Page 87 of Eyes Like a Hurricane

He smiles warmly. “Just doing my job. This lucky bastard is the one who gets to fill up your dance card for the foreseeable future.”

He winks at us and walks away.

Leo hums from his spot, “That man will make some woman very happy.”

I whisper into her ear, “Do you think James was here and a part of it?”

She presses her lips together and looks up at the sky, “I want to say no, but I am not sure. It didn’t look like him in the video footage, nor did it sound like him. Maybe he hopes Cody won’t talk. The donations he made were meant to clear his conscience for the role he played in everything. Maybe the extent of his help went further than we realized. What I don't understand is how they found the mine. I was unable to disclose the location. Does anyone else know about it?”

Kieran and Callum take that moment to ring an old-fashioned triangle. When did we get that?

Leo claps. “I’m so excited! They used the triangle I got them. I told them they needed something that screams ranch, not just a whistle, when dinner is ready.”

Of course, he did. I internally shake my head, smiling. Why did I even assume I had one lying around?

After an amazing meal, we all sit around the campfire, prepping the s'mores. The watermelon and feta salad had somuch flavor. It had avocado and was creamy, sweet, salty, and tangy. I thought Aislinn was trying to prank me when she threw a scoop on my plate. I trust her without a doubt, and I’m glad I did. I think it may be my new favorite side for barbeques at the ranch. I will strongly suggest Kieran make it again.

Aislinn sheepishly looks at me. “Are there going to be fireworks?”

I shake my head. “No, the horses hate them, and if we ever have vets present during the barbeque, we would hate to trigger their PTSD. It would be counterproductive when we are trying to help them through it to induce it. The ranch is considered a firework-free zone. Any vet in the community who has PTSD is welcome to come to the ranch if they are nervous about being in their neighborhood during fireworks time. Some will probably start to show up any moment.”

Tears form in Aislinn’s eyes. “What you do here is truly touching, Lachlan. This vision you and Ingrid dreamed of is inspirational, and I’m thrilled I get to be a part of it.”

I lift her hand up and kiss her fingertips as s'mores ingredients are passed around the circle.

“I am glad you want to be a part of this ranch. I love you, sweetheart,” I say against her fingers.

“I love you too, Lachlan,” she whispers, only audible enough for our ears.

“Can I have the first dance with you?” I ask as we watch Ingrid tighten her bow.

She nods, and we both stand, I pull her into a tight embrace, and we begin to rock to the song only we can hear. After a few moments of dancing to our own tune, Ingrid's bow slides across the strings in a captivating tone. “Drunk on You” by Luke Bryan begins to play, but she has slowed the tempo down significantly. Aislinn and I continue to sway in a tender embrace,and I glance up to see Ingrid smiling at me. I tip my hat to her, and she subtly nods to me in return.

When the song ends, a few members of the community come through my back gate. We greet them with warm smiles and welcome them to the campfire circle. In total, nine vets show up by 9:00 p.m. Everyone is roasting marshmallows and having a great time in the peace of the outdoors. The fiddle music blocks out any residual booms from fireworks elsewhere in the county.

Ingrid steps on a log to make an announcement. “Happy Fourth, y’all. I’m so glad I get to spend my holidays here at the ranch with family and friends. This community is small, but we welcome everyone with open arms. In honor of the veterans here tonight, I’ve been working on this piece for the last couple of weeks.”

Everyone goes quiet. All we can hear is the crackle of the fire as embers dance around and smoke gently billows into the ink-black sky. Tapping out a count with her boot, Ingrid begins to play a touching rendition of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.” We sit in the silence of her violin as she captivates us all. No one moves. No one blinks as we gaze off into the distance. As she draws her bow against the string for the last note, I look over to see some of our vets blinking back tears and clapping for Ingrid’s performance.

Even in the dim light, I can see her cheeks tinge pink from the embarrassment of the attention. She gives a dramatic bow and then begins to pack up her violin. At 11:00 p.m. everyone starts to pack up to leave.

Aislinn nudges me. “Would you mind if Leo, Kieran, and Paisley stayed here tonight? I don’t really feel comfortable with them driving home so late on a holiday where lots of people drink.” She swallows loudly, then whispers, “I couldn’t bearlosing anyone else I love. The accident has left me feeling a little nervous about how close death can truly be.”

I grasp her face in both my hands, and my thumbs stroke her cheeks. “Aislinn, of course, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Ingrid has a spare bedroom set up too.”

I drop a soft kiss onto each of her eyes as she smiles up at me. “I’m so glad fate had such big plans for us, Lachlan.”

“Me too, Hurricane,” I say as I press my forehead to hers and capture her lips with mine in a slow and sensual kiss. When I look into her blue orbs, the dim firelight dancing across the irises, I see a reflection of my soul. They show me determination, loyalty, passion, and love.

Chapter 53

Aislinn

Friday, July 7

Lachlan’s birthday is today! I gently roll out of his relaxed embrace. July 7th is a day I won’t forget, as it brought this amazing man into the world.

His fingers are loose, and it’s effortless to ease away from him. He worked late last night at the ranch, so I plan to let him sleep a little longer. On the way out of the room, I grabbed my oversized sleep shirt off the back of the chaise lounge.

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