2. Boone

Two

Boone

Sweat was dripping down my face as I baked in the Texas heat. Working a cattle ranch meant long, unpredictable days and hard work. I was raised on this farm, watching my dad dedicate his life to running the family ranch.

As a kid, I admired his dedication and decided to follow in his footsteps. A couple of ranch hands and I take care of the physical labor while my dad deals more with the paperwork side of running a ranch. My baby sister, Ellie, took over the management of our farm stand, where we sell items we grow and other extras my sister brought in. It has done a hell of a business since my sister took over, from fresh meats and eggs to wildflower bouquets hand-picked from the fields. Adding the stand was a leap of faith and was paying off until my sister’s sudden departure.

Since finding out she was going to be traveling the world to “find herself” after her long-term relationship ended, we’d been wrapping our heads around who’d be going to take over the stand. My mom worked as a school teacher in town, which didn’t leave her much room to run a whole damn store, and my dad had his hands full already. I’d volunteer; however, without me, the other ranch hands would goof off and shit wouldn’t get done.

Ellie’s leaving was sudden and a bit unexpected. We were blindsided when she sat the family down during a Sunday dinner a few weeks ago. There were a lot of questions that she couldn’t answer. “How long will you be gone?” “I’m not sure.” “Are you sure this is what you want to do?” “I don’t know.”

I loved my baby sister. Seeing her torn up over Buck made me want to kick his ass over and over again for making her feel that way. The farm stand was the lowest item on my list of concerns when Ellie left. I was more focused on her well-being after everything that happened. Now that it’s been a couple of weeks, we’re all struggling with this added responsibility. We’re only able to open the store when one of us can be there, which isn’t very often. The money and momentum wouldn’t be there forever, which meant we needed a plan, at least something temporary, and we needed it fast.

My sister and I were close. Ellie was a few years younger than me, meaning I had every right to be the protective older brother. If I caught wind of anyone messing with her in school, I’d be waiting outside after dismissal to make sure it didn’t happen again. That’s why when Buck stuck around, regardless of my attempts to smoke him out, we all thought he’d be enough for Ellie.

Luckily, I finally found a solution to our farm stand problem. It involved The Coffee Cup and the blonde behind the counter. I was hypnotized by the way her bright blue eyes stared up at me and how her short blonde hair flowed in soft curls today. I’d stared at a lot of women, but staring at Aspen was different.

Growing up, I acted like I hadn’t paid much attention to her, but I had. Her beaming smile and beautiful pink cheeks would make any man want to give her the world. She was always sweet and soft, while I was everything else as a teen.

The shop she worked at was closing down after decades of operation, and that news traveled fast. I hadn’t been inside The Coffee Cup since high school when I stopped to buy a latte for a girl I was trying to impress. I’m the farthest thing from a cafe kind of guy. Buying coffee from a shop wasn’t something I did, considering I was up before the sun most days and coffee shops weren’t open when I needed them. Going to town that day was pure luck. That’s when I ran into her, Aspen Westgrove, the gorgeous woman with hips that would drive a real man insane.

For a small town, we all followed our crowds pretty well. From what I heard, she’d done a hell of a job keeping the coffee shop running and exciting for the locals.

Four days have passed since I saw her, and every day, I made it a point to swing by and take a peek inside. Not to sound like a stalker, but seeing Aspen interact with customers and handle the shop all by herself was captivating. I knew she’d make the perfect addition to Cassidy Ranch. We get pretty good traffic, especially on Saturdays with tourists looking for ‘farm fresh.’ Since tasting her blueberry muffins and a killer cup of coffee, I knew I had to pitch it to my mom and dad. A part of me thought I was so hung up on getting her to work on the ranch because of my own selfish needs, but why couldn’t it be both? I wanted to help her and my family out. Maybe, if given the chance, I’d show her I’m not the boy she remembers from all those years ago.

I pulled my shirt off over my head, using it to wipe away the lingering sweat. My body was tired, and the sun was beginning to set. I walked through the front door of our farmhouse, where my sister and I both grew up.

“Ma!” I shouted, making my way to the fridge to get a drink. While I was pouring my glass, I heard my mom get off the couch and make her way into the kitchen. She wore her reading glasses and clutched her Kindle in her hands. Jill very rarely went anywhere without that thing. As she approached me, she took off the glasses, brown hair flowing long down her back. “Where’s dad? There’s something I wanted to talk to you two about.” My mom gave me a sideways glance, suspicious because I never wanted to “talk to them about something.”

“He’s in his office. What’s going on? Is everything alright?” She sounded concerned. I walked over and kissed her on the cheek.

“Everything’s fine.” I let out an airy laugh. “It’s about the farm stand. I think I have an idea.” I grabbed her by the hand and walked her up the stairs to my dad’s office. I knocked lightly on the door and pushed it open. My dad’s office was every bit of him, masculine and dark. Dark wooden desk with bookcases to match. He had a black leather couch off to the side, leaving the center of the room open.

My dad was a man of few words, something I didn’t take after. I was my mama’s boy. I mirrored her energy, a carefree presence that didn’t always know when to keep quiet. I was friends with everyone and knew how to gather a crowd to make people feel at ease. My mom was a school teacher, kindness and compassion were at her core. I admire that about her, the way she could make anyone in any situation feel like it’ll be okay.

Dad sat in his high-back, dark brown leather chair with reading glasses on his nose. His hair was beginning to gray at the temples turning his brown hair lighter. One thing I got from my dad was his eyes; they matched my blue ones nearly identically. Ellie took after my mom in looks and my dad in personality. Both women had brown hair, long enough to touch the lowest point of their back, and whiskey brown eyes to match.

“Dan, apparently our son has ‘something to talk to us about.’” Using air quotes around the later part of her sentence. I let out another laugh that sounded more like I was exhaling heavily. “Ma—”

“Don’t ‘ma’ me. Every time you bring your father and I in the same room to talk it always starts with ‘I’m sorry’. I can start naming incidents when—”

My dad finished her sentence, knowing exactly where she was headed. “When you crashed the car, caught the old barn on fire. How about that time when the officer—” Dad was counting on his fingers when I cut him off.

“Yeah, I got it. Though, this is different. This is a good thing. It’s about the farm stand. With Ellie leaving, we need someone who understands inventory. Someone who can run the store like it deserves while she is gone. Someone with experience, and I think I know who.” There was a beat of silence, edging me to continue. I’d sat with the idea for a few days now. Every time it crossed my mind, it felt even more right. “The girl from The Coffee Cup. She can bake one hell of a blueberry muffin and make a nice cup of coffee. Who knows what else she can make? Since the town is losing the coffee shop, why don’t we bring it to the ranch?” I paused, waiting for them to say something.

My parents shared a glance. I knew they were communicating through mental wavelengths or something. My parents were high-school sweethearts; time could do that.

“Aspen Westgrove?” my mom said. " She’s been at The Coffee Cup since high school. It’s a shame to see that place close down. I think that’s a great idea, Honey. Why don’t you invite her over, and we can talk to her? Maybe we can make it work depending on what she is looking for.” The stand had been unattended for longer than we expected, and hearing my mom say yes made this choice easier.

Nodding, my dad spoke next. “Yeah, son, we can take a look at the finances and see what we can swing to bring on a new addition.” My dad paused, and I saw a flicker of what looked like pride in his eyes. “Thinking like a real businessman.”

I couldn’t help but feel my chest swell at the praise from my dad. I’d done a lot of fucked up things as a teen, and over the years, I’ve been trying to get my act together. Taking over the ranch one day was a goal I knew he had for me as I did for myself.

* * *

Right after my parents and I talked, I wanted to run it by Aspen. The excitement from this project started to hit me. I’d been sitting on this idea for days. Now that I had the go-ahead, I needed to see if the next part of the puzzle was going to fit.

I pulled up to The Coffee Cup minutes before closing. Throwing my Chevy Silverado in park, I jogged to the door.

Aspen was there, sitting on the wooden stool perched behind the counter while reading a book. Walking towards her, I maintained a slow pace. Apparently, I didn’t care how I looked or smelled. My shirt was dirty, my jeans had holes, and I’m pretty sure my boots had horse shit on the bottom. I hadn’t even gone home to shower or change after a day on the ranch; excitement got the best of me.

“Boone?” Aspen asked, looking up from her book and pinching her eyebrows together. She was beautiful. Her blue eyes caught mine, and I couldn’t look away. “We close in a few minutes. I’m sorry, I already turned off the coffee pot. The muffins are all gone. We sold out hours ago.” She laid her book down on the counter. “I can get you something else, though. Let me see what I have.” She made a quick pivot to head for the kitchen. Before she could get through the swinging door, I spoke.

“Wait, no. I’m okay. I don’t need anything.” I stood at the counter right where she dropped her book. The cover had a cartoon image of two people on it. The guy was wearing a cowboy hat, and the girl had a tattoo sleeve up her arm. I looked back up to find her watching me stare at her book. Aspen moved to swipe it off the counter, tucking the cover to her chest.

“What do you want?” she asked, her face quickly changing, her cheeks blushing. Wow, that came out so wrong. I mean, what brings you in if it wasn’t coffee or food?”

She was nervous, and I could tell by her fidgeting with the book and not making direct eye contact.

“I have an opportunity for you. Just hear me out.” Aspen took a few slow steps back toward the counter, closer to me. I took a moment to admire her. Her short blonde hair was curled and slightly parted as she stared back. Her blue eyes were a shade darker than mine, and her lips were slightly squinted as if she were waiting for me to speak, skeptical.

“The Coffee Cup is closing down. Do you have another job lined up?” She put one hand on her full hip, her curvy figure perfectly filling the sundress she wore today.

When I last saw her, she wore a flower print; this one was a shade of green that complemented her eyes and skin. “If you don’t, I have one for you. We have a farm stand at the ranch. By we, I mean my sister does. She’s taking a step away to travel for God knows how long. We need someone to help out. With her gone, we need someone to run it. If you’re interested, you could come over to check it out tomorrow after the shop closes.”

Her eyes were wide, and her mouth was still slightly parted. She took her hand off her hip and moved to sit back on the wooden stool. I saw her shoulders sag, and she let out a breath. That exhale contained more than oxygen—relief, maybe?

“Are you serious?” she asked, looking up at me. I towered over her while she was standing, but now that she was sitting, I really had to look down. I crossed my arms over my chest, giving her a smirk.

“Yes, I’m serious.”

She nodded, standing up again, pacing back and forth. She looked like she was thinking about something, concentrating hard enough to solve a Rubik’s cube in her mind. I gave her a minute to think, but a part of me wanted to speak to fill the void.

“Okay,” was all she whispered after a minute of waiting.

“Okay?” I responded. “Like yes, okay, or okay, I need to think about it?”

“Yes, okay. I don’t need to think about it. I haven’t had any luck finding anything. The fact you came here like a knight in shining armor makes it a sign.”

“Do you need the address?” I asked.

This made her laugh; it was a pretty sound. “Boone, your family owns the only cattle ranch in Faircloud. I think I’ll be okay.” She got me there.

“Tomorrow, after the shop closes. My mom is making dinner, so come hungry.”

“I’ll be there, thank you,” she said, looking down to hide the smile I saw forming on her lips.

I tipped my cowboy hat at her and walked to the door. Hopping in my truck, I waited a minute to make sure she locked the door. We made eye contact as she flipped the “open” sign to “closed.” I raised my hand in a wave while pulling away and following the speed limit back to Cassidy Ranch.