Page 23 of Second Chance at Dudley Ranch

“No worries, I’m sure you look hot without the bling. What time are you guys leaving?”

I glance at the clock and groan. “An hour.” It’s like time is purposely going slow to torture me. I’ve been a giddy mess all morning and now that the sun is going down, I’m a nervous mess. What if he realizes I’m not what he thought I would be and doesn’t like it?

I’ve had such a hard time when it comes to guys, and after everything that happened with Heath, it’s become harder for me to trust men. Brent doesn’t seem like the type that would betray me, but I didn’t think Heath would do it either and he proved me wrong.

“Don’t go there,” Justine mutters over the line. “Not all men are going to be like him, Syd, give the guy a chance to show you that.”

“I don’t have the best track record, you know this.”

She groans. “We’ve been over this before. It’s not your fault that men are slimy dicks. That doesn’t mean you need to put the dating world behind you and protect yourself. You might be surprised at what you find when you open yourself up.”

“I know, you’re right.”

“What are you guys doing?”

“He won’t tell me, wants it to be a surprise I guess.”

She scoffs. “Does he not know you aren’t a fan of surprises?”

“We didn’t exactly get that far into things and I didn’t want to let him know too much about me. It wouldn’t really help things if he figured out the original reason I came here in the first place.”

“I guess that makes sense, but that doesn’t mean he can’t know anything about you at all. Give the guy some information, that way he isn’t doing something as stupid as surprising you with a date.”

I was fine with surprises before Heath and I got together, then he decided to ruin all that during Halloween one year. He told me that we were going to some restaurant that had just opened up outside the city and we ended up at a haunted house full of clowns. Apparently, he couldn’t remember that I’m deathly terrified of clowns — he ended up having to drag me out while I was hyperventilating and close to passing out.

He apologized profusely for the night, but I’ve been a nervous wreck about surprises ever since. That’s one thing he had going for him — he never did surprise me with a date again after that. We broke up not long after, when I got a different kind of surprise in the form of his coworker bent over his desk.

“I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt for now.” The shake in my voice is unmistakable and no doubt Justine can hear it. If I want this date to go well, I’ve got to learn to get over my fears and trust in others. Justine’s right, Brent isn’t Heath and I need to remember that if I want to make it through this night.

“I’ll let you go so you can finish getting ready. Knowing you, you’ll spend thirty minutes alone trying to get your makeup just right. Call me tomorrow and give me all the dirty details. Love you.”

“Love you, talk to you tomorrow.”

I throw my phone down on the bed and hurry into the bathroom since I don’t have much time to spare for my makeup. Last time I was here I left my makeup in a drawer since I have plenty back home, so all I have to do is open it and figure out what to go with for tonight.

He seemed to like the lipstick I wore before, so I’m thinking I should go with that and maybe a dark eyeshadow to bring out my eyes. There’s a knock on my door just as I finish with my eyeliner and I smile at myself appreciatively in the mirror before hurrying down the hall.

I’m stunned speechless when I open the door and find Brent standing outside with a pair of dark jeans hanging low on his hips and a light blue button-up. Curls hang in front of his face and I bring my hand up, pushing them back with a smile. “You clean up nice,” I say to break the silence.

He blinks, his gaze traveling down the length of my body with nothing but heat flaring in it. “Yeah, you too.” Judging by the pained expression on his face, that’s not the compliment he was trying to go with.

“Smooth, Dad,” Nathan says from behind Brent. “You look nice, Sydney.” He points to the truck and winks at his dad before putting the keys in his hand. “She’s nice and shiny for you. Have a good time.”

Brent groans as Nathan struts away, then clears his throat and holds an arm out to me. “You look beautiful.” His limb is shaking as he holds it out, but it seems to disappear as soon as I wrap my hand around it. “You’re ready to go?”

Do I look like I’m not? God, do I look like a mess? I dart my gaze around nervously, not wanting to look at him, but he tips my face toward him. “That wasn’t supposed to come out that way, just wanted to make sure you were good to go. I got here a little early.”

“Oh, uh, yeah, I’m ready.” Could I be any more obvious with my nerves? “So, do I get to know where we are going yet?”

He chuckles as he leads us in the direction of the blacked-out truck parked in the driveway. “Not yet, is that okay?”

I should tell him no, that I want to know where we are going, but I take a deep breath and smile. “Yeah, that’s fine. I trust you.” And the weird part is, I do. It’s not like he can take me to a haunted house during this time of year anyway, so I don’t have to worry much about that.

“Good, I wouldn’t do anything you won’t like.”

The words have an entirely different meaning as he opens the passenger door for me and there’s no mistaking the arousal I feel from them. “Such a gentleman,” I say with a smirk, trying to lighten up the tension.

“I try my best,” he says with a smile as he helps me into the truck and shuts the door softly once I’m situated in the seat. The truck is already warm and I stick my cold hands in front of the heat as he opens the driver’s side door and climbs in with a grunt.

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