Cherished (Wanted 4)

Jessie snapped her head up and looked at me. “I’ve been craving these so much. They. Are. Heaven.”

Lark laughed, and then he took a bite. “Holy shit. These are delicious.”

Azurdee smiled and started eating again.

The moment I took a bite, I wanted to say how good they were, but I held back. Instead, I simply said, “Azurdee, these are the best crepes I’ve ever had.”

“Thank you. I make them for the coffee shop all the time. If we run out, our regulars get so mad,” she said with a giggle.

I peeked over and saw Lark staring at Azurdee. He could deny it all he wanted, but he liked her. Last night, he’d done everything in his power not to dance with her until he’d broken down and finally asked her to dance. The moment Keith Urban’s “We Were Us” had come on, they had both taken off dancing. I hadn’t seen Lark smile and laugh like that in a long time. The song had ended, and then they’d danced to “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely” by The Band Perry. Jessie had mentioned how sad Lark had looked. I’d been sure he had been thinking of Nikki.

“So, are you sure you need to leave today? You were planning on staying till the third,” I said before taking another bite.

Lark was snapped out of his trance and went back to eating.

Azurdee rolled her eyes. “Ugh, as much as I have loved being here, I have to get back. I left my mother in charge of the coffee shop, and if I didn’t lose any employees, it will be a miracle. I do wish I could stay longer though. I’ve really enjoyed myself,” she said with a smile as she looked over at Lark.

He was concentrating on clearing off his plate.

“Lark, you sure you have to leave?” I asked.

He looked up at me and smiled. “Dude, this was the longest Skip has let me off in a long time. I need to get back to work.” He stood up and looked around the table. “Speaking of, I probably need to get ready to leave soon.”

I quickly looked at Azurdee. Her whole body sagged in her seat, and she tried to smile, but it looked forced and weak. I stood up with my plate, grabbed Lark’s and Azurdee’s, and then I reached for Jessie’s. I practically had to pull the plate out of Jessie’s hands. I was ready for her to start licking it.

“Hey, I thought you were going to go look at that filly I bought. Didn’t you say you were interested in her?” I asked, knowing Lark really wanted that filly.

I also knew Azurdee loved going to the stable. She loved the horses.

“Shit. Yeah, I do want to take a look at her.” Lark ran his hand through his hair.

“Well, let’s go take a peek at her. Azurdee, would you like to go with us? I know how much you love the horses.”

She jumped up and clapped her hands. “Yes! I’d love to.”

Jessie laughed. “Y’all go ahead. I’m going to stay here and clean up.”

Azurdee’s smile faded. “No, Jessie, I cooked. I will stay and clean it up.”

“Nonsense, Azurdee. Go see the horses. You cook, I clean, remember?” Jessie said with a wink.

Azurdee smiled and nodded her head.

After we left the house and made our way to the ranch Jeep, Lark jumped in the back to let Azurdee sit up in the passenger seat. We were at the stable five minutes later. Azurdee jumped out of the Jeep before I even came to a stop. When she began skipping up to the stable, I smiled and looked over at Lark.

“She likes horses, I take it,” he said with a laugh and a shake of his head.

I chuckled. “Yeah, she loves them. She grew up in the city and has always dreamed of having a ranch or marrying a rancher.”

Lark’s smile faded for a brief second before it returned again. “Well, with the way that girl cooks, she’s gonna make some rancher one happy and fat guy.”

I laughed and nodded my head.

We got out of the Jeep and headed into the stable. As Lark and I talked about the filly, he kept looking at Azurdee. She was moving from horse to horse—talking to them, scratching them, and hugging them.

He looked back at me and said, “What did you say?”

I threw my head back and laughed. “Distracted?”