Page 83 of Colton’s Inferno

“Don’t rush,” he said, rising from his seat. “I can fix something for the both of us.”

For the next half an hour, Aiden mixed batter and sliced fruit. Lucy sat at the table and continued to work on her application. As he placed the final pancake onto a plate, she poked the keyboard with a finger. “It’s sent!”

“Congratulations,” he said, placing a bowl filled with sliced apples, grapes, and honeydew melon next to her seat. “When will you hear back?”

She pulled a hunk of melon from the bowl and popped it into her mouth. “Soon,” she said, around her food. “At least by the end of the week. Maybe sooner.”

Aiden placed the platter of pancakes next to the fruit. Then, he set two plates and silverware on the table. Lucy helped herself to several pancakes and a serving of fruit salad as Aiden grabbed a bottle of syrup and a stick of butter from the fridge.

“This smells delicious,” she said, smearing butter on the steaming pancakes. “Thanks.”

“We’ll have to go out to dinner and celebrate,” he said. “Maybe I can get us reservations at Prime.”

She cut a piece of pancake with the side of her fork and stabbed it with the tines. Swirling the wedge through a puddle of syrup, she said, “Let’s wait until I get in.”

Aiden sat beside her. “Now that you’ve sent in your application, what else is on the agenda for today?”

She chewed her bite and swallowed. “I think my to-do list somehow got longer. Since Ted is buying the ranch, I’ll have to arrange for the livestock to be sold. Your brother isn’t interested in running a working ranch.”

“I don’t think he is, either.” Aiden helped himself to several pancakes and took a bite. Lucy had been right. Breakfast was delicious.

“The good news,” she said, “is that once I sell the herd, there should be plenty of money for Grandpa Rusty’s care. He’ll also have money to move to Florida, if that’s what he wants. I’ll have money to pay for tuition and cover living expenses while I get my degree.”

“You sound pretty optimistic about this,” he said. “No regrets?”

“My family settled that land years ago, and I’m the one to let it all go. But nobody was interested in keeping things going—except for me and Rusty. And as it turns out, my grandpa is ready to move on.” She shrugged and took another bite. “I guess it’s time for everyone to let go of the past, me included.”

“Here’s to the future.” He lifted his coffee cup.

She touched her rim to his with a clink. “To the future.” She took a sip. “And speaking of the future, I’ll start looking for a new place to live. I promise you that I’ll be gone in a few weeks.”

“You know,” he said, “you don’t have to go anywhere. You can stay with me.”

“Are you asking me to live with you?”

Was he? Lucy’s question hung between them. Then again, he knew what he wanted. “Yeah,” he said. “I am.”

“It’d make my life easier to stay here while I wrap up everything at the ranch. On top of that, I really like living here—with you.” She paused and pushed a bite of pancake across her plate. “We’ll give it a few more weeks, and then, we’ll revisit.”

He leaned forward and placed his lips on hers. “We can talk again,” he said, speaking into the kiss. “But I won’t change my mind.”

She kissed him back before rising to her feet. “I’ll take care of the dishes. Then, I need to talk to my grandfather. There’s lots of arrangements to make.”

He stood as well. “You get ready. I’m still on medical leave, so I’ve got a lot of nothing going on. I can clean up.”

Lucy kissed him again. “You really are the best. I still can’t figure out how I got so lucky to be with you.”

“Maybe I’m the one who’s lucky,” he said. “Did you ever think about that?”

“Never,” she said, kissing him once more.

Aiden wrapped his arms around her waist. “I’ll be here when you get back.”

She slipped out of his embrace and walked toward the bathroom. She closed the door, and from where he stood, he could hear water running from the taps. For a moment, he thought of her perfect body covered in soapy water.

Aiden put all the leftover food into containers and stored them in the fridge. As he started loading the dishwasher, the bathroom door opened, and Lucy stepped out. She was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. Her wet hair had been plaited into a braid. Sitting on the sofa, she slipped on a sneaker. “I’ll call you after I talk to Rusty. I know I made the best choice for everyone. But honestly, I’m nervous.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” he asked, from where he stood at the sink.