Page 84 of Butter My Biscuit

I move outside, happy for the fresh air and sunshine. Remi wasn’t lying about her car being full. My mouth falls open when I see how much she was able to stuff inside of her blacked-out Mustang.

“Tetris queen,” I tell her, bowing.

“Would’ve been great if I’d had your truck.” She narrows her eyes at me. “Also, you’re both so transparent.”

I roll my eyes, ignoring her, then bend over and grab a box that feels like it’s full of bricks. “Not sure what you’re talking about.”

She doesn’t say anything else as I walk inside.

When I pass Grace, I meet her eyes. “Yeah, she knows.”

Grace tenses, and I laugh, knowing she feels every single inch of where I was last night. Buried deep inside her.

With the three of us unloading Remi’s car, it takes less than thirty minutes. After everything is stacked against the wall in her new room, she turns to us.

“Just need to go back and get my bed, dresser, and all the clothes that are in my closet. Ready?” She turns to me.

“Yep. Let’s do it,” I say, holding up my hand, and she gives me a high five.

She’s smiling, all of her annoyance already gone. One good thing about her: she forgives easily, even if she acts like a hard-ass most of the time. She’s a little softy under that hard shell, just like Beckett.

“I’ll be back,” I tell Grace in my best Arnold Schwarzenegger voice.

I shoot her a wink, and she blushes, then shakes her head.

She mouths,You’re bad.

“But in a good way.”

Then, I meet Remi in the truck. We back out of the driveway. The radio is still on from last night. I reach forward and turn it off.

“Are you excited about Cash moving back?” she asks.

Cash Johnson is Beckett’s lifelong best friend. He moved away for college and vet school, and has been gone for a decade. Earlier this year, when Beckett and Summer bought the Horseshoe Creek Ranch, they offered him an opportunity to lease a slice of the ranch. He’s moving back to Valentine soon and his veterinary clinic will open early next year.

I glance over at her. “That was random.”

“No, it wasn’t. Him moving back is all Beckett talks about every single time I see him. Thought you both shared the same sentiment.”

“We don’t,” I tell her. “But glad to know you still have that secret crush on him. Obvious.”

“Jesus. You’re the last person who needs to be talking to me about secret crushes. Ya know what I mean?”

“Idon’tknow.Tell me,” I tease. I’m so used to deflecting this conversation that I’m a pro.

She shakes her head. “You’re impossible.”

“I’ve been told that a time or ten.”

The sound of the gravel crunches under the tires as we turn onto my parents’ ranch. Five thousand acres of pure bliss that I’m so damn grateful to live on. And one day, I hope to be able to raise my family here.

“You gonna miss it?” I turn to her, parking in front of my parents’ two-story house. Then, I glance at the tree house in the backyard and all the memories that come with it. “There’s no place like home.”

Remi furrows her brows. “I’ll be ten minutes away.”

“Yeah, but there’s still something special about wakin’ up to this every day.”

“I need change. And I’m lookin’ forward to livin’ with Gracie.”

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