Page 27 of When It Reins (Three Rivers Trevors Ranch #5)

juniper

The smell of hairspray was still swirling around my bathroom when the clock struck seven, and I was running behind.

After a midafternoon inventory at the bar, Annmarie and Thea had told me to head home and get ready. I’d been thoroughly confused. Then they explained that Mitch had something planned just for us tonight, and they had strict instructions to make sure I got home in time to get ready.

I’m not sure what kind of strict instructions they were, but if I had to guess, I would say Mitch probably said something like, “Hey, would you mind if Juniper got off a little earlier so she could change for a date I have in mind tonight?”

And my sisters took that very seriously.

I zip up the left boot before moving to the right, then stand and find my footing, taking a long look at myself in my bedroom’s full-length mirror. I’m not sure what the plan is, but a summer dress and boots always seem to work for a date night.

A knock sounds at my door, and I scurry through the apartment, picking up haphazard things along the way. I’m not a messy person, but with the little I knew about what I was doing tonight, I’d raced home to give myself enough time to prepare for anything.

Opening the door, I grin widely at the man standing on the other side. His cut is missing tonight, and in its place is a tan button-down shirt tucked into his jeans and brown boots on his feet.

And on his head…Oh heaven . He is wearing a cowboy hat.

This is a rare—extremely rare—occurrence. I know from looking him up online that the boy looked mighty, mighty fine in a cowboy hat, riding a bull and fighting for his life to stay on.

In person, I’ve only seen him wear them on special occasions, like baby christenings and weddings.

So, to him, this is a special occasion.

I calm the butterflies in my belly with a hand on my stomach and grin when he steps forward, tilting his head to make his lips meet mine in a desperate kiss. His hand snatches around my back, pulling me closer, and my hands grab onto his face, holding him to me.

We say no words as we stand here in each other’s embrace, no words of love or like or how much we missed each other.

It is said anyway, just in a different kind of language.

Finally, when we had our fill—at least for the next few minutes—he pulls back and looks at me, his gaze raking over my body in a way that sends shivers gliding all over my skin.

No one has ever made me feel that way. No one has ever looked at me like Mitch does, and I hope that no one ever does.

All I want for the rest of my forever is his gaze on me.

When my attention finally focuses, I notice the bouquet of flowers in his hand and gape at them.

“Flowers? For what?”

I take them, smelling the sweet scent of the bright red roses. They are probably the most beautiful roses I’ve ever seen in my life.

“For you,” Mitch answers, that gruff voice of his slithering through my brain like a really good song I never want to stop hearing.

“You didn’t have to,” I say, leading the way into the kitchen and hunting down a vase. I can’t seem to find one and wonder if I just don’t have one when I find a large Mason jar.

Perfect.

I grab the flowers and fill the jar with water, setting them gently in it for now and placing them on the counter in front of me. I don’t even realize I’m smiling at the flowers when Mitch’s presence grabs my attention again.

“You like flowers,” Mitch says, but his words are not a question. It’s a statement, a fact. One that I see him filing away.

“I guess I do,” I reply, my head tilting and grin growing wider. “But I think I like these, especially because of where they come from.”

Mitch seems to take that very seriously and gives me a nod. It was what I loved about him. He did take everything seriously, sometimes too much, but it was what made him a very stable person for me.

Even when he decided not to date me for the last couple of years, I always knew that I could count on him. Most men, if they found out you were interested, but they weren’t or weren’t ready for commitment, would stay far, far away.

Not Mitch.

He is reliable, dependable, and everything I ever wanted in a partner.

Though I might keep that one close to the chest for a while.

“So where are we headed?”

I gasp as we walk through the woods. The sound of water falling against itself is loud enough to grab my attention, but peaceful to the surrounding areas. The sun has nearly set as Mitch takes the thing he carried from the car and starts to set up a picnic.

“Is this for real?” I gape at the water. It looks clean enough to swim in. “I had no idea this was here.”

“Trevors family secret,” Mitch answers, laying out a blanket. I help by grabbing a corner and laying it out for him. “Well, and Cash, I guess.”

“Are we on the ranch property, then?” I couldn’t follow what direction was which as we drove up the mountain, but that probably had something to do with the way his hand was rubbing against mine. I was unable to really focus on anything other than the way his skin felt against my own.

Yeah, I was a goner.

“Nearly.” He looks around the area, pausing his picnic setup. “Just on the edge. Technically, this is public property, but not a lot of people know about it. And not a lot of people come at night.”

I pause for a moment, listening to the sounds of critters in the surrounding trees and bushes, then I whisper, “Because of the bears?”

Mitch chuckles, looking up at me as he sets a couple of plates down on the blanket, dutifully unpacking food. More than enough food for a while, it seems. “No bears.” He shrugs. “I mean, I guess there probably are, but I’ve never seen one over here. They like the cattle.”

I frown at the description. “Well, I don’t love that.”

“Neither does CT. He was bitching about that—” Mitch winces and shakes his head. “I mean, complaining earlier.”

“You can curse in front of me. I don’t mind.” I smile at him as I sit on the blanket, trying to help him arrange everything.

He shakes his head. “It’s bad manners.” I don’t comment on it, mostly because I think it’s sweet that he wants to speak nicely when he’s in front of me.

“How was today?” I ask, reaching for his little checkered bag that carried the utensils.

Mitch nods. “It was…good.” He frowns then. “Well, I think so. I think my brothers are starting to understand why I left, so they’re trying harder to try to reconnect with me.”

“Well, that’s good.”

When Mitch told me he explained everything to his family, why the past decade he’s been away, I held my breath to hear what they said, but then he told me how they all just accepted it, forgave him, and decided to move on as a family.

I’m so grateful and relieved that it happened to him that way.

He deserves so many amazing things in life, and I am so glad to see it all working out for him.

“Yeah, they want to do an overnight drive next week,” he says, handing me my portion of the meal.

It looks suspiciously like the fried chicken from the restaurant, but I don’t comment on it because it doesn’t matter.

He still went through all the effort to bring me here tonight, and I was not going to complain.

“Oh really? Overnight?” I dig my fork into the potato salad that accompanies the chicken and moan when the taste hits my tongue. “This is so good.”

Mitch smirks. “I know a decent chef.” He winks, and I giggle at the move, both of us knowing who he is talking about.

“Yeah, overnight,” he says, continuing our conversation. “We’re driving the herd up the mountain to a new area. Riding the horses up there always takes a little longer.”

“Why not just use a trailer and drive them up there?” I ask, taking another bite.

“Can’t.” He shakes his head and looks at me, smiling when I lick my fork clean. “Can’t get a truck up there. It’s too rocky. Untouched land.”

I think about that for a moment and nod. “That’s amazing. With how much our world changes, it’s nice to know there are parts of it that are natural.”

“Agree.”

“Is that why you live so remotely?”

Mitch shrugs. “I like it. Solitude. I didn’t have that for a really long time on the road.

” He sighs and sets his fork down, reaching into his bag and grabbing a battery-powered lantern.

I realize how dark it’s gotten when he illuminates the area.

“When I came home, I lived with my mom at first, liked seeing her again. But then she took my silence as depression and would constantly have my brothers coming around. My niece, Lue, had more sleepovers at my mom’s during that time than she ever has since. ”

“She was worried about you.”

“I get that, but I’m a guy who’s okay being on my own.” He says the words, then laughs a little and looks at me, noticing my expression. “Well, I was.”

I shrug my shoulders and sigh. “I hope I’m not messing with your plans.”

“Starling, you’re doing anything but.” He shakes his head, his eyes devouring me again. “You have no idea what you’ve done for me since you came into my life, Little Starling.”

“You either.” I set aside dinner and scoot closer, wanting to touch and be near him. It is a recurring feeling that I am going to have to get used to. “You’ve become somewhat of a best friend to me.”

I don’t want my words to scare him. I want him to know that I rely on him, but I don’t want him to think that I can’t be on my own.

Though, I really don’t want to be.

His brows furrow, and he looks intently at me, taking in every freckle on my face before holding my gaze. His big hand moves up and cradles my jaw, his thumb running over my cheek. He looks like he’s in pain, but I know he’s just feeling more than he normally allows himself to.

“Juniper, you have no idea.” He swallows, and I keep my mouth shut, letting him get out what he’s trying to say. “I have never connected with anyone the way I do with you, and the thought of you disappearing from my life, of you leaving, it scares the hell out of me.”

I frown, shaking my head. “Why would I leave?”

Mitch sighs, resting his forehead against my own. “I’m not easy to deal with, Starling. I have mood swings and temper tantrums. And I don’t like people messing with the people I love, but I shut down sometimes too. Sometimes I need the quiet to get my mind right.”

“I can give that to you,” I say, reaching up to clench his wrist, wanting desperately for him to never let me go. “I can give you your space. I just don’t want you to push me away.”

He shakes his head. “Never. I never will.”

I can’t wait any longer, and I press my lips to his, holding him to me just like I did when he picked me up. We move until I’m sitting in his lap, kissing intensely, afraid to let the other one go.

When we need a breath of air, he smiles against my mouth, our breaths moving in harmony. “Wanna swim?”

I pull back, eye the dark behind me, and turn back to him nervously. “It’s dark.”

He shakes his head, grabbing the hem of my dress and lifting it up and over my head. I let him, feeling the summer night air kiss my skin. “I’ll keep you safe.”

I follow his moves, taking off every piece of clothing until there’s not a stitch left. We wade into the thankfully warm water, our hands held tight together, and I follow his lead.

He pulls me into him, his mouth attacking my own with fervor and something more. Something that rests deep in my heart and stomach. Something that I’m not quite ready to name, but at the same time, I want to burst with the feeling of it all.

Instead, I keep my mouth shut and kiss the man in my arms, letting myself enjoy this moment.