Page 47 of Rancher's Return

“You are literally bright red.”

“I am not. Because there’s nothing... I am just going to dinner with him so you can have some time with Colton.”

“I don’t know. I think you’re weird about him.”

“Yeah, I’m a little weird about him, because we have a strange...connection. Okay? We have a strange connection, and I don’t really know what to do about it. I’m still figuring it out. Grandma and Grandpa were wonderful when they met him, and when I explained that you were dating Colton, and that he was helping with my business, but there’s just a lot of history there.”

“Did you ever date him?”

“No. I was thirteen, remember? I did not date him.”

“Did you like him?”

“I told you that I thought he was handsome. But that’s not the same thing as having a crush.”

“Do you like him now?”

“I’m thirty-three years old,” Marigold said. “I don’t have crushes.”

“You would be allowed to have crushes,” Lily said. “I wouldn’t care if you did date. I mean, not Colton’s dad, but I wouldn’t mind if you dated.”

“I never wanted to do that,” Marigold said. “Because I like our life the way that it is.”

“But I’m leaving soon,” said Lily.

“Yes. You are.”

Lily frowned. “I mean... I like Colton. A lot. And he makes me feel things...” It was Lily’s turn to turn pink. “It’s really bad timing, isn’t it?”

Marigold thought about the afternoon she had spent in bed with Buck. “I don’t know. Maybe. Lily, I was worried about you getting hurt. I still am. And of course I’m worried about safety and responsibility and pregnancy and all that kind of stuff, but the truth of the matter is, Colton seems like a really good kid. And if he’s good to you, it doesn’t matter if it’s forever or not. Maybe what he’s teaching you is what a good boyfriend looks like. So that when you’re lonely and away at college, and you like somebody, you don’t accept less than what you feel right now.”

Lily looked sad. “Maybe.”

Marigold wondered if it was the same for herself. The sex that she and Buck had today had been transformative. Better than any she’d ever had, but of course that was the difference between having sex with teenage boys and having sex with a thirty-eight-year-old man who knew what the hell he was doing.

There had been such a gap in her experience—this was a teachable moment. Because Lily was right. Things were changing, and she was leaving. So that meant... It meant that Marigold should figure out what her future could look like. Maybe someday she would want a relationship. Maybe someday she would want to fall in love and get married. That would be... Well, it wasn’t something on the horizon just yet.

She couldn’t see past Buck being in her bed.

But maybe today was a learning experience. She would never settle for less than what she had felt in his arms. Because after knowing that existed, why would she?

She would never settle less for less than the insanity that had gripped them both when he had come to the door.

Why would she?

“Well, have fun at your dinner,” Lily said.

“You too,” she said.

And she felt just a little, tiny bit guilty that she wasn’t being totally honest with her daughter, but there was no point to that sort of honesty. Lily didn’t need to know that Marigold was having a sexual revolution.

If she was relieved that Lily left in time for Marigold to get dressed up for said dinner, well, that was just the way of it.

By the time Buck got there, she was wearing a skintight dress and more makeup than she normally bothered with.

“Wow,” he said. “You look beautiful.”

He moved in and kissed her, and she didn’t stop him. There was nobody here.

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