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With no guilt, I lazily sipped my coffee in the early morning sun, by the fire, contentedly watching the guys work. After enduring their chorus of snoring all night, I felt I more than deserved this moment of peace.
They were busy fixing the corral fence nearest to the barn, preparing to let the horses out to graze on the long grass—a well-deserved treat after weeks confined in rodeo barns.
Wyatt’s smile was free and easy. He was truly at home here, and although I wanted to be completely happy for him, a part of me ached at the thought. We had started to make plans, and now they were flying off track and I didn’t know where we were headed.
A rumble from the road caught my attention, and I lifted my hand to shield my eyes from the sun. A truck had turned onto the drive and was heading in our direction. I quickly pulled on my boots and stood up to get a better look.
As the truck approached and stopped near us, I saw two women inside. The driver, an older woman, sported grey hair neatly pulled back into a bun, a few loose tendrils framing her face. The passenger, a girl around my age, was strikingly pretty, with chestnut hair hanging loose around her shoulders, topped by a cowboy hat.
They stepped out of the truck, and I glanced back at Wyatt, who had noticed their arrival and was walking over with a big grin. He immediately enveloped the older woman in a big hug, lifting her clean off the ground.
“Well, just look at you!” she exclaimed warmly. “Little Wyatt Collins. Not so little anymore.”
“Alice, I was not little the last time I saw you. Definitely fully grown.” Wyatt grinned, setting her back down.
“Maybe so, but I’ll always think of you as little, just like my Gracie and Noah.”
He then opened his arms wide as the younger woman approached. She stepped right into his embrace, hugging him tightly.
My fingers clenched around the coffee mug as I watched Wyatt’s muscular arms envelope her slender frame in an intimate gesture.
When they finally parted, Wyatt reached over and playfully tapped the brim of her cowboy hat with his fingers, a warm crinkle forming at the corners of his eyes. “Long time, no see, Gracie.”
She tilted her head back to maintain his gaze, a dimpled grin spreading across her lips. “It’s about time you came home. We missed you.”
“Me too.”
My stomach twisted into a knot as they shared a look. I knew Wyatt had had a long-term girlfriend in the past. I could only assume it was her. I didn’t know what I’d been expecting, but it wasn’t that.
Grace was beautiful. Not that I’d thought she wouldn’t be. Of course Wyatt would have had a pretty girlfriend, but she was beyond pretty.
“Thought I’d have to come check that you weren’t getting into too much trouble,” Gracie continued, her tone light and teasing.
Wyatt threw his head back with a rich laugh. “Me? Trouble? Now, when have I ever done that?”
“Let’s see… There was riding Mr. Henderson’s bulls, tractor stealing—”
“Okay, okay! That’s enough!” Wyatt held up his hand, laughing.
Their back-and-forth banter rolled off the tongue so naturally, their body language and chemistry undeniable.
I shifted my weight, feeling suddenly like an outsider.
Gracie must have sensed my staring because she slowly turned her head, sweeping an assessing gaze over me from head to toe. Her lips pursed almost imperceptibly, but her eyes remained coolly guarded as they met mine.
The weight of her scrutiny made heat creep into my cheeks. I fought the instinct to look away, keeping my chin lifted as I met that stare head-on.
“Gracie said she saw a truck come up this way. Thought we better check who might be snooping around,” Alice said. “Is that Finn? My, you grew up to be a lot better-looking than I expected.”
“Thank you?” Finn scratched at the beard on his chin while Grady chuckled beside him.
“And I don’t think I know the pretty one,” Alice continued, her gaze now on Grady.
Grady clamped his mouth shut, trying to maintain his composure, as Finn let out a bark of laughter.
“This is Grady Martin, a bull rider on the circuit,” Wyatt introduced him.
“You’re a bull rider?” Alice appraised Grady with a frown, causing him to deflate.
