Page 17 of Dependable Cowboy

Still, by the letter of the law at least, she remained another man’s wife. So, she’d have to rethink how she spent time with Aaron.

Or even if she should spend time with him at all.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Aaron satin his truck for several long moments without so much as turning on the ignition. He’d only meant his kiss goodnight to be just that, an innocent parting gesture. Yet what it turned into…

Dragging the side of a finger callused by handling ropes and other heavy materials against his lips, it felt like the essence of Joy was still there. Still with him. In reality, maybe she always had been. He’d known he was in love with her back in the day. It hadn’t been any huge mystery what his feelings were for her.

The conundrum had come when she made it clear that she didn’t feel the same way.

Yet, tonight…

Tonight.

What had transpired between them tonight? Their friendship had naturally evolved for him in high school, going from a devoted relationship where each was always there for the other to something more heated, something more powerful. But only on his end. He hadn’t realized that until too late.

So, if that was the case—an understanding that had been difficult to accept—why had Joy kissed him back? And why had it been so… passionate? So good? He had an excellent memory for such things, but even in his best recollections, no kiss with Joy had ever made him lose himself like that previously.

Not like that.

On his side, yes. He’d definitely felt the ardor necessary to make that platonic friendship into something more, but Joy had never allowed it to go that far. They’d kissed, but she’d seemed almost indifferent to it. He’d never received back what he’d given.

Not until now.

Only after Joy’s ancient and probably next to breathing its last breath Corolla had lugged itself out onto the road did Aaron feel the presence of mind to put his own vehicle in gear. He motored out to his home, down that pitted dirt driveway that wound around like a coiled snake, and to his house. He felt something he hadn’t for a long time.

Elated. Just… on cloud nine.

He never imagined the chance to get back with Joy as an adult, and the fact that it all went so well this evening had left him floating like a hot air balloon.

He’d almost felt afraid to jump to the conclusion that things might actually go well for him, but was it possible that while the first time didn’t work out for him, this time could?

The next week as he tackled the replacement of some of the old fencing along what used to be Mason’s property, he and Bobby Dean had been able to knock it out in record time. He dug a new ditch in the same week and didn’t even feel that tired once done.It was like he’d been rejuvenated from the inside out. When he provided instructions to the other ranch hands in Sam’s stead, no one gave him any lip, though he did see Brock sneering.

But whatever.

Brock could just take a long walk off a short pier if he couldn’t do the work assigned.

Even his nemesis couldn’t get him down this week. He and Joy switched from lunch dates—which he did miss, to be fair—to texting back and forth. He made sure to schedule his breaktime at the same part of the afternoon as hers, and so far, it’d been going remarkably well.

Joy: Tell me more about your job. What does a supervisor do on a ranch?

Aaron: Mostly oversee the other ranch hands. Snap that whip, you know. Just kidding.

Joy: Yeah, I can’t imagine you snapping whips at anybody. You don’t have it in you.

Aaron: Not sure how to take that.

Joy: LOL. Take it like the compliment it is. You’re a nice guy. One of the good ones. Always have been. Always will be.

His heart glowed inside his chest at that one. He was surprised it didn’t light up enough to be seen through his ribcage.

Aaron: I still do what I’ve always done as a ranch hand, too. I like getting my hands dirty. Also, it helps to show the others that I’m not trying to act holier than thou or like I’m above them.

Joy: But you are above them. That’s what supervisor means.

He shrugged, even though she had no method of knowing this.

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