Page 11 of Love You Already

I missed my brothers. I missed the ranch. I missed Daddy and the ranch hands. I missed my horses.

And dammit, I missed Lachlan. He might be several floors above me, but within the hour I'll be changing that to miles. I'm dreading every single one, despite longing to hurry up and get there. It was a conundrum I didn't care to examine any further.

“Finish packing. I'll be done in ten. Maybe fifteen.” I pat Bridgett's leg then push off the bed. Eyes laser focused on the bathroom; I don't turn back to let her see me frown. Each step is difficult, yet I keep it together until I'm in the shower. Only then do I let the water wash away the tears.

* * *

The rest of the drive is spent talking about plans for the future. Mostly mine since Bridgett is between jobs again. I love my sister to pieces, but she does not like the traditional job market. Her artistic brain thrives in chaos. A normal nine-to-five makes her feel trapped.

“I still think you should get a website going for your work. Prints would sell amazingly well based off the last peek you let me have,” I tell her as we make the exit that will lead us home.

Welcome to Firefly Cove. Population 2,000.

We blow kisses to the sign like we always do after a long trip away, then Bridgett proceeds to try to turn the conversation away from her work back to mine. Problem is, I've already told her everything I can. A lot of the things going on at Sips are going to be based on what I find when I get there. Since I've seen the place in person, the agreement I made with the previous owners was just to make sure they kept it open and from falling apart till I arrived.

“You are a brave woman, Rose Destiny Wright. I can't imagine leaving everything I knew behind to start a business like you're doing,” Bridgett says once we're off the highway.

I nod as I drum my fingers along the dash. An idea hits me. “Since you're between gigs, do you think you'd be willing to help a sister out?”

She blurts out a quick, “Hell yes!” before turning up the radio to sing along to Luke Combs's latest hit. Something about falling in love with someone despite knowing it's going to hurt. It's a little too close to the mark for me after my night with Lachlan. Not that I love him or anything. Given the right amount of time though, yeah, I could see it.

As we pull under the wooden arch entrance to the ranch, the big three letters signifying the name welcome us home. WWR, which stands for Wright Way Ranch. Daddy always says there was only one way to do things, and that was the Wright Way. He still laughs just as hard at the silly joke now as he did when I was a wide-eyed girl watching him rope cattle and brand the steers.

“You ready for the firing squad?” Bridgett asks the second I park the truck.

I nod as I tilt my head. “How are they looking? Did it hold?”

The second I saw the array of hickeys Lachlan left behind for me to remember him by, I freaked out. I'd never had to worry about that type of thing growing up. I had no experience in covering the marks. Sure, I'd have loved to wear them proudly for anyone to see. Anyone who wasn't a member of my family and who didn't live in Firefly Cove.

Gossip in this small town travels faster than social media. There's not a tweet or post around that can beat the reach Fannie Mae Carver has when she's got a fresh bit of news to spread around. One look at my neck, and I'd be topic number one on this week’s list.

“They're all covered. You're good for today, long as you don't break a sweat.” Bridgett bounces in her seat the closer we get to the main house.

I take in the view of home and sigh. Nothing beats this place. With the big house seated ahead and the stables to the right, it is quite obvious what this land was for. Never mind the hundreds of head of cattle spread wide across the thousands of acres our family owned. This ranch was home, and I couldn't believe I'd been gone this long.

Even in the dark of night, it glowed with a magic I'd never found anywhere else. The stars might be bright in the sky, but my eyes can't ignore the way the land and everything on it captures my attention instead. Stars are everywhere. There's only one Wright Way Ranch.

“If you start crying, then I will too. That won't look good when they make their way out here in three... two...” As Bridgett counts down, the three men of the Wright family come bursting out the front door of the big house.

Daddy wears a grin like it’s Christmas morning. His thick beard is more white than brown these days and his head is shining bright without his cowboy hat in place. Behind him tromps Nate, with his wide shoulders and menacing appearance. Even from the inside of the truck, I can see the worry on his face. And last, but certainly not least, Beckett bounces at the end of the trio, his gaze bouncing between me and his twin.

“Let's do this,” I grumble as I open my door.

Before my feet even touch ground, I'm swept into Daddy's arms. He holds me tight. Maybe tighter than the last time I was home. I wonder if it's because he missed me or if this is just his way of showing how happy he is that I'm here. Maybe it's both.

“Hey, Daddy. It's good to see you too.” He chuckles at my teasing, then releases me straight into Nate's hold.

My big brother towers over me. Hugging him is a bit like trying to wrap your arms around a giant. I've never been able to do it, but I still try to hold him just as tightly as he does me.

“Glad you're back, Roe. Missed you like crazy, nugget.” I roll my eyes when we pull apart as I stick out my tongue at him.

“No need for name calling. I missed you too, you big oaf.” At the teasing, my mind flashed to another person I called big just a few hours before. Well, more like a day before now. With the time it took us to get on the road and the ten plus hours of driving, we're only getting home at nearly midnight. “I'm surprised you three are still up. I figured you'd be asleep by now.”

Daddy and Nate give matching scoffs as Beckett releases Bridgett to come hug me too. “We couldn't possibly miss out on welcoming you home. Plus, we wanted to make sure you knew where to sleep tonight. We're still working on freshening up your place.”

My place being the house Nate decided to have built for me the second I mentioned a hint of wanting to come home. That was about eight months ago, and as Bridgett said, the new building is far enough to give privacy, but not so far the men can't pop in to check on me.

“That's fine with me, cause I'm ready to hit the hay. I can get a good look at everything in the daylight hours.” I steer the men to focus on giving me directions to where I'm sleeping for the night.

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