Page 50 of Rust and Stardust

“Don’t…” I whispered, holding him tight. “Please don’t…”

His eyes shot back open, the piercing blue going straight down tomy soul. “I love you, Lucas Greene,” he said, his voice proud and strong. “And I’d rather love you than care what anyone thinks in this whole wide world. If you can live with all this rust and Texas dust, then I’d be more than happy to have you here at my side.”

I choked back a sob, wanting to return his words so badly but knowing if I did that, I’d never be able to leave.

“Beau…” I sobbed. “I…”

“Just think about it,” he said, kissing me softly. “Even if you go home, just know that I’ll always have a place for you here.” There was a tone of melancholy in his voice that cut me deeper than I expected. “I know Sagebrush ain’t much and I’m just a simple rancher. But if you ever get tired of the big city life, just know you’ve got a place here under this endless sky with me.”

I probably would’ve broken down right there and started sobbing if I didn’t hear the crunch of footsteps coming around the corner. However, I didn’t have enough time to pull away from Beau before they came around the back of the house. We both looked up, expecting to see Jack, Frank, or Mabel. Instead, I found a tall, beautiful woman dressed in a checkered sundress and high heels staring at us with what I could only describe as pure shock in her eyes.

“Amber May…” Beau said, clearing his throat as he stepped away from me. “H-Hi there.”

“Hi there yourself,” she said, her eyes narrowing as she focused in on me. “I just came by to check on you before the competition. Care to introduce me to your…” She looked me up and down. “Friend?”

I felt my heart racing as Beau cleared his throat again, his cheeks flushing a deep red. “Uh, Amber May, this here is Lucas. He's... he's visitin' from New York City.”

Amber May's perfectly plucked eyebrows arched even higher. “New York City? My, my. What brings a city slicker like you all the way out to our little slice of heaven?”

Before I could stammer out a response, Beau stepped slightly in front of me, as if shielding me from her piercing gaze. “He's here tolearn about the ranch, get a taste of the country life. Lucas, this is Amber May Johnson. We, uh... we went to high school together.”

“Oh, we did more than just go to high school together, didn't we, Beau?” Amber May's saccharine voice dripping with possessiveness. “As I recall, we nearly got married.”

The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife. I felt my stomach drop as I glanced between Beau and Amber May, trying to process the situation. He’d mentioned her before, that everyone wanted to see them together. From what I could tell, it seemed like Amber May hadn’t given up on that yet.

“That was a long time ago, Amber May,” Beau said quietly, his jaw clenched. “Things change.”

Amber May's eyes narrowed, flicking between us. “Oh, I can see that they do,” she said, her voice dripping with venom. “I never thought I'd see the day when Beau Turner was cozying up to some… outsider.”

I felt my face flush hot with embarrassment and anger. Before I could say anything, Beau stepped forward, his broad shoulders tensed.

“That's enough,” he said firmly. “Lucas is my guest, and I won't have you speakin’ to him like that.”

Amber May's eyes widened in surprise at Beau's forceful tone. She took a step back, smoothing her dress. “Well, I never,” she huffed. “I just came by to wish you luck tomorrow, but I can see I'm not welcome here.”

She turned on her heel, ready to storm off, but paused and looked back over her shoulder. “You know, Beau, folks around here have been wonderin' why you've been keepin' to yourself lately. I guess now we know.” Her gaze lingered on me, cold and calculating. “I hope you know what you're doing. Because if this town finds out what you did to our barbecue champion… well… I can’t imagine they’ll be too forgivin’.”

With that, she marched away, her heels clicking angrily on thegravel driveway. Beau and I stood in stunned silence for a moment, the weight of what had just happened settling over us.

“I'm sorry,” Beau sighed. “Ignore her. She’s not accustomed to not gettin’ what she wants.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” another voice said.

For the second time, another pair of footsteps came around the other side of the house, a cowboy hat and blue eyes meeting us both. It was Jack, Beau’s father, and he was wearing a grin like a Cheshire cat.

“That Amber May is somethin’ else,” he chuckled, shaking his head. “Guess you dodged a bullet there, huh Beau?”

“P-Pa…” Beau stuttered. “I… uh… We were just…”

Jack held up his hands. “Don’t have a fit now,” he laughed. “You’re stutterin’ like a donkey chewin’ on an electric fence.”

Beau clamped his mouth shut, but he still shifted nervously. He wanted to move toward me to find comfort, but with his father standing right in front of us, he was too scared to show that kind of need, especially with another man. However, Jack seemed completely unbothered. Instead, he walked up, placing a hand each on our shoulders.

“Listen boys,” he said, still smiling. “I’ve had a little chat with Mabel.”

Beau tensed so hard I thought he might pass out.

“And I wanted to let you know that I’m twenty dollars richer now.”

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