Page 122 of Giddy Up, Daddy

“You can meet her on our second date,” Bo adds.

Trust him to be the forward one. I’m still hoping against hope the date doesn’t end after dinner.

As if she knows I’m holding my breath and wants to draw out my torture, Elle takes several more bites of salmon before answering. Finally, she lays her fork down on her plate, and meets my eyes, then Bo’s. “In that case, yes. I think I would like to go home with you.”

Chapter Eight

Elle

Am I second-guessing myself?

Hell yes. Every second. Every breath. Every word.

I’ve gone over and over the decisions I’ve made tonight in my head. And while there is a part of me that is very, very excited about the possibility of my oldest fantasies coming true, there’s another part of me that knows there’s no way in hell my father will see even the most stable relationship with two men as ‘settling down and being responsible’.

But the two of them smile at me and I can’t bring myself to care. I’ve got all year to settle down. Tonight… it’s just a date. Just fun. A gift to myself for everything I’ve gone through recently.

That’s what I tell myself, but the truth is, even now I can’t imagine being in the same town as these two hunky cowboys and being with someone else.

I’m fucked. And I’m going to kill Sadie. Tomorrow. Tonight, I’m going to see where the mood takes me and enjoy every second.

We turn off the highway to a long gravel driveway lined on both sides with sturdy wooden fences that guard sprawlingfields. I see barns in the distance, and horses. I wonder where the cows are and then question if I even know what a working ranch is.

I don’t know what I’m expecting their home to look like but the two-story farmhouse with the pillars out front and the wrap-around porch surprises me. It’s utterly charming just like the two of them. And when the truck rolls to a stop in front of it, Bo slides out and runs around to my side. Nathan stays put. Bo helps me out first, offering his hand after he reaches around to unlatch my seatbelt for me. I hop down and watch in wonder as he helps Nate out the same way.

Interesting. The small gesture raises questions about their relationship I may not be ready to hear the answers to.

“Welcome to our humble abode,” Bo says with a smile. He crooks his arm to offer it to me and I weave mine with his as Nathan does the same on the other side.

The home on the inside is anything but humble. It’s as fancy as any upper-crust New York home, in its own way. High vaulted ceilings, statement lighting, gleaming appliances, stunning furniture. The whole picture is moreSouthern LivingthanVanity Fair, but it’s still elegant and not at all what I was picturing.

“It’s gorgeous,” I gasp, then cover my mouth because I’m embarrassed that I sound so surprised. They’re going to think I’m a horrible snob. The worst part is they might not be wrong.

“We like it,” Bo says. He takes me around, giving me a tour, and I try to listen to all the little details and anecdotes he shares, but I’m too hyper-aware of his hard body beside me, the intoxicating scent of his cologne and the fact that there’s two of them.

He shows me the whole house, several guest rooms, the office he and Nate share, Amelia’s nursery, a few bathrooms, includingone with a garden tub beneath a window that looks out on the mountains behind us.

The whole thing is far more luxurious than I ever could have anticipated.

They skip their bedroom, and though I’m disappointed, I jump at the chance to see the rest of the property when Bo offers a tour of the property and barns.

I want to see the horses and answer my question about cows, and continue the intimate peek into the life the two of them share, but … I glance down at my leather flats. “I’m not sure I’m dressed for a tour.”

Bo follows my gaze and frowns. “We’ll have to get you some boots,” he says, as if he’s already planning for the future. My heart flutters with happiness, but the sweet words don’t solve the current problem.

“We can take the tractor,” Nate pipes up.

I wrinkle my brow in confusion, then quickly smooth out my face so I don’t end up with early frown lines, and so they don’t see how ignorant I am about this life I’ve dropped myself into.

“Take the tractor?” I repeat dumbly. As if it’s a car? I suppose it's not too big a stretch but it's certainly not a mode of transportation that would have ever occurred to me.

“Sure.” Nate grins, and there’s a smirk to it that tells me he’s not oblivious to my confusion. Damn.

Bo looks between the two of us and rolls his eyes. “Tractor’s at the barn. We’ll take the truck.”

“I was just trying to give her the full ranch experience.”

Bo looks at my feet again and frowns. “You’re right about the footwear. And I doubt I have any boots that would fit you.” He shrugs. “Might have to carry you in a few places.”

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