True to her word, the dining hall was packed. After one tray was finished and the guys hadn’t arrived yet, I set aside three servings for us. Ten minutes later, they strolled in together looking like sex on a stick. Fresh jeans, tight short-sleeved shirts that showed off all their hard-earned muscles, and both had tousled hair from their showers. Scott was clean shaven, and I was slightly disappointed. Ty’s short beard was so enticing, I had wondered what it would be like to be assaulted by both of them with scruff. The scratch of their beards hitting me from both sides.
Down, Grace.
When they approached, I pulled their plates from the warmers and passed them across the counter. I gave Jessie a quick cheek to cheek kiss, then grabbed my plate and joined them. There wasn’t really too many places to sit that would fit the three of us comfortably.
Scott turned and caught my attention. He tipped his chin in the direction of the door, and I followed them out. We wandered over to a truck that had the tailgate down. I looked closer and noticed there was a tiny cooler in the back, as well as some cushions laid out for us to sit on.
“Did you guys plan this?” I teased with a smile. Was it too soon to tell them that this was perfect?
“It’s lasagna night. We didn’t think there would be much space tonight. Plus, it’s too loud in there,” Scott said as he set his plate down in the back of the truck. He turned and took mine from me. Ty climbed into the bed, and I was surprised when Scott’s hands wrapped around my waist and lifted me onto the tailgate.
When we were all settled, Ty pulled out a bottle of wine from the cooler and filled a cup. He turned the bottle so I could see it before passing me my drink. It was the last of the wine from yesterday. Scott must have remembered I really liked it and brought it home. He was so sweet.
Scott fished out two beers from the cooler and handed one to Ty.
“What? No scotch?”
“Only when we are relaxing at home. Helps to unwind from a hard day.” Scott took a sip of his beer and gave me a small smile.
“I know other ways to unwind when I’m hard at the end of the day,” Ty said, making Scott choke on his drink.
I laughed at his brazen statement, liking it far more than I thought I would. Ty was very open and flirty. Scott was more sweet and charming. The two were the perfect pair.
“Amen to that.” I lifted my glass to Ty, and I swear I heard Scott groan.
We talked as we ate the most amazing dinner. I was pretty proud of myself for helping since I didn’t cook much. The guys gave me another lesson on how the cattle side of the ranch worked. They told me how in two weeks, they were all heading out to drive the cattle down to the pastures closer to the main house for the winter. They needed to have everything settled by November since that was when the weather started to change for the worse.
They asked me when I was going to compete in another horse show. I was excited about my upcoming schedule. I was already signed up for the Las Vegas National & USHJA Championships in November and then the Rolex Grand Prix in December. It was something I needed to discuss with Blake. Especially since I wasn’t sure if I was still going to be able to make those if I didn’t have a team to back me up. I filed that away to ask her in the morning.
When we finished, Ty quickly returned our plates to the kitchen while Scott packed up the cooler and helped me down from the truck like a gentleman. When my feet touched the ground, my eyes were drawn upward to stare into Scott’s eyes. I didn’t think I was that short, being five-seven, but I only reached his chin. He had the most beautiful eyes. I could feel myself getting lost in their stormy gray depths. Combined with the warmth of his hand on my waist helped fight off the chill from the night air.
Scott jerked his hand away when we heard the crunch of Ty’s boots against the ground nearby. What did I need to do to break through to Scott? Why was he holding back from me? I felt his desire. I saw it on his face when he looked at me, but something kept pulling him away at the last second.
When Ty reached us, he held out his hand, and I laced my fingers with his. Scott grabbed the cooler and fell into step on my other side. I tried not to let it hurt me when he didn’t take my hand like Ty had.
As we quietly walked toward the bunkhouse, a rustle in the bushes caught our attention. Then a dark figure raced out from it and off into the darkness. I released Ty’s hand and squeaked, throwing myself into Scott’s side. He wrapped his arm around me protectively, shielding me from any danger.
“Don’t worry, Grace. We’ve got you,” Ty said. “It’s probably just a racoon or a possum. Maybe even a coyote.”
I shivered and gave a whimper when he mentioned coyote. I wasn’t used to all the wildlife out here. It was nothing like I had experienced in the cities of Florida. Scott pulled me tighter to his side.
Ty grabbed the cooler from him, and Scott wrapped me in a hug. I buried my face into his chest and inhaled his scent. Pine and a light touch of leather. I felt the brush of his lips on the top of my head.
“Peaches,” he mumbled.
“What?”
“Nothing.” He continued to hold me close.
After a minute, Scott released me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m good. Thanks. I can handle a raccoon but the thought of a coyote…” I trailed off.
“They usually don’t come around the buildings. We see them in the far pastures mainly,” Scott reassured me.
A breeze hit us, and I shivered from the cold.
“Let’s get you inside,” Ty said softly as he came up behind me, blocking the wind.
Knowing I was loosely sandwiched between them had my body heating back up.
“Yes, please,” I said, and we continued our way back to the bunkhouse.