Nick and I are taking a group out for a lunch ride today. No lunch break, but I’m off at four. Want to hang out at the bunkhouse and help Jake and me make the stew?
Absolutely! She added a kiss-blowing emoji.
He called. “I was hoping you were still in bed.”
“Wasn’t sleepy.”
“Maybe because you’re such a deep sleeper. You barely moved.”
She laughed. “Did you keep track?”
“Kind of. I was too happy to sleep much. I kept waking up so I could look at you lying beside me.”
A heart-melting confession. “That’s very sweet.” She cleared the tightness from her throat. “Will you be okay out on the trail?”
“Sure. I’ll have Nick tie my wrists to the horn so I don’t fall off.”
“CJ!”
He laughed. “I’ll be fine. Cowboys don’t need a lot of sleep. Listen, gotta go. I’ll come fetch you after work. Love you.” He disconnected before she could respond.
But a response had been halfway to her lips. Love you, too. How easy to say it now that the dam had been breached. Not so easy to face the consequences, though.
She was still staring at her phone when it lit up with a message from Lucy.
Not sketching this morning. Want to go for short ride and then have breakfast at my cabin?
Yes. I can be ready in ten minutes. I’ll bring my decaf coffee beans.
Perfect! Be there in ten.
Isabel dressed quickly in jeans, a T-shirt and her new boots. Giving her hair a quick blow-dry, she straightened up the cabin. She tucked the votives in an empty dresser drawer, put the champagne in the kitchen and dumped the water out of the bucket.
Last of all she scooped up all the rose petals she could find and dumped them in the trash. She’d never look at rose petals the same way again.
The rumble of a truck’s engine announced Lucy’s arrival. Isabel grabbed her hat and her bag of coffee beans before walking out on the porch. The deep blue paint job glittered in the light from the rising sun.
“Your truck’s looking good, Luce.” She put on her hat as she descended the porch steps.
“Better than I do, I’ll bet.” Lucy got out wearing shades in addition to a hat. “The Babes sure can party.”
“How late did you guys stay up?”
“I crashed at two, but Henri said the rest of them didn’t pack it in until past three. I’m clearly the weak link.”
“Are they sleeping it off at Henri’s?”
“Oh, no. They brewed some of your coffee, which they adore, by the way, and they were out of there early, ready to tackle their daily routine.”
“That’s impressive.”
“I don’t know how they do it. I have zero energy for sketching this morning. A nice gentle ride is all I’m up for. Thanks for keeping me company.”
“Glad to. I wondered if I’d have another chance to ride before I leave.”
“Can’t believe it’s Friday already. The week went fast.” She gestured toward the truck. “Climb in.”
Isabel grinned as she swung up into the passenger seat and closed the door. “I can see why you like driving this rig. The world looks different from here.”
“Doesn’t it?” Lucy put the truck in gear, backed out and headed down the road CJ had taken earlier. “When I first moved here and needed something to drive, I thought Matt has a truck. I’ll get a cute little car. Then I saw Celeste on the lot, took her for a test drive, and decided Matt and I would be a two-truck family.”
“It suits you. You’ve always been a take-charge woman and this is a take-charge vehicle.”
“And she’s beautiful, inside and out.”
Isabel laughed. “Yes, she is.”
“I have an ulterior motive for inviting you to go riding this morning.”
“Good, because I have an ulterior motive for accepting the invitation.”
“Because you need to talk about last night?”
“Desperately.”
“Thank God. I didn’t want to pry, but—”
“He didn’t propose.”
“He didn’t? Ha! I bet right on that one.”
“You mean literally bet?”
“Literally. I had five bucks that said he wouldn’t propose. CJ would want to do it right with a ring and there’s no way he could come up with a ring that fast.”
“Who was betting?”
“Everybody—the Babes, Millie, Kate, the Brotherhood.”
Isabel laughed. “I should have seen that coming, but I’m still the new girl in town. I haven’t fully absorbed the culture.”
“If he didn’t propose, what was the deal with the candles, flowers and champagne?”
“He wanted the setting to be special when he said he loved me.”
“Awww! All that for a declaration of love?”
“Yeah.” Her throat tightened up again. “He’s only said it to his mom and Henri. Announcing it to me was a big deal.”
“And what did you say?”
“I admitted that I’m in love with him, too. He pretty much knew it, anyway. Jake told him I was.”
“Any of us could have told him that, but having you confirm it must have made him happy.”
“It did, until I said people who love each other make careful decisions about the future because they want the best for their loved one.”
“Meaning you think his plan sucks for him.”
“Yes, but I didn’t put that fine a point on it.”
“Did you guys argue?”
“No. We…danced. And made love.”
“Huh.” Lucy parked in front of the barn, shut off the motor and gave Isabel a long look. “Sounds like you might be reconsidering your position.”
“I don’t know. Maybe.” She unlatched her seatbelt and turned. “Last night he couldn’t sleep because he was so happy that I love him back. He told me he kept looking at me lying there asleep beside him.”
“Wow, he is in love.”
“Yeah, and when he left this morning, I went to the window so I could watch him walk away. As he headed down the road, he punched his fists in the air like Rocky.”
“That’s cute. And so are you, hurrying over to the window for one last glimpse.”
“I’m a dork.”
“A dork in love.”
“It’s true. CJ is just…so great. The thing is, he’s happy now, but—”
“FYI, your happy guy
