“That sounds like a doozy of a story.”
“You want my ugly now? Or should I tell you about it on date three?”
She giggles softly at my teasing, but the sound still carries, hitting my ears and causing a rush of pleasure to burst through my body, knowing I made it happen. It’s hard to believe she has such a hold on me, but there’s no denying the powerful chemistry between us. Who knows if it’s our bodies remembering each other or something deeper, but we’re damn sure gonna find out.
“Who says there’ll even be a date three?” she smarts off with a tiny smirk.
“Said I was still single because I haven’t found one in the past . . . not that I haven’t found someone since.”
She sputters and I feel my cheeks get tight as my smile grows. She straightens in her seat before speaking. “I think I’ll take that story now, if you don’t mind, and then maybe we can figure out if date two and three are goin’ to happen.”
“Fair enough, darlin’.”
I walk to the fridge and grab a beer, looking over my shoulder and holding the bottle up to silently ask if she’d like one as well. Her dark brown hair moves around her face like a sleek curtain when she gives a tiny nod. I reach in the fridge to grab another one before walking back to my spot. I keep my eyes on hers as I twist the top off, placing the open bottle between us for her to take. When she reaches for it, I keep my hand in her way long enough for hers to graze mine, wanting to know if I feel the sparking burn of awareness I felt back in Mav and Leigh’s barn. She licks her lips at the same time that sensation lights a fire across my fingertips, and I know I’m not the only one who feels it. She takes a small sip before placing her bottle softly in front of her and folding her hands on top of each other to wait. I make quick work of opening my own before taking a deep pull.
It probably isn’t wise to tell the woman I’m hoping to get to know better about my past relationships. Especially when the one she’s asking about is the very reason I’ve sworn never to get close to a woman again. I probably would’ve kept living like I have been until the day I died, too, had I not run into Caroline today.
“Five or, hell, maybe closer to six years ago, I was datin’ someone seriously enough that we had that discussion most couples have at some point about their future. She wanted my ring on her finger and didn’t have any problems lettin’ me know it. You can imagine it wasn’t pleasant when she heard how I felt about gettin’ hitched. I explained that I didn’t want the same things she did and likely never would.” I take another large swallow of beer, and she keeps staring at me with open interest.
“My future was here on the ranch. I had responsibilities bigger than she understood and plans to make this place somethin’ different than my father had. My pops was still around then, and I hadn’t taken full control yet. He wasn’t the hard man he had been my whole life at that point, seein’ as his health was gettin’ worse, but he wasn’t willin’ to give up his control over the ranch. He didn’t agree with my vision for things and I knew better than to argue with Buford Davis. But I knew one day I’d be in charge and until then, I was goin’ to focus on makin’ sure this place was the best it could be. On top of workin’ from sunup to sundown, I was also still runnin’ the books for the auto shop. My plate was full and my plans didn’t include addin’ a wife while I was spread so thin, and, to be honest, it was gonna take someone a lot different from her to change my views on marriage. I made clear that I wasn’t gonna give her a ring anytime soon—if at all.”
“But you stayed with her even though you couldn’t see that for y’all’s future?”
I nod. “I did. I’m not exactly proud of the fact, but despite how I felt about marryin’ her, I was still immature enough to enjoy what she did give me. Not too long after that talk, she brought it up again, only this time she mentioned babies. I think she knew after that she was tryin’ for somethin’ I wasn’t ever gonna give her.”
“Marriage or babies?” Caroline asks, tilting her head slightly.
“Both, I reckon. I wasn’t ignorant to the negatives of both in my life at that point. I hadn’t ever had any good examples of relationships enough to see marriage as somethin’ worth havin’. The second I found out how much she wanted babies, though, I knew we were drivin’ on two separate roads that would never meet.”
“Because you don’t like kids?” she asks with a frown.