken so seriously.

I was no longer sulking, but rather enjoying myself for once.

It wasn’t forced, like I was so used to doing. It felt real. It felt perfect, and I never wanted the feeling to end.