Chapter 7

Link had been awake for nine and a half hours by the time he ducked out of the blistering sunshine and into the cooler back foyer of True Blue. He sighed and then drew in a long breath of the air-conditioned air here, noting the noise beyond him, around the corner of the wall that concealed him from the larger room of the barn.

He wanted to kick his boots off, grab a huge plate of food, and settle onto the couch. He'd eat and fall asleep, get back his energy, his equilibrium. Too bad that wasn't his reality and wouldn't be anytime soon.

The summertime chores on a ranch took a great many hands, and Link had turkeys and chickens to round up and move from one field to another this afternoon.

Laughter rang out from the other room, and Link ducked into the bathroom along the back wall to wash his hands and face. He'd have done it no matter what, but as he scrubbed the dirt and sweat from his hands, forearms, neck, and beard, he thought of Misty.

Surely she was already here. Link had passed her number to Uncle Ward, and then he'd told his uncle that Misty was willing to cook today. He assumed Uncle Ward had passed it to Uncle Bishop, who was leading out on the coordination of food assignments here on the ranch.

His heartbeat bumped erratically as he ripped off a paper towel and dried his neck and face, then his hands. With nothing left to do but go face the crowd in the barn, Link did just that. Several tables stood at the back of the hall, with the white plastic folding chairs Link had seen many times in his life.

In front of the kitchen window, three long tables held the food, with similar tables lining the walls at the front of the barn and down the wall from the main entrance. Those held clothing and shoes, clearly marked as men's, women's, and children's, with size placards. Link had worked this morning through the men's clothing that had come in from the cowboys who lived here on the ranch, but Link hadn't had a spare moment to go through his closet. He hadn't donated anything but time and energy to the efforts to help those who'd been displaced, but he didn't feel too guilty.

He surveyed the people in the barn, unsurprised to find his momma, Aunt Oakley, and Aunt Willa. Uncle Bishop and Aunt Etta ran the tables of food, also not shocking. Link never had to go very far to get a good meal and an even better hug.

He loved his Aunt Etta with every particle of his being that knew how to love, and he headed in her direction. She spotted him coming, and she dusted her hands on the apron tied around her waist.

"Hey, you," she said, her smile blooming big. "I haven't seen you all day."

"Been busy." Link stepped into her arms and let his much shorter aunt hug him tightly. "Smells good here." He pulled back and looked at the food-laden tables. "Looks like we have plenty to eat."

"Get some of what you want," she said. "Ward just sent out a last-call for lunch, and we're going to start boxing things up for families to take for dinner tonight."

"No dinner tonight," Bishop said as he came over to them. "We're doing breakfast in the morning, but lunch leftovers will be enough for dinner."

"That's what I said," Etta said to him. "Link hasn't eaten yet, though."

Bishop grinned at him, and Link smiled on back. "I'll hurry," he said.

"No need to hurry," his uncle said. "Ward said to come in the next thirty minutes. We won't start boxing until then."

"Seen my daddy today?" Link asked.

"He's been around," Etta said. "I think he ate early and went down to town."

Link didn't ask more questions, because he knew why his father would go to town: to get more groceries. More clothes. Whatever he had to get to help those who'd lost their places of refuge—their apartments—until they could go home.

That, and he'd just spotted Misty. She turned and looked at him too, almost like she'd felt his eyes land on the side of her face. She got to her feet, and Link didn't see the pale purple pajamas now. Oh, no. She wore a form-fitting pair of jeans and a bright blue blouse without sleeves. The thick straps went right over her shoulders, where her hair fell down.

She'd bought some makeup, and she looked like Link's fantasy come to life. Her pink lips shone as she smiled at him, and her hips swayed as she walked toward him.

Link flushed, the heat rising through his body impossible to ignore. He focused on the food in front of him instead, and reached for a serving spoon in a pan of beef tips and mushroom gravy. One of his favorite foods, and not something he saw often around Shiloh Ridge.

He ladled it over his mountain of mashed potatoes, knowing Misty had to be standing right in front of him. He did look up, almost gasping at her beauty.

"Hey," she said. "Look who finally came in to eat."

"Yeah, I'm a little late," he said. "You found some clothes. Did you get into your apartment?"

She looked down at her blouse and blue jeans. "No, Janie and I hit up the department store in town. We're good for a few days, at least."

Link nodded and moved down to the sweet pea salad. "That's great," he said.

"We got groceries," she said. "Toiletries. The essentials, so we won't need you to bring us anything anymore."

Link nodded, though he hadn't minded taking supplies around to people, especially Misty. "Good," he said. His plate had filled easily, and he looked up, wondering where he'd sit. Misty gestured to him, and he went around the tables with more food and toward her.

She led him to a different table than where she'd been sitting before. "You got the beef tips," she said.

"I love them." He set his plate down and took the chair beside her, sure someone somewhere had started snapping pictures. They'd send them to his parents, and Link would have twenty questions to answer in the next sixty seconds. He looked over to Misty, everything tense inside him releasing. "You sure are pretty, Misty."

"Thank you, Link," she said.

He picked up his fork and mixed up a bite of beef, mushrooms, potato, and gravy. "One of my favorite foods." He lifted the forkful of food to her, feeling more and more foolish by the nanosecond. Why had he told her she was pretty? Why were they sitting at this table alone? Who was watching them?

"I made the beef tips," Misty said just as the deep rich flavor of the beef, gravy, and mushrooms tangled together on Link's tongue.

His eyebrows shot up, but he couldn't speak, because he'd just filled his mouth with food.

Misty ducked her head as if she didn't want him looking at her. "I texted your uncle for what you might like, but he never answered. So I reached way down deep into my soul, and I remember you ordering beef tips and mushroom gravy when we did that to-go order from that place in Amarillo. Remember that? Then we took the back way to Three Rivers and talked about all the funny ranch names as we drove by."

She grinned at him with full wattage, and Link chewed as fast as he could and swallowed. "You remember that?"

"Yes," she said simply. Then she reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear. "I mean, I had to reach way down deep into my memory, but it surfaced."

She'd said soul a minute ago. She'd reached way down deep into her soul, not her memory, but Link didn't clarify. "Thank you," he said. "It's delicious."

"I didn't make them for you," she said. "I was asked to bring something that would feed a lot of people, and I did. It's not like you're special."

Link tipped his head back and laughed. He didn't care if it was too loud. He didn't care who looked over to him. He did enjoy immensely the way Misty's higher-pitched voice joined his, and in that moment, Link didn't care if she broke his heart again.

He just wanted to spend more time with her. He hooked his fork over his shoulder, in the general direction of the back door. "I've got Morning Sky outside."

Misty's expression turned to one of surprise. "You do?"

"Yes, ma'am," he said. "We could go riding a little later tonight, if you're not busy."

"Mm, let's see," she said. "I'm going to be loaded up with leftovers from this luncheon, so I won't have to cook. Seems like my evening is wide open."

"Great," Link said. "Then I'll come by and get you about seven?"

Misty nodded, a flush coloring her cheeks. "Can I meet her before tonight?"

"Sure. I'll take you out as soon as I'm done eating," he said. He scooped up another bite of food. "Tell me what's going on with you, with the job, with your housing."

Misty blew out her breath and then she started talking. Link could listen to her talk about almost anything. Today, she said, "Ralf called the office, and Patty's doing her best to find us somewhere new. She's such a cute lady, and she acts like we're her kids, so she's insisting we find somewhere that isn't in that apartment complex again. Oh."

Link looked over to her, waiting for the second half of her "oh." She did that a lot—thought of something she'd forgotten but wanted to tell him, interrupted herself with "oh," and then she'd tell him a different story. He'd gotten used to her circling around from one thing to another, and he nodded at her to go ahead.

"We did go by the complex, just on the off-chance we could get in." She leaned closer to him, and Link found himself doing the same. The scent of oranges and cream from her hair tickled his nose, driving his desire for her even higher.

"But we couldn't, and they took our names and asked our apartment number, and you know what they told us?"

"I have no idea," Link said as he chased peas around his plate.

"The electrical fire started in my apartment." She swatted his bicep, and Link looked at her. "The whole back wall of the kitchen burned, and the fire licked across the ceiling. Even if they were letting people in, our apartment is unlivable."

Link's pulse pounded a time or two. "I'm glad you're okay."

"The Lord definitely blessed us with working smoke alarms," Misty said.

"What about your belongings?" he asked. "Smoke ruins things."

"We don't have the status on that yet," she said. "But Janie and I were required to have renter's insurance, so things might be a little iffy for the next little bit, but eventually, I think life will be back to normal again." She perched her elbows on the table and cradled her face in her hands as she looked at him. "Enough about me. Tell me about you, your job, and your housing." She grinned at him.

Link grinned on back. "You never came to get the credit card. Steak's expensive."

"I can afford it," she said airily, and Link knew better than to push Misty when she spoke in that tone. He finished eating, and because he didn't need the Glover Family Circus making him and Misty the main attraction, he stood and picked up his plate.

"Let's go see Morning Sky," he said. He couldn't help glancing around as he took his plate over to the enormous trashcan, and he saw plenty of aunts and uncles looking at him. He wanted to take Misty's hand and shield her from every eye, but he remembered she'd been there without him for who knew how long.

So he nodded left and right at people, basically telling them they could ask questions later if they wanted to. He'd regret that, he was sure, but he made it to the corner, and all he had to do was turn it. Then he and Misty would be free.

"Oh, hey," someone said, and Link came to a complete stand-still before he could bash into his younger brother.

"Smiles," he said. The dark-haired, bright-eyed teen was smiling, of course.

"Hey, Link," he said. "Daddy just texted us. Said he wanted you to run down to the equipment shed and see if we have the oil that tractor takes. He said you'd know which one."

"Yeah," Link said with his heart suddenly weighing him down. "I know which one."

"I'd go." Smiles glanced over to Misty. "But?—"

"It's fine," Link said as his phone chimed with his father's notification sound. "I'm sure that's Daddy right now."

"He said he'd be at the IFA for a bit." Smiles openly stared at Misty now. "So no rush."

"Smiles," Link said. "This is Misty Granger. Misty, my younger brother, Smiles."

"Smiles is such an interesting name," Misty said as she extended her hand to shake.

Smiles grinned and grinned. "My real name is Stetson. I just go by Smiles."

"Is your memory stirring again?" Link asked, his voice low and meant just for Misty's ears. "About the nicknames?"

She turned to face him, and if there wasn't a party raging behind them and Smiles standing there staring, Link could kiss her. "Yes," she said. "Now that you mention it, I do remember that."

"Thus, Smiles." Link turned and pulled his younger brother into a hug. "I'll go check on the oil. Thanks, brother."

"Yeah." Smiles stepped back, glanced at Misty again, dipped his hat, and then brushed by them. "I better eat before it gets all boxed up."

"Yep." Link went in the opposite direction, his hand automatically curling around Misty's and bringing her with him. She didn't pull her hand away, and in fact, she adjusted her hand in his so it fit perfectly.

Outside, the heat rushed at them, but Link pointed over to the glorious, red-coated horse that stood in the shade. "There she is. Morning Sky." The dogs who shadowed him had found a patch of shade near the horses too, and Link had more introductions to make.

Misty pulled in a breath. "She's beautiful." She looked at Link with glee in her expression. "Did you ride her here?"

"Nah," he said. "She came with Copper, the bay back in the bushes there."

"Oh, right. Copper's yours."

"That's right." Link pulled her closer. He wanted her to be his, but he didn't dare say so. Mitch would've. Maybe a lot of men would've. But Link didn't know how. "Hey, Sky."

The horse lifted her head at the sound of Link's voice, and both Dusty and Rio got to their feet and came closer. "Hey, guys." He grinned down at the dogs. "This here's Misty. Misty, these are the canines who seem to think I can't do anything without them right at my heels. The blue heeler is Dusty, and the collie is Rio."

Misty did drop his hand then as she dropped into a crouch. "Hey, you guys." She lavished love onto his pups, and Link wasn't surprised when Rio tried to lick her face. She giggled and dodged, and when she straightened, Link pulled her into his embrace.

"I have missed you so much," he whispered.

"I am so sorry about everything," Misty whispered back.

He pulled back enough to see her, the breeze playing with the long ends of his hair. "What are we doing?"

Before she could answer, at least five dogs started barking, including both of his. Link jumped back as Dusty and Rio darted past him and Misty and toward Uncle Cactus's dogs. He'd had a plethora of them over the years, and he currently had his German shepherd and both of his chocolate labs with him.

The barking ceased as the dogs formed a sniff-chain, tails wagging mightily. Link chuckled at them, and then raised his eyes to his grumpiest uncle.

"Did you know they're feeding everyone in there?" Cactus asked.

"Yes," Link said. "You didn't know?"

The growly frown on his uncle's face said that no, he didn't know. "Aunt Willa was helping to coordinate the schedule," Link said, his voice trailing off at the end.

"I've been helping Duke up at Rhinehart for a couple of days," Cactus said. He finally looked over to Misty. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean?—"

"This is Misty, Uncle Cactus," he said. He took her hand in his. "My uncle Cactus, who is the most polite cowboy this side of the Rockies."

Cactus said nothing for a moment, and then it seemed like a light bulb illuminated his whole being. "Oh, Misty. Sure. Great to meet you."

"Likewise," she said as she shook his hand.

"They're boxing up lunch for dinner leftovers," Link said to his uncle.

"My word." Uncle Cactus continued to grumble as he marched away from Link and Misty, but Link only smiled after him.

"I think you've had enough introductions for one day," Link said. "And I have to get back to work."

"Okay," Misty said easily. "Horseback riding at seven."

"Yes," he said.

"You remember I've never ridden?" she asked, and she seemed a bit nervous.

He swept his lips along her cheek, wanting so much more. "I remember, beautiful. I'll see you later." And then he forced himself to walk away from her, whistle to his dogs, and lead his horses back to the stable.

Then he had to get down to the equipment shed and check on the oil for his daddy. "At least he wasn't on the ranch to meet Misty today," he muttered to himself. But he'd have to formally introduce her to his parents soon enough, especially if she was going to be staying mere seconds down the lane from where they lived for much longer.