Page 26 of Saddles and Snowstorms
“Met when I came home from getting fired in New York,” Logan added, leaning into Dakota’s solid frame. “Dad had hired him on to help at the ranch while I was gone. Then he helped me stop the place from going under and well...” He trailed off, a blush creeping up his neck.
“And you two?” I looked at Beau and Lucas.
Beau shifted in his seat, those striking blue eyes dropping to the table. “We uh?—”
“It’s complicated,” Lucas interrupted, his East Coast accent standing out sharply against Beau’s drawl. He shot Beau a look I couldn’t quite interpret. “We didn’t meet under the best of circumstances. Mostly my fault. It’s a long story. But we figured it out and now we’re engaged since this summer.”
I smiled, nodding. “Well, I guess overcoming differences is important. Better to do it early on before you wake up one day and realize everything you had was a sham.”
Everyone went quiet. It was too late by the time I realized how transparent I’d been.
“What about you, Doc?” Dakota asked, mercifully changing the subject. “Left anyone behind in Austin?”
I shook my head. “No. He got rid of me before I moved. He’s the reason I moved to begin with.”
Lucas leaned forward, a pitying look on his face. “Was it bad?”
“Yeah,” I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest. “He got me fired, I decided to move here, then I exposed him as a liar before I left. Last I knew, he was unemployed with no prospects.”
Lucas nodded. “Good for you. Sounds like he deserved it.”
“He did,” I echoed, surprised at the bitterness still lingering in my voice. “Sorry, didn’t mean to bring down the mood.”
Dakota gave me a knowing look, the kind that suggested he’d weathered his own storms. “No need to apologize. We’ve all got our stories.”
Dolly returned with our food, momentarily saving me from further explanation. The burger in front of me was massive, topped with bacon and cheese, the fries golden and steaming. Comfort food at its finest.
“So,” Logan said between bites of his club sandwich, “how’s the clinic business? Getting settled in okay?”
I nodded, grateful for the change of subject. “Slowly but surely. Large animals are keeping me busy. Seems like every ranch around here has at least one problem child in their stables.”
“Including Sogwili,” Dakota muttered, a fond exasperation in his voice. “That mare’s got more attitude than sense sometimes.”
I laughed. “What’s she done now?”
“Decided yesterday that the new water trough was actually a monster in disguise. Wouldn’t go near it. Stood there snorting andstamping like she was facing down a grizzly,” Dakota said, shaking his head with a mixture of frustration and affection. “Took me an hour to coax her close enough just to take a drink.”
“Horses,” I said with a knowing smile. “They’ll face down a charging bull without blinking but lose their minds over a plastic bag.”
“Or a puddle,” Logan added, nudging Dakota playfully. “Remember when she refused to cross that little stream last spring?”
Dakota’s usually stoic expression softened. “Had to carry her saddle across myself while she took the long way around.”
Beau chuckled, his blue eyes crinkling at the corners. “My Willow is the same way. Brave as anything until she sees her own shadow.”
The conversation flowed easily after that, stories of animal antics and ranch mishaps passing between us like warm bread. I found myself relaxing, the tension I’d been carrying since arriving in Sagebrush finally easing from my shoulders.
Outside, the snow continued to fall, transforming the world into a soft, white blur. The wind had picked up, sending flurries dancing past the windows in hypnotic swirls. It was oddly beautiful, this strange weather in a place I was still learning to call home.
“Looks like it’s really coming down now,” Lucas observed, peering out the window. “Might be a good idea to head back before the roads get any worse.”
Beau’s hand found Lucas’s on the table, his thumb absently stroking over the city boy’s knuckles. “You sure you can get us home in this, darlin’?”
The endearment slipped out so naturally, and the slight flush that crept up Beau’s neck afterward was almost endearing. Lucas just smiled, turning his hand to intertwine their fingers.
“We’ll be fine, cowboy,” he assured Beau, but there was something tender in the way he said it, like he was touched by the concern. “My truck has all-wheel drive.”
Beau didn’t look convinced, his blue eyes darting to the window where the snow was now swirling in earnest. “All-wheel drive ain’t worth much if you can’t see the road, city boy.”
