“Or you could go like that. I won’t complain.”
“Hang on. I’ll get dressed.”
“Here, take your flowers. Put them in water, maybe.”
She took the daisies, breathing them in for a moment. “They’re lovely. Thank you.”
“Anytime.”
“Okay, I’ll go get dressed.”
She disappeared into her white cottage and Tyler sat on the bench outside her door, trying to look casual when inside he celebrated. He’d taken a chance and it had paid off—he was one step closer to reaching his new dream. A life here in Benson with Kit by his side.
* * *
KIT PULLED ON shorts and a T-shirt, then rummaged for socks and a sun hat. She’d planned to stay away from Tyler. He’d been right in the storeroom—she was scared. The last time she’d loved someone it had taken her over a decade to recover. And she didn’t remember Arch’s kisses burning like Tyler’s. She didn’t remember such scorching longing from just a few whispered words. Tyler felt like something she might not ever find her way back from, and yeah, that was frightening.
But she’d missed him these past few days. So much. Her thoughts filled with those kisses, with an aching desire to kiss him again.
She might have been able to resist him, though. She was discovering that she could be pretty tough, especially when terrified. What she couldn’t resist was him at her door with daisies, standing there with his straw cowboy hat shading his smiling green eyes. What she couldn’t resist was him offering her a piece of their childhood. A chance to relive something that was special only to them.
Fish-bothering. Something in her stomach fluttered like butterflies. But she never got those. She grabbed a sweater, laced her hiking boots, then found a jar for her daisies. As she stepped out the door, Tyler rose from the bench and offered her his hand. He held it while they walked to his truck.
“You’re not joking. This really is a date.”
“You’re slow,” he teased, “but you get there eventually, don’t you?”
“Next time you show up on my doorstep early, make sure you bring coffee along with the daisies.”
He grabbed a steaming cup from the center console. “Like this, you mean?”
She accepted the cup, shaking her head. “You know me too well.”
“Maybe. Though I’m looking forward to knowing you a lot better.”
She took a sip, needing to take this one step at a time. The coffee was from her favorite café, hot and rich. “You didn’t happen to get—”
“A croissant?” He indicated a brown paper bag. “Yup.”
“How did you know?”
“I’ve seen the crumbs in the office,” he said with the teasing grin she loved.
“Right. So you know one of my flaws.”
“That you leave a trail of bread crumbs behind? Nah, that’s not a flaw. It means I’ll be able to find you when I need you.”
Kit laughed, then dived into her croissant.
Tyler drove a few miles along the highway before he turned onto a dirt road. It got more rutted as they went on, Tyler steering the truck over bumps and ditches so big that Kit had to hang on to the handle above the window.
“We’re off-roading?” She couldn’t help laughing at the ridiculous way the truck rocked over the ruts, the two of them bouncing like popcorn kernels in a popper.
“We’re heading to my favorite lake. I guess when I mentioned a picnic I forgot to say that it might be a challenge to get there.”
“Just a small detail.” She braced herself as the truck hit a steep rut.
“Hang on and enjoy the ride. I’m taking us where no deputy will find us.”
“If I didn’t know you well, I’d worry about that comment.”
Tyler laughed, gripping the steering wheel tight as the rear tires skidded on the loose gravel of the wash. He navigated them up the opposite side and she was relieved to see the road ahead was hard-packed dirt, veering sharply toward the base of the mountains.
“It certainly has been an exciting date so far.” She eased her vise grip on the handle.
“It’s the next adventure, right?” The truck jostled over a few small boulders in the middle of the road.
“Or our next badventure.”
“Very funny,” he said, pulling off onto a small side road and parking the truck. “We’re here. Grab your coffee and I’ll grab the rest.”
* * *
TYLER WATCHED KIT sort through the pile of junk he’d brought and congratulated himself on coming up with the idea for this date. Her eyebrows were drawn together in arcs of concentration as she tied a paper clip and a feathered lure onto a piece of string. Then she tied the other end to the bamboo pole.
“I can’t believe you thought of fish-bothering. This is so awesome.”
“I thought you’d like it.” He tied a length of string to his pole, then tied a few lures and a floater on the other end.
“When did we come up with this?”
“Miles and Parker took us fishing with them. And they caught a whole bunch of trout and you cried.”
She flushed under her cute straw sun hat. “That’s right. I wanted them to throw the fish back in but they started a campfire right there and cooked them up.”
“And you went on a hunger strike.” He shook his head at her in mock dismay. “You always were stubborn as hell.”
“But you liked to fish, so you came up with this idea that we’d still fish, but we’d make sure we never caught anything so I wouldn’t feel sad. You said that if we did catch a fish, it was so dumb that it deserved to be caught.” She laughed as she stood and went to the lake’s edge, where she executed an elaborate cast.
“And you named it fish-bothering,” he finished, going to stand beside her. “Because we weren’t going to catch them, just bug them a little.”
She flashed him a smile. “I like our date so far. I can’t think of anything better than being out in the mountains, by this pretty lake, bothering the fish. Thank you.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He tipped his hat at her for effect, because it made her laugh when he played up his cowboy image. And he wanted to see her laugh. He wanted to see her do anything, looking like this. It was so rare to see her fresh out of bed with no makeup on. Her skin was clear and pale, her eyes so dark they stood out on their own. The best? She looked at him like he mattered to her. A lot.
Damn, he had it for her bad.
They sat on the rock slabs that gave Granite Lake its name, letting the rising sun warm them.
At first she tried fish-bothering his way, holding the pole in one hand and tossing the line in the water with the other. But after a while she moved to lie on her stomach, on a big rock right at the edge of the lake. Her pole was beside her, her line trailing in the water.
“What are you doing?” he whispered, keeping quiet in case any fish were nearby.
“Fish-bothering the Kit Hayes way. Come try it.”
He set his pole down, then lowered himself to the granite next to her.
“Look,” she mouthed, pointing subtly.
From this angle he could see what she saw. The dark shadows of trout flickered through the water around her lure. They weren’t biting, but they were curious.
He rested his chin on his folded hands and watched the fish. He was remarkably comfortable. Kit’s sweet and spicy scent mixed with the clean air and the slightly dank smell of lake edge. The gurgling sound of lake water washing against rock was soothing.
He felt Kit’s gaze on him and looked her way, dazzled by her smile, her small teeth so even and white behind lips so rarely this natural pink. Her cheek rested on her folded arms. She watched him, not the fish.
He wanted to kiss her, to show her how much this time together meant to him. But he didn’t want to
overstep and ruin anything. Having this day together was a precious gift he knew he had to handle with care. So he reached out his hand instead and she met him halfway, holding his big hand with her small one. And they remained that way, watching the shadowy trout, until it was time for lunch.
After lunch, they curled up on their blanket, and Kit let him wrap his arms around her, pulling her close, cradling her like two spoons in a drawer. He fell asleep, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair, feeling like everything he’d ever wanted was in his arms. And she slept, too, waking him when the sun had shifted behind the pines, casting a cool shadow over them.
He drove back to town slowly, and as soon as they were past the bumps, she slid over to sit beside him, her head on his shoulder. And Tyler didn’t know when he’d felt more relaxed and happy and at peace with the world, as he did in that moment, driving to Benson with a sleepy Kit Hayes tucked under his arm.
* * *
KIT LOOKED AROUND the brand-new barbecue area at the Dusty Saddle, trying to take it all in. Tyler had strung fairy lights over the seating area, illuminating twenty-five new picnic tables scattered about.
He’d asked her to come outside, to admire his handiwork before they went out. It was her birthday, and he was taking her to dinner.
“You like it?”
“It’s fabulous.” She turned around slowly, absorbing the magical atmosphere he’d created. “On nights like this when it’s so warm, customers will love sitting out here.”
“Tonight would be a great night for that, too.” He raised two fingers to his lips and let out a piercing whistle.
The door from the almost-finished kitchen burst open and people came pouring out of it. “Oh my gosh!” Kit exclaimed, stepping back in alarm.
Tyler caught her with an arm around her back as the crowd yelled, “Surprise!”
Lila was at the head of the group, a sparkly tiara in her hand. She set it on Kit’s head. “Happy birthday, sweetie.” She handed Kit a basket wrapped in layers of cellophane. “Don’t open it here,” she whispered when she hugged Kit. “It’s adults-only.”
“Thanks for the warning,” Kit said, putting the basket on the table. “I can’t believe you planned all of this.”
“I had a little help.” Lila shot a glance at Tyler and they high-fived.
Kit was swarmed with well-wishers. The entire staff of the Dusty Saddle was there, as well as high-school friends who’d stayed in the area. Her father was there, and Ethan, of course, and Gray, Tyler’s new accountant, who was now living a few miles away in Mammoth. Aaron and his wife enveloped her in big hugs, as did the entire construction crew. Crater, Stan, Marcus and Doug had shown up, looking a little awkward until they got a beer in their hands and took over a picnic table slightly away from the crowd. Nora and Todd rushed in, excited to have a night out without the baby.
The new chef, Billy, fired up the barbecue and soon the aroma of steaks and burgers permeated the night. He’d prepared a huge buffet, and people filled their plates. Bella and their newest bartender, Ryan, inaugurated the outside bar, pouring beer and mixing drinks.
“I can’t believe this,” Kit said when she bumped into Tyler a while later. “I can’t believe you did this for me.”
“You can’t? What better way to break in the barbecue area?” The smile he gave her was melting. She couldn’t get used to it, even after all this time spent in his company. “When are you going to figure out that you matter to everyone here?”
“But still...this party.” She watched wide-eyed as a DJ set up to one side. “It’s just so much. When did you guys do this?”
He grinned. “Well, don’t get me wrong, I loved our date yesterday and all. But Lila and Ethan did a lot of the party organizing while we were out at the lake.”
“Sneaky,” she said, giving him a light punch on the arm. She didn’t know how to act around him after their sweet date. They weren’t a couple, so she was opting for slightly flirtatious colleagues right now.
“I know you’ve worried that you haven’t lived a full life here in Benson,” he said, lowering his voice so only she could hear. “But look around. All these people jumped at the chance to celebrate you. It was the easiest party to plan because everyone wanted to pitch in. People love you, Kit. You’ve made a big difference in this town.”
She looked around the crowd, at all these people she knew, gathered in one spot, and her eyes flooded with tears. She’d been looking at her years in Benson as a waste. As time spent stuck. But all this had happened. These people, these connections had happened.
And Tyler had given her that knowledge. “Thank you!” She threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. She felt him hesitate for a moment, then his arms encircled her back, so warm and strong that she clung tightly, for longer than colleagues would. He buried his face in her hair before he set her away from him.
“I’m sorry.” She felt heat rise and coat her face. “I didn’t mean to...”
“Didn’t mean to what?” he prompted, and she noticed an intensity in his eyes. “Show everyone how we really feel? I’m ready to do that, Kit, whenever you are.”
They’d taken things slow yesterday. Nothing more than a kiss he’d brushed across her cheek when he’d taken her home. A sweet and innocent interlude in the passion that had a grip on them. But she saw that passion in his eyes now and it thrilled her. She was getting used to it. Needing it. Thinking about it last night when she should have been sleeping. He was right. Maybe tonight was a good night to throw off some of their restraint.
Lila put a cosmopolitan in Kit’s hand. “It’s what all his groupies drink,” she teased. “Plus, it’s festive.”
Glad for the distraction, Kit took a swallow of the sweet and sour cocktail, and swayed to the music the DJ had put on.
“Hey,” Tyler said, “Before you go mingle, I have another surprise for you.”
“Because all this wasn’t enough?”
“It could never be enough,” he said. “Not for you. Come on.” He took her hand and led her to the bar, grabbed a glass and started tapping on it with a cocktail spoon. Slowly, conversation around them ceased and the music stopped.
“Many of you have wondered about the new name for this new bar of ours. Kit has been wondering most of all, and has come up with some pretty interesting suggestions.” He glanced at her with a wink that had her grinning in return. She’d enjoyed coming up with those names.
“Well, tonight, in honor of her birthday, we’ll end the suspense. The new sign is up, so if you all will head to the parking lot, you can join us for the unveiling.”
A murmur of conversation rose from the crowd as they headed to the front.
“What is it?” She took his hand, tugging it like an impatient kid as they walked.
“You’ll see.”
“The Bucking Bull,” she guessed. He shook his head.
“The Prickly Spurs.”
“What?” He shot her an incredulous glance.
“The Last Rodeo.” He kept walking, pulling her gently alongside him.
“Tyler’s Groupie Gathering Place.”
He stopped and took both her hands in his, laughing. “Try to be patient. I know it’s hard for you, but no more crazy guesses.”
He started walking again.
“Tyler’s Taproom has a pretty good ring to it,” Kit said, unable to resist making him crazy. Then they were in front of the building and up on the roof, far larger than the original sign, was a tarp. Aaron and a couple of his crew were up there, too. They waved cheerfully when they spotted her.
“Ready?” they called.
Tyler looked at her. “Are you ready?”
She nodded, too busy praying the name wasn’t something she’d hate to actually answer.
Tyler gave the thumbs-up and the guys tugged on some ropes. The tarp sl
id down to reveal a sign that read The Dusty Saddle. The letters were framed in sheet metal and lit with big lightbulbs. It had a very cool vintage look to it. A neon saddle, blinking on and off, tilted near the final e.
Everyone started clapping. A few people cheered.
“So?”
She could hear the worry in Tyler’s voice. But she wasn’t sure she could speak because there were tears. “You...” She had to stop and clear her throat. “You did that? For me?”
“It’s a good name.”
“But I thought...all the changes you’ve made...that you wanted it to be completely different?”
He shrugged. “I did. But that was before you taught me that some things are fine the way they are.”
She threw her arms around his neck for the second time that night. And squeezed tight, gratitude filling her heart. “Thank you,” she said into his shoulder. “Thank you for listening to me.”
“Sometimes,” he added when she pulled away, making her laugh.
“Yeah, sometimes. But those times mean a lot.” She let herself lean against him and take comfort when he slid an arm around her shoulders. They stood side by side, admiring the new sign, and the new old name. People lost interest and wandered back to the party, and there in the parking lot, under that amazing sign, he lowered his head and kissed her, gently, on the lips.
“Careful,” Kit whispered. “Kissing is dangerous for us.”
“I remember,” he murmured, and wove his hands through her hair, holding her steady while his mouth ravished hers for a very long time.
* * *
TYLER WALKED AROUND the barbecue area, picking up beer bottles. It was after midnight and the party was winding down. Small groups of people were scattered around the picnic tables, laughing and talking. The DJ was packing up, but had left a country music mix playing. Billy and the kitchen staff had cleaned up the food a long time ago.
It had been an incredible party. Though he and Kit had missed a full half hour of it making out in the parking lot. Which, come to think of it, was his favorite part of the evening by far.
Suddenly he heard a round of applause from the mechanical bull arena and a bunch of voices whooping and hollering. And a few distinct cries of “Go, Kit!”
His Last Rodeo Page 19