Page 71 of Since Day One

My brand new hat was placed on my head, and I smiled, wider than I ever had in my life. His eyes sparkled as we left his little home late that morning.

Chapter 26

There were tons of whispers that ran through the hands as we rode by on Luke yesterday morning. Even Ruger happened to be moving out of his arena and watched us, confused. A day had passed, full of more sweet loving with Gunnar. At one point, my father and I made eye contact, and, while I felt nothing, he looked upset. My mother was now feeding off of that, and Marissa was once again glaring in desperation. Luckily, I hadn’t encountered them yet today, and hopefully wouldn’t before we needed to leave. I was done with them, and it felt nice.

As we rode toward the arena early this morning, Gunnar placed his hand against my thigh. He brushed his gloved thumb back and forth as we neared our destination. But the moment that I was working the flag, he was back in serious training mode. And also ignoring both Rob and Carsen who constantly peppered us with questions, wanting to know what had happened. They clearly knew something had happened and were digging for details.

Gunnar winked at me, but didn’t answer once, which only made me laugh. Both hands were frustrated beyond measure by the time Gunnar called it around lunch. Once I finished cooling down the horse I was riding, he sent me off to pack while he put things away with Rob and Carsen.

I hummed to myself, dressed in an oversized T-shirt beneath my hoodie that I’d snuck into the bunkhouse to grab before everyone else had woken up this morning. Since we’d been working hard and getting sweaty this morning, I wanted an outfit that was comfortable and something I was used to.

My beautiful coat was draped over my arm as I entered the lodge and climbed the stairs. The two outfits planned for tomorrow and Saturday were waiting for me, picked out by Jesse herself. Everything felt perfect. So much peace. No longer was I fighting with myself everyday, looking for home. I kicked my boots off at the door and pushed it open, whistling as I grabbed the duffel Gunnar had left for me on the couch.

Sitting on the counter was an unfamiliar cloth bag topped by a small note. I slung the black duffel over my shoulder and padded curiously across the floor of Gunnar’s little home. Grabbing the bag, I unfolded the white letter with my name written on it, and read the perfect cursive.

A little gift for you. It never hurts to embrace some of your feminine side. We love you! Text us if you need anything.

Jesse and Katherine

They had printed their phone numbers at the bottom of the letter and my heart squeezed. This was what family was supposed to be like, just like Kurt and Sally. I quickly unzipped the bag and found makeup and perfume stashed inside, which didn’t surprise me at all. Except this time, I didn’t protest. I added it to my duffel, stuffed in one of Gunnar’s button-ups for pajamas, and then zipped the suitcase closed, ready to go whenever Gunnar returned.

Then I paused. They were right. Maybe I should embrace a little bit of my feminine side. Quickly removing the makeup bag from the duffel, I disappeared into the bathroom. I kept things simple, but everything came back to me like I’d been riding a bike. A little blush in the right places, some light concealer under my eyes, and, of course, mascara. Once I finished, I applied a small spritz of the perfume to my wrists and throat, enjoying the fresh, light scent.

Removing my hat, I stared at my unruly hair standing up in all different directions and got to work. Brushing out the braid and matted tangles, I styled it carefully to hang in delicate waves down my body.

I scanned my reflection, surprising myself with how much I liked what I saw in return. Not because of the makeup, but because I was strong inside whether I had the makeup on or not, and that was something no one could take away.

I quickly texted Jesse, asking if I could possibly borrow her cute fringe jacket from two days ago. It would pair perfectly with the white graphic T-shirt I was wearing and make it a little fancier while still letting me wear the clothes I was most comfortable in.

Within two minutes, the front door crashed wide open, and I peeked my head out of the bathroom as Jesse burst into the room. She grinned and skipped toward me, wearing a pair of skinny jeans and a beautiful blazer. Dangling from her hand was the fringed jacket.

She squealed excitedly. “I see you’ve put some makeup on.”

“Does it look bad?” I sheepishly asked, gently pulling the jacket from her. I tucked my shirt into my waistband, exposing my hard-earned buckle, then slipped my arms into the sleeves.

“The opposite. You look like you’ve done this before.” She grinned, and I sighed but returned a small smile. There was a time where I’d been required to constantly look absolutely perfect; the expectation had made it so I hadn’t touched makeup once since I’d moved to Texas.

The door opened behind Jesse once more, and Gunnar walked in. He pulled his hat from his head, hung it on one of the hooks, then unzipped his Carhartt before he lifted his gaze and looked at Jesse and then me.

An appreciative smile spread across his face, dimples pressing into his cheeks. He walked forward, his eyes not leaving mine, tossed the coat over the back of the couch, and kissed me.

Greedily, aggressively, he pressed his lips deeper against mine, his hands cupping my cheeks, refusing to let me go. Only when he needed a breath did he finally end the kiss. He smiled against my mouth in perfect bliss. Oh, how quickly this man had stolen my heart.

“Ahem,” Jesse cleared her throat to remind us we had company. Gunnar rolled his eyes at me and winked, still not letting go of my face as I slithered my arms around his waist. “What do you need, Jesse?” he asked.

She giggled. “Mom and Dad are waiting for you guys. They broke out the van to drive us all together, so hurry the heck up.” Jesse’s footsteps abruptly disappeared as the door clicked shut firmly behind her. Gunnar kept his forehead pressed against mine. I couldn’t help but giggle as well as he pecked my lips once more. How giddy I was feeling lately.

“We are going to be stuck with her and Ruger and my parents for over five hours,” he groaned.

“Where are we going again?” I asked, breaking apart from Gunnar so he could grab his already packed duffel bag from his room.

“Colorado. That’s where my cousin and his family live. It’s a bigger city, a wealthy neighborhood, so it’s always entertaining to visit. His mom is my mom’s sister, and they grew up in L.A., so when my mom married my dad, let’s just say it was…” His voice faded as he disappeared into his room.

“Unusual? An adjustment?” I offered, and he returned with the bag in one hand and a crisp, blue plaid button-up hanging open on his body.

“Exactly,” he replied, setting his bag down next to mine as I finished zipping up the makeup case inside of my luggage.

“So, no one else in your family are ranchers?” I asked as Gunnar finished buttoning up his shirt and unbuckled his pants.

---