Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

B eau couldn't wait to get back to the ranch—and take a shower. He'd been out on the roundup for too long, and he wasn't sure his soon-to-be-forty-year-old body could take another night sleeping on the ground.

Thankfully, he wouldn't have to, as the cattle and the horses had picked up the pace, apparently smelling the feast Kelly and her team of cooks had put together. Someone up ahead yeehawed, and that meant the ranch was in sight.

Everyone who'd been left behind would be waiting for them, to help funnel the cattle into appropriate pastures where they'd be able to get to them easier come Market Day next month. The cows would continue to get fat closer to the epicenter, and the hills and wild lands of the ranch would regrow for next season's herd.

Beau rode a pretty brown horse named Gingersnap, and she'd done a good job for him on this roundup. So he leaned over and patted her neck. "Almost back, Gingy." He could admit he was ready to be done smelling like horses and cattle, eating out of a can, and plenty of other things, but what he wanted the most was to see Charlotte.

She'd had the cabin to herself for the past five nights, and half of him worried that she'd have replaced the furniture and changed all the curtains, paint colors, and dish towels to a shade of pastel he'd never be able to eradicate.

He smiled just thinking about the pinks and purples…and Charlotte. He scrubbed his hand down his beard, getting plenty of dust and shards of alfalfa that kicked up into the air. Everything itched, and his mood soured slightly that he still sat in the saddle.

He coached himself through it, because Beau had been through plenty of roundups and cattle drives. No sense in getting all worked up over it. He coughed and lifted his bandana up to cover his mouth.

Cheering met them as they continued to bring in the herd. He couldn't see individual faces from where he rode, but plenty of people waved bandanas and flags as they yelled about their triumphant return. He and Gingerbread continued to do their job, and when every last cow had been sorted and put in a pasture, Beau headed for the stables.

It would be busy, as he wasn't the only man eager to be out of the sun and in the shower. His head ached, but he kept it down and got Gingy cleaned up and fed and watered, put away comfortably in her stall, and started back toward the cabin.

Charlotte led a horse toward him, a huge smile on her face. "You're back."

His own smile filled his whole face. "Wow, you are the only person I want to see right now." He stifled a cough and took her effortlessly into his arms. He didn't care who saw them, as everyone on the ranch knew they were dating.

He kissed her slowly, passionately, and stepped back as the horse beside them huffed. "Oh, you're ready for a nap, Courtside?" He chuckled as he patted the horse. "You're putting him away? Where's Jerry?"

"He wasn't feeling well," Charlotte said. "Bad headache."

"Mine's not feeling great either," Beau said. "But I'll shower and take some meds, and we'll head to the feast, okay?"

"Sure, yeah." She picked up the lead rope again. "I'm just helping anyone who needs it."

"Yeah, you're making sure your stable gets put back together how you want it."

Charlotte only grinned at him and continued down the aisle. Beau chuckled to himself and went on home, the touch of hot water on his skin the most welcome thing he'd experienced that week.

He tilted his face back into it and let it flow through his hair, cleansing him. "It's good to be home," he murmured into the water. And alone. Beau felt like he was a social creature, but he also liked his alone-time at home.

The dinner that night would be filled with people—everyone from the ranch, from Courage Reins, and from Bowman's Breeds—and since his birthday was so close, he suspected Kelly would have cake there.

She usually did, as the roundup sometimes went over his birthday. It had become part of the tradition here at Three Rivers, and Beau always felt so loved when so many voices sang Happy Birthday to him.

His momma would call tomorrow, as would his sisters, and Beau did enjoy celebrating with them, even from afar. He'd had a few Septembers alone, and he'd really been looking forward to celebrating with Charlotte.

When he was dressed again, he headed out to the kitchen, lamenting the fact that he had to put boots on again to leave the cabin.

"Happy birthday, baby."

Beau came to a stop and looked over to Charlotte. She stood on the other side of the kitchen island, and several candles burned atop a birthday cake sitting between them. He chuckled and looked from the blue frosting to her. "I'm older than nine."

"Yeah, forty," she teased. She nodded slightly to the cake. "Make a wish and blow them out."

"My birthday is tomorrow."

"I'm aware. We both took the afternoon off so we could go take a nap in the movie theater before dinner." She grinned at him.

Beau smiled on back. They'd operate on a holiday schedule for the next couple of days as men and horses rested up, and it hadn't been hard to get the afternoon off. "I thought we'd have cake then."

"I wanted to celebrate with you before the whole ranch did." She came toward him and ran her hands up his chest. A shiver moved through his bloodstream, and he told himself it was because he hadn't felt the cool kiss of air conditioning in a while.

"Celebrate, huh?"

"I have never lived alone," she whispered, running the tip of her nose along his jawline.

"You don't live alone now."

"But I did for the past few nights." She pulled back and tucked herself into his arms. Beau had never come back from the roundup to a woman like this, and he could get very used to it. This place of comfort, where he could tell her how much he'd yearned to be here, and all about the stars he'd laid awake watching one night, and how Pepper had kept him awake with his snoring another night.

"And I didn't like it," Charlotte added.

"Sorry I took both dogs."

"They need baths."

"Tomorrow," he said. "How are the donkeys?"

"I think they missed you more than I did."

"Is that so?" He pulled back and looked at her. "Well, I didn't miss them more than I missed you." He kissed her then, keeping it slow and steady and oh-so-meaningful. And the best part was he didn't have to stop when a fussy horse wanted to get back to his stable.

"We'll be late to the party."

"Yeah, I know." Beau kept kissing her, not a care in the world as he fell further and further in love with his cabinmate.

The following afternoon, Beau woke to Charlotte giggling. "Wake up, cowboy." Darkness surrounded them, and he opened his eyes to the scrolling credits of the movie he'd chosen for his birthday. Not even a spy action movie could keep him awake.

"Sorry." He turned his head to look at her, a smile on his face. "I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"It's your birthday," she said, smiling prettily back at him. "You should get to do what you want."

"Well, we have to go to the feed store before dinner, and I don't want to do that."

"Why'd you say you would then?"

"Because it's a ninety-minute round-trip we were already making." He sighed and sat up. A groan came from his mouth, and he scrubbed both hands down his face, trying to get himself to wake up more fully.

Beside him, Charlotte picked up their half-eaten popcorn bucket and piled in her soda cup. He got to his feet and took the trash from her, and they left the theater.

At the feed store, he said, "I'll just run in and grab the stuff from the back."

But Charlotte had unbuckled her seatbelt and was turning toward the passenger door as if she'd get out too. "Sure, okay," she said. "I'm going to run next door and get a couple more of those shower steamers." She flashed him a smile, but Beau simply sat in the driver's seat.

When he didn't get out, she leaned back in. "Oh, don't wear such a sour face. You liked the seabreeze one."

"Okay, but don't get that weird chamomile one or whatever."

"It was matcha and bergamot." She grinned at him and laced her purse over her shoulder.

"It was gross," he called after her as she slammed the door. He didn't shower in her bathroom, but her steamers filled the whole cabin with a certain smell.

He got out of the truck and waved to her giggling form as she headed across the parking lot toward the beauty store that sold her beloved shower steamers. Beau pushed his way into the feed store and headed straight for the back pick-up counter. He just needed a couple of boxes of the fly control spray for the cattle now that they were back from the range.

Squire had called it in already, and all Beau had to do was give his name and pick up the products. A couple of cowboys waited at the pick-up counter ahead of him, but they had plenty of people working. Beau wouldn't have any problem getting the fly spray before Charlotte managed to browse through all of her shower steamer scents.

He sidled up behind the cowboy in front of him, something very familiar about him. The man looked at something on his phone, and when he noticed or felt Beau's presence, he looked at him.

Recognition sparked, and Beau laughed. "Mason."

Charlotte's brother turned as he laughed. "Howdy, Beau." They shook hands and did a quick cowboy-hug before separating again. "What brings you to town?"

"Just getting the fly control spray for the cattle. We got ‘em all back in."

Mason nodded, his dark eyes glinting with joy. "That's great." He nodded to his phone. "My cowboys should be back within the hour with our herd."

"You didn't go?"

Mason shook his head, his attention back on his phone. "I sent my foreman and my cowboys." He looked up. "Does your owner go on the roundup?"

"Yeah," Beau said, a little surprised Mason hadn't gone to fetch his own cattle. "He's our vet, so yeah, he goes."

Mason nodded. "How's Char?"

"Good," Beau said quickly. Maybe a little too quickly. "We're out—it's my birthday."

His best friend's face burst into a grin. "Oh, that's right. Happy birthday, brother." He hugged him again. The line inched forward and they went with it, now standing more side-by-side.

Mason still had a couple of people in front of him, both being helped by people behind the counter. "She's doing okay? No fainting spells?"

"She's great," Beau said. "One of the best people I've seen work with horses."

"Right," Mason said. "But she's okay?"

"I've been keepin' an eye on her," Beau said. "Like you asked." He gave his friend a side-eyed look. He hadn't really been watching for slips in Charlotte's health for a while now. He trusted her to tell him when she wasn't feeling well, and she did.

"She just doesn't say much to us," Mason said. "She's an expert at keeping secrets."

Beau hadn't known that to be true. Charlotte did like to hold things close to the vest until she was ready to talk about them. It didn't mean she was secretive.

"She's had a couple of incidents," Beau said. "I didn't think?—"

"A couple of incidents?"

Beau turned around to find Charlotte standing there, her purse slung over her shoulder. "You're reporting about me to my brother?" She threw a furious look at Mason and then fixed those blazing hot, angry eyes on Beau.

"It's not like that," he said.

She held up one hand. "They were out of steamers." She spun on her heel and marched away from him, leaving Beau torn about going after her and waiting for his fly control spray.

Go!

He wasn't sure who spoke, but he took it as a command from God, and Beau didn't even offer an explanation to Mason. He simply ran after Charlotte, calling, "Little bird, wait."