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“Same for me.” Brenna smiled.
“I’ll get those orders in and be back soon.”
Once Connie walked off, Brenna finally opened to her friend about Beau. As she finished telling her story, Celine remained quiet, processing all the information.
“Aren’t you going to say anything?” Brenna asked.
“You’re happy.”
Brenna hesitated, then nodded. “I am. I never looked at him as a man before, but now...” She motioned with her hand. “He’s just so handsome. I can’t see him as anything else.”
“I want a good man too.” Celine sighed. “Maybe one day.”
“I hope so too. Honestly, after everything with Eric, I never thought I’d want a serious relationship again. But Beau has changed my mind. I know in my heart that he would never hurt me like Eric did, and he knows I’d never hurt him like Liz did.”
“That’s really good,” Celine acknowledged. “You’ve both been through such painful experiences with infidelity. It takes a lot of courage to open your heart again.”
Brenna nodded and they continued their conversation until their lunch arrived. After finishing their meals, they hugged tightly before parting ways. As Brenna made her way back to her car, she was grateful for the time spent catching up with her friend, especially since it started to snow again. She drove off feeling content and happy that she had left town when she did.
****
Beau sat in the office, surveying his surroundings. It was Saturday, so there were only a few men at their desks. Everyone was on call for the weekends, but if nothing major happened, senior agents could enjoy some time off. Beau had been an agent for twenty-one years, starting right out of college at twenty-two. He always knew it was his calling; after all, five generations of his family had been agents and he took great pride in his work. His main focus was helping ranchers, farmers, and anyone who owned livestock.
But even with all his experience, there were still cases that left him puzzled, like the missing horse incident. Why would someone only take one horse, unless they were startled and had to flee, or they specifically wanted that particular animal? Beau couldn’t make sense of it, but he had learned over the years that rustlers were unpredictable and sometimes their motives didn’t make sense to law enforcement. He simply did his job to the best of his abilities and accepted that not every case could be solved.
Letting out a heavy sigh, he pushed away from his desk, grabbed his coat and hat, and made his way to the elevator. The building was eerily quiet, as most offices were closed due to it being the weekend. Not many made it to work last week because of the snowy weather.
As he stepped outside into the bright sun, Beau couldn’t help but smile. Nothing was going to stop him from seeing Brenna tonight. He really liked her and after knowing her for so long, he was excited to get to know her on a deeper level.
At six o’clock, Beau pulled his truck up to the barn where Brenna lived upstairs. He smiled as he looked up at the stairs leading to her apartment, relieved to see that they were completely cleared of snow and ice. He didn’t want to risk slipping and falling on his way up, or down.
With a bouquet of fresh flowers in hand, Beau got out of his truck and ascended the stairs. Once he reached the porch, he knocked on the door and patiently waited for Brenna to answer. As soon as she opened the door, his heart skipped a beat.
“Hi,” she greeted him with a smile.
“Hi. These are for you,” Beau said, offering her the bouquet.
“Oh Beau, thank you. They’re absolutely beautiful. Please come in.”
“You’re welcome.” Beau took off his hat, wiped his feet on the doormat, and stepped inside her cozy apartment. As he looked around, he couldn’t help but shake his head in disbelief. “No one would ever guess there’s an apartment hidden up here.”
“My dad had it built in just two weeks. I think he was trying to get me out of his house,” Brenna chuckled.
Beau grinned. “I’m sure you could have stayed as long as you wanted.”
“I could have, but my parents need their privacy too. Besides, I’m thirty-seven years old, too old to live with my parents.”
“So maybe you complained enough to convince your dad to have it done quickly?”
Brenna laughed. “That could very well be true.”
Beau chuckled as he watched her place the flowers in the fridge before walking over to the hall tree beside the door. As she removed her coat, he politely took it from her and held it out for her to slip into.
“You have such good manners, Beau.”
He shrugged. “My parents raised me right. If you’re ready, we can head out. I’d like to beat the dinner crowd at the diner.”
Brenna nodded and placed her hand in Beau’s as they walked outside. He waited patiently while she locked the door, taking the opportunity to admire her. He knew he wanted to spend more time with her, as much as she would allow.
