She moved to wrap her arm across his stomach. “Will you look into it, baby?”
“Yes,” he whispered. He pressed a kiss to herforehead, needing just a little bit more from her. “Caroline, tell me where we are.”
“We’re sitting on my front porch, talking about a road-boat trip.”
“Come on,” he said, perhaps a bit grumpily.
“I think I’m coming out the other side of a personal crisis,” she said. “This is one of those emotional wounds you talked about. You get to see that scar, and I’m trying to patch it all back up, so it doesn’t define me.”
“It’s just a little piece of you,” he said.
“Right,” she said. “I’ll get there, and I’m sorry I freaked out.”
“Hey, I dang near took a whole pan of brownies and fled the meeting earlier,” he said. “Everything is just soslow.”
She laughed and finally picked up a brownie and took a bite. “Mm, these are good.”
Dawson had already eaten two, so he didn’t take a third. “So we’re good?”
“Yes.” She wiped brownie crumbs from her lips as she nodded. “We’re good. I’m working on things, just like you are.”
He studied her, those light eyes he liked so, so much. “I hope we can end up in the same place, at the same time,” he murmured. “Because I sure do like you, Caroline.”
She grinned and touched her lips to his. Kissing her was the absolute best thing in the world.
“I sure do like you too, Dawson.”
Okay, fine, hearing her say that andthenkissing her was the absolute best thing in the world. Now, all Dawson had to do was figure out the rest of his life—his role on the ranch, where he’d live with his own wife and family when those things came along, and literally everything else—so he could keep this woman with him.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Link never wanted to see another cow as long as he lived. He’d spent the last four days working with Uncle Cactus and his veterinary crew to get all the cattle checked and ready to go out into the hills for their summer grazing.
He’d go out on the cattle drive this year, the way he had been for the past fifteen. His momma hadn’t let him go with Daddy until he was twelve, and that was still the rule for kids at Shiloh Ridge Ranch.
But they didn’t leave for four more days, and that meant a metric ton of preparation was going on around the ranch. Horses who needed shoeing, and saddlebags that needed packing. Food and water for twenty men, and this year, Uncle Bishop was bringing his son Robbie to help run the chuckwagon. They’d make sure they allate well, and Uncle Cactus was also sending up two new dogs to stay with the cattle.
Uncle Cactus himself wasn’t going. In fact, none of the older uncles were going.
Uncle Ranger, nope. Uncle Cactus, nada.
And Daddy…Daddy was staying home from the cattle drive for the first time since he was twelve years old.
Link knew it would be astronomically hard for his father to stay home. Everyone knew it was time, but that didn’t make change any easier.
Daddy had been just as involved in the preparations to go on the drive this year, and Link hoped that helped him adjust to the fact that he wouldn’t be saddling up and riding out with them in a few days.
And tonight, Link had to get showered up, changed, and ready for his birthday party. Momma did one every year, but this one he got to share with the love of his life.
Misty would be here in a half-hour, and despite her being his fiancée and their wedding coming up in only three more months, Link kept thinking she’d pull up to True Blue, see the number of trucks there, and rush right back to her house in town.
He kept thinking she’d do that with every new family thing Link introduced her to, and Link hadn’t been able to curb in his mother. Even Daddy hadn’t been able to stop Momma from throwing the “biggest, bestest party this family has ever seen.”
Momma’s words. Link’s nightmare.
She wanted Misty to have the best birthday ever, as she’d grown up without much in the way of parties, family traditions, or even food in the fridge. That did not sit well with Momma, and Link had decided to let her have her party for the two of them.
Misty’s birthday wasn’t until the end of the month, but Link had already bought her present, and he’d give it to her tonight. He had something for her for later in the month too, something a little more personal and private.