Winning the Cowboy (Circle B Ranch 6)

Stepping back, his hand falls from my face as I look at my phone.

“It’s Maize.”

“Go ahead, I gotta get back to the ranch anyway.” He motions to his truck, and I nod.

“Okay, see ya later.” I wave and watch as he walks away.

Quickly, I slide my finger across the screen before it goes to voicemail.

“Hey,” I answer. “What’s up?”

“Hey, so sorry to bother you. I know you’re at the school right now, but I’m in a pickle.”

“What’s goin’ on?” I ask eagerly as I go to lock up the school.

“I need a babysitter for just a few hours. Gavin had to go with Uncle Jackson to deliver a horse, and Mom’s watching the kids right now. One of the B&B housekeepers called in sick, and Dad needs help cleaning the rooms before more guests check in this afternoon so he needs Mom’s help. I can ask Grandma but—”

“No, no. I can do it. I’m leaving now anyway.”

“Ah, thank you! I owe ya one.”

“Yeah ya do.”

After we say goodbye, I hop in my SUV and drive to Maize’s.

“Hey, Mom. I’m here to take over.”

“Thanks, sweetie. I would’ve been happy to stay, but your dad needs some help.”

“It’s fine. I don’t mind hangin’ out with these little rascals anyway.”

I kneel and tickle Maddy as she tries to escape my hug. Mom kisses the girls goodbye, then it’s just the three of us.

“Did y’all eat lunch yet?” I ask, realizing I’m ready to devour anything within arm’s reach.

Mila Rose hands me her snack cup that’s filled with crushed Goldfish.

“Oh, thank you for sharing.” I mimic spoon-feeding myself. “Nom. Nom. Let’s go see what’s in the pantry. Auntie Kenzie’s still hungry.”

Maddy and Mila Rose follow me to the kitchen, telling me everything they want to eat. I find a box of Frozen-shaped mac ’n’ cheese and can’t wait to give Maize shit for having processed food in her house.

“Hot dogs!” Maddy says when I open the fridge.

“Ahh, good idea.” I take them from the drawer.

“And juice,” Mila Rose adds.

“Of course,” I say, taking that out next. “Anything else? Maybe we should balance this with some fruits and veggies.”

I grab some strawberries and a can of corn. “Good enough for me.” I put the girls in their booster seats, then find their iPad to occupy them while I cook. “What do y’all wanna watch?”

“Bo On the Go!” they shout and point as I scroll through the options.

“Never heard of that one but okay…” I click it and feel instant regret when I hear the theme song. It’s gonna be stuck in my head for days.

The girls sing along and dance in their chairs as I prepare our gourmet meal. Though they’re two and a half now, I can’t believe how big they are. It still feels like yesterday when Maize announced she was pregnant. Now I can’t imagine life without them. Someday I hope I can have a table filled with kids too.

“Well, what’s the verdict?” I ask after they take their first few bites.

“Yum!” they say, keeping their eyes glued to the screen. I’m pretty sure Maize would kill me if she knew I let them watch TV while eating.

“So you girls wanna know a secret?” I say, pulling them away from their show. “But you can’t tell anyone.”

I don’t know why I feel like I have to get this off my chest, but if I can trust anyone not to tell, it’s my two little nieces who won’t even understand what I’m talking about.

“So there’s a boy I think I might like,” I say softly. “Except I don’t want to like him. At least when we were bickering all the time, it was easier not to, but now that we’re not…” I pause briefly as I come to terms with the reality of our situation. “It’s harder to fight that attraction between us.”

The girls look up at me with their big doe eyes, chewing on noodles and corn.

“So what should I do?” I ask them.

“More Frozen,” Maddy says, holding up her plate.

“Me too.” Mila Rose mimics her sister’s actions.

I chuckle at how unfazed they are about my predicament. “What’s the magic word?”

“Pleeeeeease.”

“Alright, you won me over. More mac ’n’ cheese comin’ up.”

I grab their plates and add a bit more. When I return with more food, I sit and think about why I’ve stayed away from Grayson. If we didn’t have a past, I’d probably have already admitted my feelings to him. But we have a history, and I know his secret.

He just doesn’t realize that I know it.

Chapter Twelve

GRAYSON

The workday is relatively straightforward, and luckily, nothing insane has happened this past week.

“You almost done?” Diesel asks as I throw some alfalfa out for the cows.

“Yep.” I remove my gloves and shove them in my back pocket. “Just finished.”

“Awesome. Did ya pack yet?” He grabs the tools we were using to repair the roof on the barn and places them in the tack room.