Page 22 of Older Cowboy

The idea frightened her, made her quake down to her very bones. Yet it’d been sixteen years, as her father had so recently reminded her. She’d been in mourning over her lost husband for a span of years that was four times longer than the amount of time she’d been with him. Not having him with her now was certainly a tragedy. But what good would it do her to cut herself off from the rest of her life?

And more importantly to Erika, would doing so make her a coward?

Even the concept of that rankled within her like a gastric ulcer. She might not be perfect, but she tried not to let her fears dictate her decisions.

Her aimless driving ultimately led her back to the square. There was the manicured lawn with the landscaping in strategic locations near the cowboy statue. There was The Steer House steakhouse and the Bookish Bistro, the first of which had been there for ages and the second one a business that had just opened a couple of years ago.

Then, right there was Sweet Everything. The dessert shop where she’d spent the best three hours of her recent life. And that had been due to spending it with Cody Stiers. With his dad jokes, his laughing, multi-hued hazel gaze, and his charming silver fox good looks.

She let herself dwell on those three hours. How her hesitancy and nervousness had simply melted away. How long it’d been seen she’d sat down and ate inside Sweet Everything rather than merely dropping in and picking up a coffee to go. How that latte she’d ordered—the same one she always ordered—had somehow seemed to taste better than ever.

Or maybe that had been the company she’d kept.

Erika might’ve told Callie that Cody made her feel uncomfortable, but when she reevaluated that sentence, she had to admit that it wasn’t him that made her uncomfortable but the idea of enjoying herself that much. Enjoying herself with a man who wasn’t Blake.

Because she had enjoyed herself.

She could still remember how he’d smelled like freshly mown grass. The curve and whiteness of his smile. How the decadence of that brownie had tasted, even if she probably couldn’t ever allow herself to eat more than a bite or two of it. She thought of how those hours had disappeared so swiftly because… Because well, she’d been having such a wonderful time.

Because for that evening, she’d had fun. Maybe the most fun she’d had since Blake had been alive. And she didn’t know what scared her the most, the fact that she might have been acting like a scaredy-cat, or the fact that a few short hours with Cody had left her so high on cloud nine.

CHAPTERTEN

Cody had been usinga metal rake to tear out a section of weeds next to his tomato plants. Weeding was an endless evil in every gardener’s life, and most especially in organic gardening since no herbicides were ever used. It was hard, back-breaking work that made the sweat roll down his temples even in this cool autumn weather, and that was despite the fact that he went out of his way to stay in shape.

At least, when it came time to harvest everything, it would be worth it

The stem of a particularly stubborn root refused to come up, so he dropped down to his knees to drag it out with his gloved hand when his phone buzzed in his pocket. Still kneeling, he tugged off his glove and retrieved it just in case the text could be coming from his son. He’d always make himself available for Gabriel regardless of whatever else might be going on.

Yet, as soon as he glanced at the screen, Cody saw that it wasn’t Gabe at all.

Erika: Cody, I know I should’ve returned your messages long ago, and I’m sorry.

He squinted down at it, wondering for a heartbeat if he might be imagining or even dreaming this. But the letters on his screen remained.

Erika: I have no excuse for being out of touch for so long, especially considering how many messages you sent. But I wanted to let you know that I appreciate you spending time with me at Sweet Everything that evening. I didn’t mean my lack of communication to throw shade on you.

He read that last message twice, then sent her one of his own.

Cody: Are you all right?

Erika: I’m fine. Just wanted to apologize.

For ghosting him. For ignoring and avoiding him. But Cody wasn’t one to hold grudges. Especially not if she’d give him another shot. It might be risky to lead with this, but boldness had served him well in the past.

Cody: Does that mean you’d be game for another date night?

He thought about it. Erika had lived here in Rocky Ridge all her life. What if he offered to take her away from the place where she’d expended so much blood, sweat, and tears? Even temporarily?

Cody: How about at Billings? I haven’t been there other than the airport, but I hear they have quite a few amenities.

She didn’t hesitate to respond.

Erika: That’s true. Lots to do in Billings.

Cody: Is that a yes?

This time thirty seconds passed before he received anything back from her.

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