Page 53 of The Little Things
Rory came up to him, looking unfazed as she leaned up to press a kiss to his cheek. “Oh please. It’s our right as your family to embarrass you in front of your girlfriend, and since this is the first one you brought to a family function, we’re finally exercising that right.”
I gaped at Zach. That was the first I’d heard of him never bringing another girl home, and I was beyond honored to be the first.
I lifted the glass of wine to my lips and took a sip, trying not to show how happy I was to have heard that.
Zach had been right when he said his parents wouldn’t care that we were seeing each other. The moment I walked through the door, the Paulsons had treated me like one of the family. Rory had pulled me into the living room with her, Lennix, and Becky so they could share embarrassing stories. They made me feel like I belonged and gave me no reason to believe they were anything but happy to have me as their son’s girlfriend.
Becky cut into the cake once the sparkler candles had been extinguished, plating massive pieces of cake and handing them out as people broke off into groups to chat.
Zach pulled me closer to him and leaned down to speak softly in my ear as I forked off a corner of my cake slice and took a bite. It was delicious. “You having fun, baby?”
I smiled up at him, my heart fuller than it had ever been. “I’m having the best time.”
He grinned as he said, “I’m glad. I won’t take offence that most of it is at my expense.”
I giggled, rising up for a quick peck. I couldn’t seem to stop kissing him. “Only a little bit was at your expense,” I clarified. “But seriously, I love watching you with your family. You all love each other so much.” I reached up and caressed his cheek, loving the way the short whiskers coating his jaw abraded my palm. “I’m so happy you all found each other.”
He took my wrist, holding my hand in place and leaned deeper into my touch. “I am too. Only thing I’m happier about is the fact that I managed to find you too.”
God, this man could undo me with only his words. Every time I thought my feelings for him couldn’t possibly grow any bigger, he did or said something that proved me wrong. I was falling for him, spinning head over heels at lightning speed.
“You are the best man I’ve ever met, Zach Paulson,” I whispered, my voice raw with emotion.
He came in for another kiss, this one bordering barely on the right side of appropriate. Seconds later, he was pulled away by some family friend who wanted to talk cattle. I took another bite of my cake and let my gaze scan over the room, taking everyone in. When my eyes landed on Rory, she was already staring at me. Her eyes were a little glassy and her expression was warm, her lips tilted upward ever so slightly as she placed a hand on her chest resting it right above her heart.
She’d witnessed that intimate moment between her son and me, and whatever she saw between us made her happy.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Zach
“Zach, I’m not so sure this is a good idea,” Rae called out from behind me. “I really do have a ton of work to do. I don’t have time for a midday ride.”
I walked past her, ignoring her complaints as I guided Sassy and Roam out of the barn by their reins. It had been three weeks since my adoption party, and a lot had happened in that time. I’d resumed Rae’s horseback lessons, taking them back from Hal now that my girl and I were in a good place. A great place, actually. She was comfortable enough in the saddle to ride on her own, and after weeks of working with Sassy, the girl was finally ready for more than a few loops around the corral. Today was as good a day as any. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and there wasn’t a cloud in sight.
Rae had officially taken over the administrative work for the ranch right after the party, and as she claimed, she’d excelled at it. The filing was in order, all the invoices were going out on time, and she’d scheduled everything out almost a year in advance. She was a whiz at the payroll system, and she’d even managed to fly through the old ledgers, digitizing the old files from back in my grandpa’s heyday a hell of a lot faster than I would have. I was beyond grateful to hand all those tasks over. I could die a happy man knowing I never had to sit behind that desk again. But the thing that mattered to me the most was Rae seemed to love what she was doing.
However, she was also working insane hours. Most nights I had to track her down, and nine times out of ten, she was still in that office. It was hers now, and I’d given her free rein to make it her own, something she hadn’t hesitated to do. She’d replaced the shitty old executive chair and the ratty old sofa that had been resting against the back wall. She bought two new chairs to go in front of her desk for visitors, something she seemed to have regularly now that she wasn’t doing ranch work or taking shifts at the lodge. The people there and my crew here had really come to love her, and now that they didn’t get the chance to see her regularly, they’d come in to catch up whenever they could. She had a ton of friends here. She was slowly building a foundation, and I wanted desperately to take those roots and sink them deep into the soil of this place.
The office was now cleared of clutter, everything placed in pretty, feminine file folders she ordered online. She kept the desk, claiming it was an antique, but had spent an entire day stripping, sanding, then re-staining it to return it to its former glory. The new furniture fit the esthetic of the new office. A style Rae referred to as barn-chic. Whatever the fuck that meant.
She’d made the place cozy and comfortable for herself and dove headfirst into her new job. She’d taken every job she’d done since arriving on the ranch seriously, but this was different. I could see the actual passion in her eyes for what she was doing when I went in to visit her or force her to shut down for the night. She loved this work, but more, she told me she loved being a crucial part of the ranch’s structure and took keeping this place functioning to its full potential very seriously.
I wished she didn’t push herself so hard. She still woke up with the sun, just like me, and most days, she was still at it long after it had set. She would overdo it if she wasn’t careful. Burn herself out. That was why I decided I was going to force her away from that desk and out of her office today even if I had to drag her kicking and screaming.
“Get on the horse, Hollywood.”
She shot me a scowl, planting her hands on her hips and staring me down for several seconds. When it became obvious I wasn’t going to back down, she let out a dramatic huff and let her arms flop down at her sides as she stomped toward me and the horses I’d already saddled. “Fine. But if something happens while we’re gone, I’m holding you responsible.”
“I can live with that. Now climb on up.”
She put her foot in the stirrup and hoisted herself onto Sassy’s back, gathering the reins in her hands like she’d been doing it for years. It was hot as fuck seeing her so controlled and confident on the back of the animal when she used to be so nervous. My woman had a spine of steel. She was so much stronger than she gave herself credit for. I hoped that one day she’d see herself the way I saw her.
I was convinced there wasn’t a woman on the planet more perfect for me than her. My family adored her, she was smart and funny and absolutely beautiful. And she loved this ranch almost as much as I did. This place meant something to her. I’d always hoped I’d find a woman who understood my love for this place, and Rae did.
I kept expecting her to ask where we were going as she guided Sassy along the side of Roam, but instead, she was too caught up taking everything in. She’d seen a good bit of the ranch so far, but this was all new to her, and I could tell by the wonder on her pretty face that she found it as beautiful as I did.
I noticed the way her back straightened as soon as we got close enough to hear the sound of rushing water, and the minute we cleared the tree line, the river that stretched through the property coming into view, she pulled in a gasp.