Page 85 of Love Unforgettable
Chapter 26
Cole
I spend the morning going over the books with Earl, and plan to use the afternoon getting a better feel for the horses while they get a feel for the ranch. A couple of them are new to me, including the one that broke into Lexie’s vineyard, so I like to take my time getting to know them a bit before we start training. Each horse is different and will respond to different stimuli, whether it be verbal or otherwise, it can take some effort to figure out what that is.
My plan is to take Lexie to dinner tonight, and then out dancing. I found a little steakhouse and saloon called The Tippin’ Cow, which features two-stepping on the saloon side. I send her a quick text and ask her if seven o’clock still works for her. She responds quickly.
Sweetness: Yep! What’s the dress code?
Me: Got cowboy boots?
Sweetness: Of course.
Me: There you have it.
Sweetness: Wear cowboy boots?
Me: Yes, ma’am.
Sweetness: With?
Me: Whatever your pretty heart desires.
Sweetness: Okay.
Me: I’ll pick you up at 7 pm.
Sweetness: I can just drive to your house.
Me: I’ll pick you up at 7 pm.
Sweetness: Yes, sir. See you then.
I have to say that texting isn’t usually my style. I prefer a phone call for efficiency sake. But Lexie and her friends seem quite taken with it. So, I will use whatever means she likes, even carrier pigeon, if it gets her to communicate with me.
Sweetness: OMG! Hot Cowboy said to wear cowboy boots and ‘whatever my pretty heart desires.’ Could he get any more fucking ambiguous? What do I do? What do I wear? I was going to wear a dress, but with cowboy boots? And then how to I do my hair? I want to look approachable, but not obvious. I think. HELP!
I’m guessing she has no idea that she’s texted me and not her intended recipient. I do like that she calls me ‘hot cowboy,’ that’s got to be a good sign. I decide to answer so she knows what she did. And so that she doesn’t send something else that embarrasses her more.
Me: Hot Cowboy says, at the risk of sounding more ambiguous, something feminine and tight that is of the dress variety makes you approachable without being obvious. Especially with boots. Hair down so he can put his hands in it.
Sweetness: Kill. Me. Now. Please.
Me: I sucked my thumb until I was twelve.
Sweetness: Okaayyy . . .
Me: So now you know something embarrassing about me.
Sweetness: It is SO not the same.
Me: The night we ran into each other at the grocery store wasn’t an accident. I saw you drive by and followed you. Then ran up and down every aisle until I found you. That’s why my cart was still empty.
Sweetness: Oh, that’s much better. Thank you.
Sweetness: See you at 7 pm.
I laugh at her response and walk out to the main corrals to work with the horses for a while.
* * *
I head back in the house around six fifteen in the evening. Figuring that gives me plenty of time to clean up and be at Lexie’s close to seven o’clock. I don’t want to get my hopes up about tonight, but at the same time, Trevor is out of the picture. So, there shouldn’t be anything else standing in our way. Unless there’s something I don’t know.
I’ll admit, I don’t know much, but I’m smart enough to drink upstream from the herd.
