Page 57 of The Story We Wrote

“Just a beer, whatever you have on draft.” I tapped my fingers on the old wood, looking around to see if Rhodes or Logan arrived yet. Mac held the cigarette between his lips but away from the glass, puffing the smoke.

“Thanks, man,” I said as Mac placed the beer in front of me. I took a sip of the cold foam, very little compared to a beer at the end of a hot day.

The front door opened and slammed as my two friends walked in. They were dressed like they had just come from the ranch. Neither of them had the decency to change. Rhodes and Logan sat next to me, one on each side.

“What’s up?” I asked them both.

“Nothing, that damn cattle kicked my ass today.” Rhodes laughed, taking off his ball cap and scratching his head.

Logan let out a chuckle. “Dude, they made Rhodes look like a fucking newbie. I’ve never seen a grown man run like that.” Logan seemed to be in a better mood today than lately.

The Logan I knew always found happiness in everything. When you’re brought up the way he was, you gotta look at the blessings.

Logan was younger than the rest of us, not by much. We always teased him about it, though. He had a boyish look to him. His messy blonde hair, soft cheeks, and bright blue eyes made him youthful. He thought by adding some tattoos and packing on a little muscle; the teasing would stop. He was wrong. Logan was on the shorter side, but the man could toss hay better than those of us who have four-plus inches on him.

“Take it easy! I didn’t see your sorry ass helping me when the heifer came flying at me. A few more pounds on her, and she’ll be ready for sure,” Rhodes defended, shaking his head in disbelief.

Mac and I couldn’t help laughing. Mac was the one friend who chose to go in another direction other than ranching. His old man owned the bar, so Mac decided to take part in the family business. Now though, his ruthless older sister took it over after their dad passed.

Taking a sip from my beer, I took over the conversation. “I’m about to get sappy. I wanted to tell y’all about Aspen and me. I didn’t want you to hear from someone else.” I gave a pointed look at Rhodes and Logan. “We’re officially giving things a try. Obviously, there’s something between us, and we both want to explore whatever the hell it is.”

Logan and Rhodes clapped me on the back, and Mac grabbed a couple of shot glasses from under the bar.

“This deserves a toast,” Mac said, pouring Titos into each one. “To Boone, who is no longer Faircloud’s number one bachelor!” I shook my head and clinked my glass with the others.

“It’s about time,” Rhodes mumbled after taking his shot.

“I’m real serious about her,” I confessed. “She makes me feel good. Like I always want more with her. More time, more words, more –”

Logan cut me off with a wise-ass comment. “Sex. You should’ve just said that first. We all know that’s where your mind is at.”

“She’s more than that, always was.” If I was being honest, for the first time, sex wasn’t what fueled the relationship. I found myself sneaking glances, readjusting my schedule so I could spend more time alone with her. A part of me craved to be close, it wasn’t about our physical connection. I felt something much deeper which formed an ache in my chest.

“Damn, Boone,” Mac said, both his hands placed on the bar top. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this.”

“Aspen’s different. She makes me want to settle down, something I don’t know if I ever really expected to do. I alwaysthought my life would be the ranch, but she changed that plan.” I sighed, taking another sip of my drink.

The guys and I sat in silence, all a bit unsure what to say or how to react. As men, I don’t think we have the background to express how we feel, which makes moments like this awkward. I wanted to break the cycle, because talking about how Aspen exhilarates me. There’s no shame in a man expressing his emotions to his group of friends.

“I’m happy for you,” Rhodes spoke first, the rest nodded in agreement. “I know I’ve been closed off since Jess, but I’ll get back to it. It isn’t easy for me to understand what I felt or went through, so trying to explain it to you fools is impossible.” He let out a low chuckle. “There is a woman I’m interested in.”

My eyes shot open, Mac cleared his throat, and I’m pretty sure Logan’s jaw came unhinged. This is the most Rhodes has talked about Jess or his situation since it happened.

“Well, well, well,” I said. “Do we know this lucky lady?”

“Yes, but I haven’t had the balls to say anything yet,” Rhodes confessed.

I wouldn’t push because I could tell he was still working on the courage to get back out there, but that didn’t stop Logan from doing it.

“Well, fucking spill,” he pushed, trying to get information Mac and I were afraid to.

“Not happening. One of you would run and say something.”

Since we knew her, I started mentally filtering through the woman I could see Rhodes wanting to go after.

“Look at you growing up!” Mac said, putting a hand over his heart, “I’m so proud.”

“Watch it. Don’t think we can’t see the way you eye up Penny Hudson,” I rolled my eyes. “Going to the library? Come on, man, we know you can’t fucking read.”

---