Page 22 of Spring Forward

I’m just about to head down the stairs when I hear Eden’s voice, and I quicken my steps. The moment I step into the living room, Noel’s attention shifts away from Fletcher, and he zeroes in on me. He looks at me like I’m a supermodel or something and dressed up for a night out someplace other than Wintervale Montana.

The hunger in his eyes would make me laugh if it wasn’t such a turn on. Who knew my outfit could be considered sexy? It certainly isn’t what I was going for.

It only takes a few strides for him to reach me. I let out a gasp as he hooks an arm around my waist and hauls me against his chest. “You look gorgeous,” his voice is a sexy as fuck rasp that sends a shiver down my spine.

The way he’s looking at me is filled with savage desire and I contemplate whether I want to go out at all. Before I can give into everything Noel is promising me with his eyes, Eden grabs my arm and tugs me out of his embrace. The scowl on her face is one only a mom can pull off.

“Bye, boys,” she calls out and walks faster as she pulls me along.

“Eden,” Fletcher calls out after her, “you didn’t kiss me goodbye. You’ll be paying for that later.”

I glance at the woman in question who doesn’t slow down even a little as we head to her car. She looks downright fucking giddy and not even a little bit afraid.

“I’m sure I will,” she murmurs under her breath before looking at me and winking. “Like I didn’t do it on purpose just for that reason.”

The laugh that comes out of me borders on a cackle. She joins me as we climb into her car and head into town. We chat about random things while heading toward The Range Bar and Grill while I studiously avoid bringing up the wedding. If this is a night without all those kinds of responsibilities, I won’t be the one to bring it up.

The moment we step inside the bar and restaurant, which is pretty packed, we both turn toward a woman shouting, “Eden.”

Eden grins and lets out a noise of excitement before heading toward one woman who is waving wildly and another who looks much more reserved and very amused by her friend’s actions. I follow behind her and ignore the eyes on us. While I might thrive on the ranch when I’m educating, which involves a certain amount of attention, I don’t like being in the spotlight.

Eden introduces me to Audrey, the woman who called Eden’s name, and Morgan, who is definitely the shy one between the two women. I feel included and accepted right away, which isn’t always true when you’re dealing with small town friends who have known each other for a while.

“So,” Audrey grins from ear to ear as she pins me in place with her gaze which holds no malice, “I heard you’ve snagged Noel’s attention.”

“I, uh,” I stammer a little over my words at first, but then confidence and pride fill me. I nod and flash the ladies a smile. “I have and he’s caught mine.”

Eden lets out a whistle and Audrey is practically bouncing in place. Morgan shoots me a look of understanding. From what Eden told me about the romance between Morgan and Walker, who works with her brother at the police station, she probably does understand.

“Good for you girl,” Audrey crows. She leans toward me and lowers her voice, “I’ll be honest, the ladies around here have been trying to get his attention for years, even before he went off and came back a hero. None of them were successful though.” She looks me over, but there’s nothing but acceptance and joy in her gaze. “I can see why he’s smitten with you, you’re beautiful.”

My face heats and I shake my head at the woman who is all fire, sass, and happiness. I could get used to having a friend like her.

You could have a friend like her all the time if you stayed. You could have a friend like all three of these women.

“Thank you,” I whisper and try to take the compliment. Why is giving compliments much easier than accepting them?

“You know the guys aren’t going to let this whole girl’s night thing happen without interfering,” Morgan’s voice is soft as she eyes us, “right?”

“Oh, I know,” Eden chirps as she shrugs. “Wanna take bets on how long before they show up?”

“What about Mack and August?”

Eden waves her hand, the trust in her man and his brothers obvious. “They’ll either leave Huxley at home withthem,” Audrey snorts out a laugh and shakes her head like the suggestion is preposterous, “or they’ll take them over to my parent’s place. They’re right next door, well, as next door as you can get when we’re talking about side-by-side ranches,” she explains to me.

“I give it an hour,” Morgan throws out.

Eden looks like she’s strongly considering the options. “Hour and a half.”

Audrey throws her head back and laughs while looking at the two women like they have two heads. “Considering that Delaney is here,” she points at me, “and Noel hasn’t tied her to him in all the ways yet, I say it’ll be less than half an hour.”

They look at me expectantly, but I just hold up my hands in surrender. “I have no idea.”

The ladies laugh and I can’t help but join them. We get to know each other over a drink, the conversation light except when Eden lets out a long-suffering groan when wedding preparations are brought up.

“I just want to be married to the man,” she grouses. “I feel like I’ve been waiting for this my entire life. I just want him to be my husband, but he wants me to have the wedding I always dreamed about. I love him for it, but as long as we’re both there with Macklin, the rest is just a bonus as far as I’m concerned.”

I reach over and give her hand a squeeze. “I’ve seen the way that man looks at you and it’s obvious you’ll only be getting one chance at this whole wedding thing. He doesn’t want you to have regrets.”

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