“Hey.” Gavin smiles, standing before me.
“Hey. Do you want to sit?” I point to the chair next to me.
“Yeah.” He nods and takes a seat.
“Where’s Penny?” I ask as I drink him in. He’s wearing a plaid button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. The muscles on his arms are hard to miss, and it’s clear he works hard with his hands. The first few buttons on his shirt are undone, and a smattering of chest hair is visible. I take a deep breath and look at his face to stop myself from ogling.
His hat shadows his dark eyes, but I notice humor reflecting in them.
“She’s having breakfast with Abbie and her sisters.”
“Oh, cool.”
Gavin sits back, crossing his ankle over his knee and taking a drink of coffee. There’s something different about him today.
“I was actually coming in for a quick cup of coffee, and I was going to call you,” he nonchalantly says as if we spoke on the phone every day.
“Oh?” My eyebrows lift, and curiosity clouds my mind.
Gavin’s deep laughter warms me. I like seeing him this way—relaxed and happy.
“No need to worry. I guess it’s best to ask in person. I was wondering if you were free sometime this week? To go out,” he adds afterward in case I didn’t catch on to the meaning of his question.
I bite down my smile and lift his hat a bit so I can get a better view of his eyes. I lean forward, staring into those chocolate orbs. “What are you doin’ right now?”
The most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen creeps on his face.
“Let’s go.” He stands and holds his hand out to me. I smile and reach for it, allowing him to lead me out of Cup-O-Joe.
Without question, I follow Gavin to his truck and climb in when he opens the door for me. I watch as he walks around the front, typing something on his phone. When he sits on the driver’s side, he looks over at me with a smile and slides his phone on the dash.
“How long’s it been since you’ve been on a horse?”
My eyes widen, and I clap my hands. “Too long. Come on!”
Laughing, he puts the truck in reverse and heads out of town center.
“Did you have fun at the sock hop yesterday?” Gavin asks as he focuses on the road that winds us toward the ranch.
“Yes. I can’t remember the last time I danced that much.”
“I think Penny was doing that hand jive in her sleep. She woke up practicing, too.”
I laugh and shake my head. “I’m glad she liked that. That’s something that should be passed down generations.” Growing up, we’d always do the hand jive when older songs came on. Penny’s face lit up when she saw it, and I was happy to teach it to her. Watching her try to teach Gavin was cuteness on a whole new level.
“Did you practice?” I look at him with raised eyebrows.
He snort-laughs and shakes his head. “I’m not gonna become a hand jive pro anytime soon.”
I smile and look out the window. The mountains seem to get closer, still snow-topped. The natural beauty of this area shows off in open fields mixed with forested areas.
My mouth drops when Gavin pulls into the ranch, vast land rolling around us.
“Wow,” I breathe out. I see a crooked smirk on Gavin’s lips as he takes us down the dirt road and to a red barn.
“This is beautiful,” I say as I crane my head over the dashboard to look at the looming mountains.
“Thanks. Are you ready to prove your country girl abilities?” he teases.
“You’re on, cowboy.” I hop out of the truck and meet Gavin in the front of the truck. I like this playful side of him.
“Come on.” He juts his head toward the closed barn, and slides open one of the doors for me to walk in. Instantly, the scents of hay and horses hit me, and I feel like I’m back home in Mississippi. A neigh pulls my attention to the right, and I walk in that direction.
“That’s June,” Gavin says from behind me as I look at the skewbald mare. Her white and brown patches create a unique coat.
“She’s beautiful.”
“She’s a great horse. You can ride her.” Gavin reaches out from behind me, petting the horse.
When he encourages me, I put my hand out so June can smell me before petting down her face.
As I get acquainted with June, Gavin grabs the saddles and prepares the horses.
“What’s his name?” I point to his horse.
“Dusty Buckaroo.” When I laugh, he adds, “Penny named him.”
“Of course she did,” I snort and cover my face as my eyes pop open and feel heat move up my neck.
Gavin chuckles and removes my hand. “That’s cute.”
My heart slams in my chest, and the heat intensifies. I wasn’t expecting such an honest compliment from him.
“We’re ready.”
We walk the horses out of the barn, and Gavin helps me onto June, although I’m perfectly capable of getting on a horse myself. I won’t deny myself the opportunity to feel his hands on my waist, even if it’s to help me.
We begin to ride down the trail until we reach an open space and move along wherever Gavin leads. Yellow flowers grow wild and dance in the breeze. The views are breathtaking as we go through the uneven terrain and onto another trail that’s shrouded with trees.
“How have you liked being an Everton resident these last couple weeks?” Gavin asks, turning his head to the side to look at me.
“It’s been great. I spent so much time here, it always felt like I lived here. All my belongings did arrive, though, so now it feels more like home. And Kelsey is finally coming to visit. I can’t wait to show her around.” I beam at him.
“That’s great. I’m sure you’ll have fun.”
“Yeah, I’m really excited. If you have any recommendations on where to take her, I’ll appreciate it. I’m still getting to know every place around here.”
“Definitely, The Mad Batter.”
“That’s a given,” I wink.
Gavin’s mouth splits into a smile, and he shakes his head. “You’re something else, Sutton.”
“Why thank you very much.” I nod my head. “Do you usually ride out here?” I ask as I hear the faint sound of water rushing.
“When I have time for longer rides, yeah.”
“It’s so peaceful.”
“It is. It’s why I like coming out here. It helps to forget all the stress and worry and remember there’s more to life than that, you know?” He looks at me with pursed lips.
“I totally get that. It’s nice to have somewhere to disconnect from the chaos that life brings.” I don’t dare ask him about his past. I figure he’ll tell me if and when he’s ready.
“Is horseback riding your favorite thing to do?” I ask, instead. I want to know Gavin as a person, not as one experience but as a whole.
“Yeah. I’ve been riding since I was a boy and helping around the ranch since I could walk. Riding has always brought a sense of calm and also thrill.”
“I used to help my dad around the ranch when I was younger, too. I think I mentioned that the other day we went fishing. I loved being out there with the animals and just roaming the land. It’s nothing like this.” I wave a hand around.
“I haven’t traveled much, but I’d bet Wyoming is more beautiful than a lot of other places… Or I’m biased,” he shrugs.
“It’s definitely up there,” I nod.
“Have you visited a lot of places?” He looks at me with raised brows.
“Not really. Mississippi, obviously, and Nashville. I went to Florida when I was younger with my family. Besides that, I’ve gone to the cities I’ve toured in, but we don’t get to see much of those when we’re going from place to place and sleeping on a bus.”
Gavin nods, pensive for a moment. “The more popular you become, the more you’ll visit other places and travel. I’m sure then you’ll have time to visit any place you want.”
“Honestly, I think at the end of a tour, all I’ll wa
nt is to come home to my bed,” I sigh. Being on the road isn’t an easy lifestyle, but it comes with the territory. For as long as I can remember, my dream was to be a singer.
“What’s one place you’d love to go to?” I ask him.
My body softly rocks as I ride next to Gavin, the rushing water I heard earlier now coming into view as we reach a river.
“We’re going to cross through here. It’s shallow,” Gavin says. “As for traveling, I’d love to visit Europe.”
“Anywhere specific?” I focus on guiding June through the river.
“Not really. London, for sure.”
“That would be amazing. I’d love to go to Italy.” June steps up the riverbank, and Gavin waits for me to move next to him before he continues riding through another open meadow.
“A European tour must be great. You could visit all the different countries.”
I agree with an easy smile. We continue to ride in silence for a few minutes. Gavin stops suddenly and dismounts.
“Come on.” He holds his hand out to me to help me off June and leads me toward the ledge I hadn’t even noticed.
“Wow,” I gasp as I look out at the view before me. Mountains dip into valleys, and combinations of greens and yellows cover the land. “This view is incredible.”
“That’s Everton there.” Gavin points to a cluster of buildings that look like ants from up here.
“Aren’t we in Everton?” I ask, wondering how far we rode.
Gavin chuckles. “Yes, technically, but that’s the town.”
“That’s really cool. It didn’t even feel like we were climbing.”
“I know. I love coming here and just looking out at the town and the mountains.”
“Thanks for bringing me here.” I look up at Gavin with a smile.
He nods softly. His fingers brush against the back of mine lightly, and I smile as I stare straight ahead. My skin prickles with goosebumps at the soft strokes, and out of the corner of my eye, I see Gavin watching me.
I turn my hand and link our fingers together. My heart leaps in my chest, but instead of releasing me, Gavin tightens his hold.
I turn to look at him, and his other hand goes to my hair.
“I haven’t done this in a really long time, but you draw me in.” His words are a whisper. “Even after I swore I’d never give another woman the opportunity to break my heart.”
I close my eyes and take a deep breath hearing him say this. When I reopen them, I stare into his pained ones. Squeezing his hand, I offer a small smile and place my hand over his in my hair.
“I don’t need to know what you went through, but if you ever want to tell me, you will. I don’t take the heart for granted. I know how valuable it is.”
Gavin nods, his chest rising and falling with a heavy breath.
“I like you, Sutton. That scares me. I was with Penny’s mom for a long time, many years. There hasn’t been anyone after her. I haven’t been ready until now.”
I suck my lower lip into my mouth and breathe in the tears that are threatening to fall. He looks so sad in this moment, raw pain etching his face. This is the Gavin I met, but he’s shown me that underneath the pain is another man, probably his true self.
I take a step closer. “I like you, too.” My eyes flicker between his. He gives me a shy smile. Gavin pulls our hands away from my hair, and his lips brush the back of mine.
“How about we ride back and then get ice cream?”
“I like that plan.” I give his hand one more squeeze before taking a step back.
As much as I wanted to kiss him, I know the timing wasn’t right. I’ll let Gavin make the moves, open up to me as he feels comfortable. I have no doubt he will, and when he does, the wait would’ve been worth it.
Gavin
Sutton walks next to me, holding an ice cream cone topped with strawberry and cheesecake ice cream and colored sprinkles. I laugh to myself as I watch her practically skip with the cone. When I suggested we get ice cream at Sundae Bliss, the town ice cream shop, her beaming smile was the only response I needed.
As soon as I saw her sitting at Cup-O-Joe this morning after church, my heartbeat spiked. I wasn’t expecting to ask her out in person, let alone have her tell me she was free today. I’m damn glad she did, though.
I spent the rest of last night, after we got home from the sock hop, replaying my conversation with Abbie. I spoke aloud what I’d been feeling toward Sutton, and it felt like a relief to say it instead of trying to bury it into a nonexistent hole. No matter how hard I tried, the more I saw Sutton, the more the truth was at the surface.
“How’s your ice cream?” I ask her when I see her race to lick the dripping ice cream down the cone.
“So good.” She looks at me with wide eyes, the golden flecks luring me in.
“I’m glad.” I smile, eyeing the colorful sprinkles. Sutton has this way of living. Carefree, joyous, and confident.
She turns around and gets in front of me, walking backward. “How’s yours?”
“It’s good. I’d let you try it, but you made fun of my boring choice.” I lick the chocolate ice cream.
Sutton eyes me, almost falling back. I reach for her waist, holding her steady. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” she nods.
Pink brushes her cheeks, and one side of my lips lifts. I run my thumb across her cheek, her eyes flutter closed, and her breath hitches. When Sutton reopens her eyes, she gazes into mine with intensity. I’m tempted to kiss her, but I don’t want an audience when I do.
She reaches for my hand on her cheek and clasps her fingers around it, stretching our arms out as we continue to walk, her facing me. She moves to her own beat as she sways.
“What is your favorite place in Everton?” An easy smile appears on her face again. The heated anticipation washed away like the ice cream melting down her cone.
While she waits for my answer, she eats more of her sweet treat.
“There’s a waterfall off one of the trails I usually ride on. It’s amazing. I love going there and sitting while I watch the water rush down with incredible force.”
“That must be beautiful,” she comments. “Here I thought you were going to say The Mad Batter,” she teases. The wind blows her hair around her face, and her flowery scent hits me. I inhale all I can, wanting all of her sweetness.
“That’s Penny’s favorite,” I chuckle. “I think she cons me into taking her there more often than I intend to.”
“I bet. That little girl can eat cupcakes like they’re going out of style.”
I nod. Penny could live off of them if I let her.
Sutton releases my hand to lower the napkin on her cone. My hand itches to reach out to her again, keep some part of us connected. I don’t miss people looking at us with raised eyebrows and whispering. Everyone in town has only known me with Hadley, and after she left, they’ve known me as the lonely father.
After biting off a piece of her cone, Sutton says, “Do you like to cook?”
“I do. I’ll admit my mom does most of the cooking at home since my dad and I get home later from the ranch. Usually, Penny helps her. Sometimes Penny and I cook so we can bond.”
The smile that brightens her face speaks for itself. Sutton looks at me over her ice cream cone with gentle eyes. “I bet she loves that.”
“She does. We’ll put on music, sing and cook. Sometimes she’ll start dancing on the counter.” I chuckle, thinking about my sweet girl—Penny’s one-of-a-kind.
Sutton laughs and turns around to stand next to me. “Don’t want to bump into anyone that may be walking in our direction.”
I reach for her hand and link our fingers together. Sutton turns her head toward me. Her lips are pinched in a smile. With my own smile, I take a bite of my cone, sucking up some of the ice cream as well.
“That was really good,” Sutton says and balls up the dirty napkin.
“Glad you liked it. I can’t believe you hadn’t tried the ice cream here before. Homemade
, the real stuff.”
“I can’t either. I’ve been a little busy stocking up on cupcakes.” She cocks her head and looks at me with lifted eyebrows.
I shrug unapologetically and grab her napkin. I throw both of our garbage away in the can on the sidewalk.
“I probably should’ve offered we have lunch first.”
“But it’s Sunday Funday,” she sings out.
“Nice play on words,” I laugh.
“I couldn’t help it. Besides, I’ll take ice cream for lunch any day.” She squeezes my fingers.
My phone rings in my pocket, and I fish it out. Seeing my mom’s name on the screen, I apologize to Sutton and answer.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Daddy, where are you?”
“Hey, sweetheart. I’m in town, but I’ll be home in a bit.” I look at Sutton, mouthing, I’m sorry.
She shakes her head and waves it off, motioning for me to keep on talking to Penny.
“Okay,” Penny sighs. “When you come home, can we watch a movie and make popcorn?”
I smile. “We sure can.”
“Will it be in like an hour?” she asks.
“Something like that. Did you have fun with Abbie, Sienna, and Emily?” I look at the patient woman standing before me, and reality sinks in. With her, I feel like a man capable of living his own life. I’ll never forget I have Penny, and I’ll never trade my life with her for anything, but spending time with Sutton has reminded me that I’m more than a father.
“Yeah. I ate all my waffles, and then we went shopping. Grandma wants to talk to you,” she adds abruptly.
“Sorry, Gavin. I told her you were busy, but that little sneak stole my phone and called you,” my mom laughs in disbelief.
“It’s okay. She’s way too smart. I told her I’ll watch a movie with her when I get back.” Father’s guilt seeps in.
“She’s fine, Gavin. Take your time and enjoy your day. She knows you’re coming back.” My mom’s words kick me in the gut.
Then I Met You: A single dad romance (Love in Everton Book 6) Page 12