Page 58

“I think it’s done,” I say, keeping my head down so he doesn’t see my blush and ask about it.

We eat, and I was right. The trout is delicious. Afterward, he cleans up, and I go down to the lake. He says he doesn’t want to leave just yet, so I change into my swimsuit before I go and lay out a blanket by the water’s edge. Some of the people we saw last night are back, diving and swimming through the crystal blue water.

I wonder about them. Who they are, what problems they have. Where they’re headed, where they’re from.

It’s strange to think about how each of them has a life as complex and delicate as mine. We’re all just sitting out here, under the sun, full of little parts and pieces. Even far from home, we still carry them all with us.

I close my eyes, enjoying the soft warmth of the sun. In a little while, I might go swimming. It’s strange, not having anything I have to do. Usually, I’m go-go-go around the ranch, barely making it back to the house in time to help Dad upstairs before cooking dinner. Then, it’s cleanup time, time to lock everything up, and finally, it’s bedtime. Night feels like a quick breath before the sun cracks over the horizon. It didn’t feel like that with him, though, I remember. The night he first slept with me was just long enough.

It’s the middle of the afternoon when I return to the campsite. He’s got a notebook in his lap, and he’s scribbling away. When I come up, he shuts it and pushes it into his back pocket.

“Work?” I ask.

“Yep.” He squints up at me, reaching out to put his hand on my leg.

God, I just love it when he touches me. He’s so good at doing it casually, as if it doesn’t stop me in my tracks and turn my world upside down.

“I gotta run into town and get some supplies. You want me to pick up dinner?”

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

“They’ve got a Mexican restaurant or fast food.”

“I’ll do the first option.”

“Good choice. It might take me a little bit. You sure you’re good?”

I nod, and he gets to his feet. He swings his keys and catches them in his hand, leaning in. Automatically, I turn my face up and let him kiss me. My stomach jerks. It’s not about the kiss. It’s about the way he makes it…possessive. I don’t pull away, and he doesn’t either, kissing me until my lips part. The tip of my tongue brushes his. He makes a hungry sound in his throat. I pull away because there’s a visitor in his pants, pressing against my hip.

“You just excited to see me?” I whisper.

“Always.”

He kisses me again, softly. I’m on fire, heat sizzling through my veins. Between my thighs, I’m hungry for him to do more of what he did last night. The way his head feels, the little raspiness of his beard against the sensitive skin… God, it turns my head.

“I’d better hit the road,” he murmurs.

I nod. “Yeah, I’m gonna be starving by the time you get back.”

He leaves, and I have to take a lap around the campsite to cool down. To kill time, I clean everything up and sort through our camping things, organizing them into different bags and gathering any stray trash. I’m not sure if we’ll camp again before we hit Nashville, but chances are, we will. I’m perfectly fine with that. The more time I spend in a little tent with him, curled up against his very firm chest, the happier I’ll be.

I falter as I walk back from throwing out the trash.

This isn’t just being horny.

I…I like him. Maybe more than a little bit.

The heavy realization is broken by the rumble of truck tires coming up the gravel road. I swallow hard. He cuts the engine and swings out. He really looks the country music star part right now, a perfectly white smile and sunglasses on. That brings me down to Earth hard. He might be a nice guy who’s been nothing but kind, but we are from different worlds. I can’t leave the ranch for good anyway.

I lift my chin and smile back. I can keep control of myself.

“Better be hungry. They gave me a shit ton of food,” he says, grabbing two enormous paper bags.

“Starving.”

He spreads a blanket in the back of the truck and lifts me, swinging in to sit against the opposite end. He stretches out his long legs and boots and starts going through the bags, passing me three foam boxes and a bag of chips. I swipe some guac and take a bite.

“God, this is so good,” I sigh, leaning back.