“So the two of you run the place together?” I looked back at Nolan. “You always said it would be a dream job to stay here and work with your best friend. I’m glad that worked out for you.”
“He’s a shitty boss sometimes,” Nolan joked with a smirk that only grew bigger with Cooper’s indignant snort. “But yeah, we agree on ninety-nine percent of everything, so that makes the job kind of easy. And fun most days.”
“You still got the dogs?”
“Some dogs, yeah. Don’t think we’d ever be without them,” Cooper said. “But you might be remembering Jess and Jodie; they’ve both gone to doggie heaven. Still, they lived to great old ages and had good lives; that’s all any of us can hope for. Now we just have Sampson, Griff, and Lucky,” Cooper explained as we slowly rolled up to the big garage that was attached to the house by a covered walkway.
I needed to take a second to keep my defenses up, to remind myself why I’d avoided the two of them for so long. Because right then, I found it hard to remember anything other than how much fun we used to have and how much I’ve missed having them in my life.
And that was a dangerous thing.
Things might have changed on the ranch since the last time I visited, but they were also different for me in just about every way.
“How about you?” Cooper asked as we climbed out of his truck and walked toward the main house. “Has L.A. been all you hoped it would be? I remember you had some big expectations for yourself after graduation.”
“There’s been a pretty steep learning curve,” I admitted.
And that wasn’t even half of it. Life seemed much harder in the city, and I had to run fast and work hard all the time just to stay still. I missed small-town living, the countryside, and the animals. And taking a moment to breathe in the air and gaze up at the stars. I couldn’t imagine having a house cat in L.A., never mind three dogs.
“It’s been a lot harder than I imagined to stand out and get noticed—but I expected that much from the place where everyone goes to get noticed and discovered. There are never enough hours in the day to make a living and get ahead.”
“People anywhere would have to be stupid not to notice you,” Nolan said.
“Or blind,” Cooper added as he opened the side door and led us in through the utility room just off the large kitchen. “I have to say it, Poppy—you are prettier than ever tonight. We couldn’t stop looking at you earlier during dinner.”
“Thank you.” I had to turn away because I didn’t want them to see me starting to blush. “I... Where are the dogs?”
“They sleep in the tack room now.”
“Outside?” I gasped.
“The tack room isn’t strictly outside,” Nolan objected. “I’ll have you know, it’s had an upgrade in the last few years. It has heat, and it’s very cozy.”
Cooper rolled his eyes. “According to Nolan, it reduces the amount of stray dog hairs in the kitchen.”
I narrow my eyes and focus on Nolan. “Only reduces?”
“Well, the dogs do still come into the house—they’re part of the family, after all—but they spend most of the day outdoors with us or with the farm hands, and the night in the tack room. That’s their bedroom. But I thought you were about to say something else.”
Yes I was.
And Nolan was too observant for me to back out.
I took a second to prepare.
“I apologize for being rude earlier. I didn’t know what to say, especially right there in front of everyone at the rehearsal dinner. It didn’t seem right to be off in the corner rehashing what happened between us while we were all supposed to be celebrating Chrissy and Vic.”
“No, I agree,” Cooper nodded. “You were right to react the way you did. I was out of line for being so persistent.” He offered a rueful smile. “Nolan tried to tell me, but I wouldn’t listen.”
“Damn,” Nolan chuckled. “Can someone write that down, please? Cooper Price freely admits for once he was wrong. We ought to put up a historical marker or something.”
“See what I put up with?” Cooper shook his head but obviously couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his face. “This is why I normally make him stay on the other side of the house. You can’t tell him anything.”
These boys might have been a little bigger than I remembered. They had a little more facial hair and broader shoulders from working with their hands all day, every day. But they were still the same sarcastic, funny-as-hell boys I grew up with.
Thank God.
It would have been a shame if they’d changed too much.
“Did you want something to drink?” Nolan asked. “We can offer beer and soda... or some coffee?”