Page 40 of The Runaway and the Rugged (Dusty Meadows #1)

EMELIA

E verything was perfect. I was happy and healthy, loving every moment of life.

I held on to the hope that each day would continue to be just as good, if not better, than the last. It’s been a week since Garth and I made things official.

We haven’t told anyone yet, so when we were in the company of others, especially Grace, we made sure to keep our distance.

Despite it proving to be a difficult concept for Garth, he did his best.

Every day I was learning something new on the ranch. No longer was I mucking stalls, but now I was stuck being taught the nitty-gritty of things on Hideaway Haven Ranch. It was hard work. Long days, longer hours, but I was able to do it with the person who I was beginning to adore.

He was patient with me and kind in ways I never thought were possible.

When I had questions, he’d answer them to the best of his ability.

When I was having trouble using a certain tool, he didn’t hesitate to take over.

And most importantly, he listened. If I had an idea, he was all ears, even if it didn’t make sense.

That was just the type of man he was.

A good man.

The best.

He was smiling more, laughing often, and it didn’t take long for others to notice. Greta would bombard him with questions, while Griffin would watch him like he was an entirely new person.

And Grace.

She was changing too. It was as if her father’s happiness was slowly seeping into her, softening her and shaping her in ways she hadn’t been before.

It was as if everything was falling into place, for me, for Garth, for everyone.

Finally.

“What are we doing now? I thought we were done working for the day?” I asked, as we sped down the gravel road, kicking up dust and all sorts of particles into the air.

“We are,” he responded. “I want to show you somethin’.”

“Can’t you show me when I’m not sweaty and covered in dirt, manure, and everything else on this ranch?”

His chuckle went straight to my core.

“No, I can’t.” He grinned, all covered in sweat, shirtless, even a streak of dirt on his face, and he still was the hottest man alive.

Pouting, I decided to go along with whatever he had up his sleeve, when minutes later we pulled up to a stop next to the lake. He quickly jumped out and ran over to my door to open it.

“The lake? I’ve seen the lake, Garth.”

It was a stunning lake. Bright blue water shimmering underneath the sun with soft gentle waves that crashed over the surface, inviting me with a tempting call to jump in.

“You may have seen it, but you ain’t been in it yet.” He shot me a dangerous look that told me everything I needed to know about where his head was.

Grabbing a hold of my hand, he tugged me toward the lake’s edge and began to strip off his clothes.

“Garth!” I gasped, shocked when he was already down to his boxers. “Are you seriously?—”

He was fully nude now, his stunning physique on full display. His impressive, never-seen-before cock was finally revealed, and when I noticed a small, silver ring dangling from his shaft, my mouth fell to the ground.

He had a dick piercing.

I gulped.

Every muscle and curve proudly showcased and the hard work and dedication he clearly put in to look so good, but my eyes were drawn to his thick cock.

“What are you, fifteen?” I glanced around us, making sure no one else was in the vicinity.

“Thirty-eight, Outlaw.”

I looked at him.

Thirty-eight? He wasn’t old, but compared to me, I felt like a damn infant.

“Come on, only way to clean off is to strip and jump into the lake.” He sauntered his naked body toward me, my eyes falling to his obvious erection.

“That’s not the only way, old man. You could have taken me back to the cabin shower, but you took me here because you want to see me naked.” I set my hands onto my hips, amusement clear in his adorable, wide-set smile that nearly had me stripping just from the sight of it.

“Old man?” He laughed, clearly wounded. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-five,” I admitted, wondering why we hadn’t disclosed that earlier.

Thirteen years. Damn.

“Fuck,” he cursed, running a palm through his dark, shaggy hair.

“Is that a problem?” For some reason, my heart slowly descended at the idea of it being a deal-breaker for him.

“It should be.” He reached out, clasping onto the hem of my shirt and slowly, deliberately, pulling it upward along my body. “But I ain’t lettin’ you go because of that.”

“Good.”

Relieved, I let him take the rest of my clothes off, until I was standing naked in front of him. Nostril flared, hands glued to my hips, he soaked in every square inch of me, leaving no part of me unscathed.

“Christ, Emelia,” he groaned, pulling me in close. “Are you even real?”

I laughed, lifting up onto my toes, pressing a brief, gentle kiss onto his mouth.

“I’m real. You’re real. This is real.”

His gaze was steady and intense, as if he had more to say. But I dragged him toward the water and together, we walked in slowly, hand in hand.

“Fuck, it’s cold,” he cursed, and once we were deep enough to swim, I dunked my head under before coming up for air.

“Do you swim in here often?”

His lower half was underwater, but his top half was still exposed.

“No, I used to bring Grace here to swim, but now that she’s gettin’ older, she doesn't want to do it as much.”

“Maybe she’d want to go if we all went?” I offered, noticing a flash of wonder flicker in his gaze.

“Yeah, I’m sure she’d be down for that.” He attempted to step deeper into the water, but a sudden wave of chills swept over him, causing him to hesitate.

I smiled.

“My parents used to take me swimming at this lake that was near our house. It had a nice beach, and the boys weren’t so bad either.”

His jaw went tight, and there was no trace of amusement in his gaze.

“I noticed you don’t talk about your parents, any reason why?”

Treading in the water, my gaze falls to a floating leaf that was riding across a small wave in front of me.

“They both passed when I was in high school. A truck driver who had fallen asleep at the wheel hit them when they were on their way to dinner.”

He instantly moved toward me, no longer hesitant of the coldness of the water.

“Fuck, I’m so damn sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”

He didn’t have to grab me because I was already wrapping my legs around his waist and throwing my arms around his neck.

“I don’t mind that you asked, I just prefer not to bring it up. It’s still hard for me to accept, so most of the time, I try not to think about it.”

“You can talk to me about anything, you know that? Whatever it is, I'll listen and do my best to understand and support you.”

His palms found my ass, but his eyes held an entire galaxy of sincereness.

“I know, and the same goes for you. You can tell me anything, Garth.”

Something in his gaze had subtly shifted. Barely noticeable but tugging me in closer, he leaned in until the tips of our noses brushed, creating a quiet intimate moment that made me become aware that he was about to tell me something.

“I wasn’t always a rancher,” he admitted on a breath. “Remember the hat I gave you, the one you couldn't figure out what it said?”

“Yeah.” I nodded, encouraging him to continue as I played with the curls on the nape of his neck.

“Pbr stands for professional bull riding.”

My eyes widened.

A bull rider?

“Growin’ up I wanted to ride bulls like my dad.

He was a damn good one too, taught me everything I needed to know.

As I got older, gettin’ better and better, the money, the fame, it was all gettin’ to me.

I was a selfish bastard, I wanted it all, the title, the women, and that’s when I met Grace’s mom.

” I tried not to tense, but I did anyway.

“I thought we had somethin’ good goin’, at least that’s what I thought it was until she had fallen pregnant with Grace, and that changed everything. ”

Even in a conversation that clearly made him uncomfortable, he found a way to smile while bringing up Grace.

“I was ready to be a dad, make the changes I needed and try to gradually step away from bull riding, but as soon as she heard I didn’t want to be a part of it anymore, she gave birth to Grace and left just a week after she was born.”

My heart broke for both him and Grace. Whoever she was, she never deserved them anyway.

“God, Garth, that’s terrible. I’m so sorry that happened.”

He shrugged with indifference.

“I’m not upset that she left me. I couldn’t care less, but Grace, our daughter, how could someone do that?”

“An extremely foolish, idiotic woman who doesn't deserve her, that’s who.”

It was the truth. How could a mother abandon her family? Especially this one?

“And your dad?” I hesitated to ask, wondering whether he chose not to bring him up the same way I didn’t with my own parents.

His expression faltered for a moment, but he swiftly regained composure with the clearing of his throat.

“He passed not too long after I had won my first championship. Heart attack coroner said,” his voice wobbled. “Don’t like to bring him up much, but I’m certain he would have liked you. He was a good man—Hell, he was the best man and Dad.”

I didn’t doubt him for one second.

“I’m sorry, Garth. I’m sure I would have loved him.”

It was the truth. Just as I was growing to love everyone else here.

His face softened.

“I want to tell her,” he announced with a quick change of subject. “I want to tell Grace about us, what do you think?”

My heart thundered.

That was a big, huge one actually and more than anything, I wanted Grace to know that I was falling for her dad.

“Yeah.” I smiled. “Yeah, we should definitely tell her.”

“We tell her, and she won’t let you leave this ranch.” He kneaded my ass as the head of his cock brushed along my outer lips.

“Neither will her daddy, right?”

He growled.

“Fuck no. You’re here to stay, Outlaw.”

I was here to stay.