Page 45 of Belong With Me

Chapter Fifteen

Sienna

I watched Ryder carefully as we pulled away from the house. “So where are you taking me, cowboy?” I twisted in the seat to stare at him better. Tilting my head, I added, “How long have you been hatching this idea?”

He latched onto the last question, completely skipping over the first one. “Not long. It sort of came together with a little planning.”

“Don’t think I didn’t notice that clever avoidance of my first question.” I laughed, pointing in a not so menacing way at him.

His eyes sparkled with delight as he grinned my way, flashing that dimple that always made my heart jump, before he answered in the most frustrating way I’d heard in my entire life. “We’re only going over yonder, how about that?”

“Over yonder?” I parroted back at him, crossing my arms loosely across my chest. “What kind of an answer is that?”

“It’s an answer all the same.” His eyes danced again, and something on my face must have told him that his answer wasn’t sufficient, because he continued with his explanation. “Not far. But far enough that we’ll be entirely alone for the night.”

A feeling akin to pleasure zipped down my spine at his admittance to us being alone. I didn’t dare look into that feeling too much. What I did want to know, though, was what exactly did he have planned? Not wanting to remain in thought too long, I quickly came up with a response. “So, over the hills, in a kingdom far away? With a sweeping willow and a creek?” I laughed again when he sent me a questioning look; he didn’t even need to voice it, I just knew he wasn’t going to give me any answers.

“Perhaps.” He shrugged nonchalantly.

Frustration at his non answer bubbled slowly inside me. If he wasn’t going to willingly give me the answers I was seeking, I would keep prodding him until he broke. One of the skills any good lawyer possessed. “I saw the marshmallows in the picnic basket, and I remembered just now there was a fire pit by the creek where we went on our first ride together. I just put two and two together.”

His smile grew wider before he nodded. “Well, there goes any kind of surprise I had.”

Smiling wide, I dropped my arms to rest in my lap as I bounced in my seat a little. “I promise I’ll act surprised, how about that?”

With a quick glance in my direction, I noticed that dimple winking at me. “You’ve got yourself a deal,” he agreed.

The shadows were long, and the sky was starting to turn a mixture of orange, red, and a light shade of pink as we pulled up to the ancient looking willow, parking so the tray of the truck faced towards the fire pit.

Once the engine was turned off, with only the soft hum of the radio station remaining, he looked at me pointedly. “I’m going to get things set up. You wait here.” He left the music on for me, turning the knob to increase the volume before stepping out. I watched him move around in the bed of the truck and then around on the ground in the rear-view mirrors.

He jumped into the tray and threw some pillows toward the back of the cab. He smiled when he caught me gawking, and a few seconds later he threw a blanket over the window so I could no longer watch him.

“Hey!” I protested.

I heard the rumble of his chuckle before his words reached me. “Makes the surprise seem real if there’s actually something to surprise you with.”

I huffed and raised my eyes to the ceiling before slumping over and laying on the bench seat. I guessed I could do the right thing and behave myself a little while longer. After all, it truly seemed like he was making an effort for tonight. And that warmed me to my core. That he was making such an effort.

A few more minutes passed as I watched the sky change into a brilliant palette of deeper oranges and purples. Stars started to sparkle above me, and I was startled when the door opened. “Close your eyes,” he ordered.

I sat up, blinking at him. “Why?”

“Just, trust me, Sienna.”

That was something I didn’t tend to do easily. But after a minute, I gave in. “Fine.”

I closed my eyes this time and he put his hand on mine, threading our fingers together before gently tugging on it. He helped maneuver me out of the truck, holding my waist with his free hand as I climbed down out of the high-up cab, and guided me to a spot nearby.

I felt a brush of wind, and the scent of burning wood came from somewhere close by. The music from the radio was soft and had been switched to a crooning love song. The hair on the back of my neck prickled as his presence grew closer. The warmth of his body heated my back as he whispered, “Okay, you can open your eyes now.”

I reveled in what I was experiencing for just a few seconds longer. Allowing the anticipation to build. When I finally opened my eyes, I was pleasantly surprised at the sight. Candles flickered over the grassy area in groups, casting a soft glow across the open space. The fire was burning low, popping and crackling happily, and the sound of the crickets surrounding us added a whole new dimension to it.

Turning a little, I saw there were a multitude of pillows and blankets filling the tray of the truck, and it looked so inviting and comfortable. On the tailgate sat a small bouquet of wildflowers, tied together with a long piece of grass. As I cast my gaze around, I could see they had come from the area we were in. My heart beat faster when I realized he had picked them for me. The first bouquet of flowers anyone had ever taken the time to gather for me.

The picnic basket I’d spied when I came out of the house was open too, and I could see strawberries, chocolate, grapes, and crackers, and there was a mountain of sandwiches and what looked to be a dip of some kind.

It was a picnic.

---