Page 57 of The Runaway and the Rugged
“Need to take Emelia here into town to get her what she needs.”
I could sense Emelia’s hesitation to tell me no, but she knew her only chance of getting anywhere would be from someone on the ranch.
And that someone was me.
Well, at this moment it was only me, and part of me wanted to selfishly keep it that way.
“Oh, I don’t want to make you feel like you have to take me,” she rambled. “I’m sure I could find some other way of getting into town, a cab, maybe?”
A cab?
Where the hell does she think she is? Certainly not some fuckin’ big city that she’s used to.
Amused, I couldn’t help but laugh, a deep rumble that reverberated in my chest.
“Cabs?” Grace questioned, peering up at me with a playful smile.
“Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we ain’t got cabs in Dusty Meadows. You need a ride? You ask a local,” I explained as her face twisted into humiliation. “Ask me or Greta,” I clarified, not bothering to include Griff or Beau.
“Until I can afford a vehicle,” she said matter-of-factly, like she knew she would make it happen. “I’ll find a way to pay you back for everything, I promise.”
Her confidence was damn admirable, even if her expression betrayed a hint of uncertainty that laid beneath.
“Don’t worry about it, let's just go and get you what you need, all right? We’ll worry about everything else later.”
Emelia cast another uncertain look my way.
“I have no money, Garth,” she admitted beneath her breath. “I maybe have around twenty dollars to my name.”
I was worried Grace would open her mouth and say somethin’ she shouldn’t, but to my surprise, when I peeked down at her, I saw a flash of sympathy cross her face. I always knew my girl had a good, honest heart, it was just nice to see it shine through every now and then.
“Don’t worry about the money, think of helpin’ around the ranch as a way of paying me back.”
She sighed, her strawberry hair falling forward from behind her ear.
“How do you know I’ll be of any help anyway?” she asked. “If me getting lost on your ranch is any indication of how I’ll do working on it, then I definitely don’t deserve to stay.”
I wasn’t an idiot. I knew she wasn’t going to be competing for the ranch hand title, or do half the shit we did in a full workday, but something was better than nothing. I could have said she could stay here for nothin’ in return. I really would have, but something told me she needed some hard work in her life. Something that would give her a purpose and meaning, if only for a few days a week.
“I wasn’t any good at it either when I first started, but with all our help, especially Bear’s, you’ll be a pro sooner than you think!” Grace chipped in, her enthusiasm contagious, but the mention of Beau helping Emelia in any shape or form didn’t sit right with me. If I were there, possibly, but alone? Not sure I’d like that.
Which was a ridiculous thought in itself, but it was a feeling I couldn’t shake.
“I’m not sure who Bear is, but I’ll try my best to be as helpful as I can.” Emelia chuckled with a small smile directed at Grace.
“She’s referrin’ to Beau; her nickname for him is Bear,” I cleared things up, ready to change to the topic.
Emelia nodded.
“You’ll like him, he’s the coolest person ever,” she gushed, sparking my hand to ruffle the hair on the top of her head.
“Second coolest person,” I corrected, with a shot of fire running through my veins.
Her favorite pastime was teasing me about Beau, knowing exactly how much that fucker got under my skin. I saw him as a younger brother, just an overly cocky, annoying one who my daughter happened to adore.
Bastard.
Grace burst out into a fit of laughter, attempting to escape me before darting behind a stunned Emelia for cover. On instinct, my eyes went to find Grace, but landed on Emelia, and the curves that were hardly concealed under my clothes. I didn’t mean for them to roam, tried my damnedest to stop them, but they fuckin’ did anyway.
