Page 45 of Will to Run

I look at him in disbelief because I feel seen.

So fucking seen.

In a way that I cannot even describe.

He not only went to the store, but he also had the wherewithal to ask Rose instead of just guessing what to buy, and then bought paints I never would have. These kinds of colors are icing on the cake, and eventually I would have picked them up, but that would have been quite a bit from now.

“This is so thoughtful,” I say. “Thank you.”

He grabs me by the waist and pulls me so I’m flush against him, leaning into the cradle of his hips. The way he’s looking at me like I’m the thing he wants most, paired with the sureness of his big hands holding me, makes my nervousness disappear. When our heads drift towards each other, he hesitates for a split second, and looks beyond me, pulling his head up and sighing the biggest sigh I’ve ever heard in my life.

Following his gaze, I see his father riding the trail in a golf cart, none-the-wiser, but I step back. It’s a good thing because he stops right in front of us.

“Hey, kids,” he says, as if he’s unaware that he just stopped the moment I’ve been gathering courage to try again since night one. “I’m doing a final lap before tomorrow. How are you liking the long-term rental, Della?”

I chuckle because are you fucking kidding me? Maybe this is the universe saying no.

“It’s fantastic, thank you so much, Dale,” I reply.

“Wait, Jaxon, aren’t you supposed to be with Mom?”

“Sure am,” he says. “I just had to drop something off first.”

“Well, get going, she’s probably waiting on you!” he scolds him.

The moment is over, and Jaxon steps off the porch to show he’s leaving.

“Tomorrow is the first staff social in the event barn. You’re coming, right, Della?” Dale asks.

“Yep, planning on it!” I say while internally committing to finding something irresistible to wear.

His dad waves and drives away before Jaxon turns back to me.

“It’s one of my favorite nights, and you’ll get to meet some of the other staff besides wranglers and ranch hands. The bakers, the onboarded grounds crew, housekeepers, guest experience concierges, and a few more.”

“God, Jax, that’s got to be tough to keep straight.”

“It is a lot. I was actually thinking about how irritated I am that you came to town right before high season. My free time isn’t what it was a month ago. It’ll open up again soon, though, I promise.”

But I’ll be gone, the disappointing thought flies through my head.

“It’s fine,” I follow up with. “I’m meeting lots of great people… and I’m excited to meet more tomorrow!”

“After, a group of us usually end up at The Rusty Lantern, so be prepared for that, too,” he warns, stepping on the running board right before he gets in.

“Oh, I’m always ready for that,” I say, laughing.

I just hope he’s ready for me.

22

JAXON

This is, without a doubt, one of my favorite days of the year. We strategically throw it tonight to entice people to get here a full week before the official high season, and that’s been working out well for us the last few years. We host an entire staff lunch when the full staff is contractually obligated to be here, but everyone knows tonight is the party you don’t want to miss.

Before I know it, I’m standing right inside the door of the event space, welcoming people. It’s only about fifteen minutes in, but a good crowd is already here. In addition to the incentive to attend, the party gives our seasonal employees a chance to mingle. We found that it goes a long way in promoting teamwork, which is the cornerstone of our entire ranch. Heart of Will is consistently lauded in reviews for the seamlessness of how things work, and we attribute that to how well our people getting along.

Given our employee return rate is astronomically high, it’s important to me that I’m the first person to greet them. Catching up like old friends, and having conversations that center around what happened since the last time we saw each other, sets the tone for the summer.