Page 67 of Spur of the Moment
A look of sorrow shone in her eyes. “Honey, we don’t want to worry you with these things.”
“Mom, I can help. You and dad aren’t alone in keeping this ranch afloat. I’m sure the Bronsons would help out if they knew.”
She shook her head. “As much as the Bronsons have helped us over the past years, I don’t want their money. It’s one thing to offer labor, but cash? I can’t ask that of them.”
We couldn’t lose this ranch. It’d been in our family for four generations. There was no fucking way I’d let us lose that. Land was only getting more expensive. If we lost the piece we had, there was no telling if we’d get another.
“I’ll think of something.” I grabbed the paper on the desk as I stood, folding it in fourths and shoving it in my back pocket.
My mom stood from her seat behind the desk as I came around, pulling her in for a hug. “I don’t want to put this burden on you,” she mumbled, her voice muffled from my shirt.
I let go of her. “It’s not a burden, Mom. This is my home, too. We all fight for what we love. We stick together. That’s what families do.”
She reached up to set her hand on my cheek. “You’ve always had a big heart, Bailey. One of the best things about you.”
I pursed my lips as she dropped her hand. “Speaking of big hearts, can I borrow a few things from your dining set?”
“Of course. Take whatever you need.”
“Thanks, Mom. I’ll bring it back tomorrow.”
“You’re welcome, sweetie. But Bailey, please don’t put this on your shoulders, too. You already have so much on your plate.”
I frowned. What was it with people thinking I did too much? I liked to keep busy. What was the problem with that?
“My plate will never be too full, Mom. Not when it comes to the people I love.”
She sat back in her seat as I turned and headed toward the door of her office. I strode through the house, stopping by the cabinet that held all of their finer cutlery and dining sets.
I sifted through all of the holiday sets, finally finding what I was looking for. The set that made me think of clear skies, wildflowers, and Lettie.
I wouldn’t accept moving, even if it was only a few miles away. Lettie was in my grasp, and I wasn’t letting go.
There had to be a way to keep this place. I’d figure it out, no matter what it took.
35
Lettie
Painting the doors on the barn had taken longer than I’d anticipated and sunset was quickly approaching. Bailey had left shortly after he asked me to come over to his house tonight. I assumed it was a spur of the moment question and he had to run home to prepare, but knowing the gentleman he was, he most likely had it all planned out.
I dipped my hair under the shower head one last time before turning the water off and stepping out to dry off. I had no idea what to wear tonight. Bailey and I had known each other basically our entire lives, and I’d never given a second thought to what I wore around him. Boots, jeans, and a t-shirt were all I typically wore on the ranch, so he was used to seeing me in that. But for a date with someone I’d known my whole life, who’dseen my ass covered in huckleberry juice and my hair coated in mud from the creek more times than I can remember?
Was a dress too much? I’d worn a sundress to the bar the other night, so surely wearing one tonight wouldn’t be overkill. Or would that be trying too hard, and I should play it safe with my usual clothes?
Snap out of it. It’s just Bailey.
But that was the thing. He wasn’tjustBailey anymore. He was so much more. We’d jumped fifty feet over a line I’d imagined up due to fear of giving in and messing up, and now we were going on a date.
A lifetime of never letting my mind think of him as anything more than a friend, and now I was wrapped in a towel standing in the middle of my room overthinking something as simple as clothes.
He probably couldn’t care less about what I wore tonight.
Rouge was asleep on my bed, exhausted from a day out with the volunteers. He was attached to me - and Bailey, of course - but was always running around with new people, begging for extra attention. That much hadn’t changed about him in the last five years, which was also why I didn’t want to take him away from the ranch when I left. He loved it here, and it would have been more selfish for me to take him from the place he loved just to sit in a small apartment all day while I was at my classes.
Sifting through my closet, I settled on a paisley print bandana top with light wash jeans and a pair of boots that weren’t coated in dirt. I debated grabbing a jacket, but thought betterof it. Though it was warm out, I still felt cold. I blamed it on my dripping hair, which I’d decided to let air dry to its natural waves, afraid that if I put any effort into doing it, I’d overthink it and not go altogether.
Leaving Rouge in my room, I made my way out of the house to find my dad and Reed riding in the direction of the white barn. If they saw me wearing this, they’d know I was going out, and I didn’t feel like dodging around who I’d be with.
