Page 56 of Three Rules I'd Never Break

Eli glanced back over his shoulder. “Stargazer Springs? That’s Beau Henry’s place.”

“That’s it. I think you do know everyone in this town.” I slipped my hand in his. “What do you know about the ranch?”

“Clint is the foreman.”

“Joji’s Clint? So, he’s Lilith’s Beau? I hadn’t put that together. They’ve always been super nice anytime I’ve seen them.”

“They’re good people.” Eli pulled me closer. “The next time there is a meteor shower, we can throw a blanket down in the grass and watch the stars.”

“I’d love that.” I loved that he was talking about our relationship like it would last. I wanted it to last.

* * *

Cami strolledinto the store right after lunch on a Friday. “Hey, there!”

“Hi!” I hadn’t seen Cami since Eli and I had moved from talking on the phone to actually dating, and it wouldn’t at all surprise me if she brought up Eli. “How’s the social media business?”

“Busy. But I just got paid, so I came in here to find something nice.”

I hurried over to a rack. “In my last shipment there were so many cute pieces. These rompers.” I held up one for her to see. “Check out this babydoll.”

Her face lit up. “I love that one! Why do you have to make it difficult? I came in here for that corset I’d been eyeing.” She took the babydoll. “But Harper would adore this.”

“Of course he would. It’s adorable, and it will look fabulous on you.” Knowing Harper had already purchased the corset, I did my best to steer Cami in a new direction without her being any the wiser.

She strolled over to the corset and picked up the hanger. “How are things with you and Eli?” Her gaze danced between the babydoll and the corset.

“Really well. We’ve gone out a few times.”

“Yay!” She put the corset back on the rack. “I just knew it would work. It was the night you went to Joji’s, wasn’t it?”

“You and Joji were in cahoots, huh?”

“You better believe it. I knew if I could get Eli to talk to you that he’d figure out that he liked you. Well, he already liked you. He just needed a little shove.” She laid the lingerie on the counter and crossed her arms. “If y’all end up together, that’ll be one more matchmaking success for me.”

“For you?”

Her nose crinkled. “I get to claim at least partial success. Please. I played a hand in it.”

“I’m not sure Eli needed anyone’s help. He’d been stopping by and texting me even before I went to Joji’s.” What I didn’t tell Cami was that the night on the goat farm had been a key turning point. “But thank you for arranging that evening. It was a nice surprise.”

She rubbed her hands together. “Now that y’all are on your way to a happily ever after, I need a new project.”

“It’s kind of soon to—”

Her hand shot up. “Y’all are totally meant for each other. I can tell. And I know who needs a fella.”

“Who?”

“That author lady. I think her name is Tandy.”

I slapped a hand over my mouth. “For real?”

Cami waggled a finger at me. “Love isn’t just for the young. Surely, there is an older gentleman here in the area who will tickle her fancy.”

“I’d recommend not using the words man and tickle in the same sentence around Tandy. It’ll spark a conversation you don’t want to hear.”

Laughing, Cami dug through her purse. “She asks all the men around here to pose without a shirt. Joji told me about the time when Tandy asked Clint. He just walked off. Has she asked Eli?”

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