Page 18 of Found Forever

“But it’d be temporary,” Joanna said, taking a sip of the icy rosé Mieka had poured them.

“That’s what I thought about Nate and me. But here I am, with a great life, doing what I love, and doingwhoI love—a super sexy cowboy.”

She paused for a moment, like she was waiting for something.

Nothing happened.

What the heck?

“Never mind,” she said. “I mean rancher.”

Joanna shook the confusion from her head. “Yeah, but I’m kind of in the process of getting permanent residency in Canada. I have a job—”

“That you hate. And you can always be like, ‘naw, bruh, I’m gonna bounce and go shag a SEAL in the good ol’ US of A. Laterz.”

“What slang is that? And please never use it again.”

Mieka snickered. “All I’m saying is, life’s too damn short to not do something you love.” Her lips twisted wryly. “I mean … I wouldlovefor you to move here and teach dance with me. It’s a lot doing it all myself. I mean, I love it. Don’t get me wrong. But having another teacher would be so great. We could offer more classes, sub for each other. Bounce choreography ideas off each other. Think of the recitals we could put on together. They would be spectacular.” Her gold-brown eyes glittered with excitement.

“It all sounds so idyllic, but …”

Mieka gave her an almost impatient look. “But what?”

“Where would I live?”

“You want a house? I can have a prefab cabin with plumbing and electricity plunked on the edge of the field by the end of the week. Just say the word. I have connections, yo.”

“Please stop with the gangster talk.”

Mieka stuck her tongue out cheekily before sipping her wine. “Take these two weeks as a trial run. See if you could work here and teach. Ifnot, no harm, no foul. But if you fall in love with … the life … the job …Decker,” she said his name as a cough into her fist, “then even better.”

“He’s only staying long enough to help out Asher while you and Nate are gone.”

“Doesn’t mean he can’t stay longer.” She shrugged. “I know for a fact he doesn’t want to settle down in Dallas, but that heisready to settle down. Asher and Nate are trying to convince him to consider settling here. Maybe you could jump on that train, too. Just saying.”

“You’rejustsayingan awful lot.”

“Can I help it if I want one of my best friends here?”

Joanna rolled her eyes. “I suppose not.”

“Think about it. Be open. That’s all.”

Joanna sipped her wine. She’d think about it.

That’s probably all she’d be able to think about now that Mieka had planted the seed.

A life here with Decker. The wide-open spaces. The fresh air. The animals. The endless possibilities.

It seemed unobtainable, and yet, as she held his hand earlier that day in the field—overtop the obnoxious horse’s neck—she had the fleeting thought that she could easily do things like that every day for the rest of her life. Lay under the clouds and just do nothing. At least she could if it was with Decker.

The next afternoon, Mieka and Nate left for their two-week honeymoon to Croatia. The rest of the Young Sisters and their families left, as well.

The ranch felt positively empty once it was just Triss, Asher, Decker and Joanna. Even though there were loads of ranch hands wandering around and oodles of animals.

With the absence of so much energy, it was both refreshing and lonely.

But Joanna didn’t really have time to dwell on the lonely part of things because Tuesday brought forth an endless stream of young, eager dancers ready to twirl, shimmy, plie and mambo.

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