Redeemed Cowboy (Whiskey Valley Bryant Brothers)

It’s a few days later, and all I can think about is that kiss we shared in Mia’s office. The kiss that I shared with Mia has completely floored me, and I can't get it off my mind. We haven't talked much since sharing cake at the diner. I made sure to keep things light and not talk about anything serious. I wanted us to just have fun together, and that’s exactly what we did. I’ve wanted to kiss her a thousand times since then, but I’ve refrained. She hasn’t completely ignored me or avoided me, but I can tell she’s a little guarded around me. I’ve been busy at the ranch, but tonight is the night of the Cattleman's Ball, and I'm excited and even a little nervous about it.

King, Elijah, and Nat left for Texas to see Nat’s parents. Chance and Griffin came by this afternoon and filled me in on their plans. They're going into Knoxville to get some horses, and they'll be back tomorrow. Around midday, I make my way into the office in the barn. Mia is in her seat at her desk, typing away at her computer.

"Do you have everything you need for tonight?" I ask her. I haven't brought up the dress again. I'm sure she got one and paid for it for herself, even though she should have just used the credit card for the ranch.

"Yep. I think I have everything," she says. I tilt my head, trying to get her to look at me. She’s guarding her heart, but I know it’s because I have a lot to prove to her in one date—heck, it isn’t even really a date—but I know I need to tread lightly with her. There’s no way I want to ruin this before it even starts. I’ve never been a patient man, but I’m finding with Mia, I can be.

I move farther into the office. "What color is your dress?" I ask her.

She looks at me, surprised. “It's black. Nat helped me pick it out. Don't worry. I'm not going to embarrass you, Ryan.”

“You could never embarrass me, darling.”

She seems surprised by the term of endearment, but instead of saying anything, she goes back to typing. I leave the office and go into town, stop at the flower shop, and then come back. Midafternoon, Mia shuts down the office and heads up to the main house while I wrap up everything with the animals and leave Allen, one of the hands, in charge.

I shower quickly, and as I get dressed and try to tie my tie, I realize I’m nervous. I can’t remember ever being nervous for a date. It takes me three tries to get my tie straight.

When I get back downstairs, Mia comes into the living room, and I'm speechless as I stare at her. She's absolutely stunning. I walk toward her with one hand behind my back. “You're beautiful, Mia.” She fidgets, brushing the hair off her shoulder. “I'm not, but thank you.”

I shake my head, wishing to God that I’d never said what I said to my brother. I swear if I have to spend the rest of my life making it up to her, making her believe that she is beautiful, I’ll do it. I walk closer to her. “Yes you are. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.”

She rolls her eyes like she doesn't believe me as I bring my hand out for my back and hold up the corsage. I don't think I've ever bought flowers for a woman before, and maybe it's outdated and whatever, but this is something I felt the need to do. “Here you go.”

Her mouth drops open, and she stares at the beautiful flower in my hand. I help her put the corsage on her wrist. It's small, simple, and elegant, and it looks beautiful on her.

"Did you get this for me?" she asks, surprised.

“Who else would've gotten it? And who else would I buy it for?”

She shakes her head. “I didn't know if you had Nat pick it up or something.”

I hate that she doesn't have faith in me, but I make a promise to myself right then that I'm going to make a change. She really does make me want to be a better man. “I went into town this afternoon and picked it up myself. I know you said your dress was black, but I thought the red rose was a nice touch.”

She puts her finger on the petals of the rose and gently swipes her finger across them. “It's beautiful. Thank you so much. No one has ever gotten me flowers before.”

I pull her hand up to my lips and kiss the back of her hand. I don’t let her go. “Next time I'll buy you a dozen.”

She rolls her eyes and laughs, slapping her hand across my chest. I catch her hand and lace our fingers together. "Are you ready?"

She swallows and nods her head. I help her out the door and down the front steps. When we get to the truck, I open the door and help her into my freshly cleaned truck and drive us into town to the convention center.

Mia is quiet the whole way, and I try to draw her out of her shell when we're almost there. I reach across and grab her hand, thread our fingers together, and hold it on the console between us. She looks surprised, and I can't say that I blame her. For three years, I haven’t touched her. Now it’s like I can’t keep my hands to myself. I'm sure she's wondering what the hell is going on, but I can't explain this urgent need to have my hands on her now. It's like I'm afraid if I blink, I'm going to lose her. All this time, she's been right under my nose, and I didn't even realize what I had.

“I want you to have fun tonight. We're going to dance, laugh. I know you haven’t forgiven me for what I said, but I won’t ever hurt your feelings again. I want to see you smile. I want you to look at me like you always do.”

She's still looking at our hands, and I squeeze her fingers until she looks up at me. "Do you dance?" she asks, surprised.

I shrug my shoulders. “I normally don't, but I will with you.”

Finally, I get that smile from her. I go around and help her out of the truck, and she starts to fidget. "Stop fidgeting," I tell her.

She looks around at all the people and back at me with a frown. “I can't believe I told King I would do this.”

I hold her hand a little tighter. Not because I’m afraid she’s going to run. I know she won’t. She takes responsibility pretty seriously, but I’m looking for any reason to keep her close. “I’m glad you did, Mia. I wouldn’t want to be here with anyone else.”

Her lips form into a flat line. She whispers softly to me, “Please, Ryan, don’t mess with me. I can’t...” She shakes her head and looks at me sadly. “Let’s just have a good time, okay? You don’t have to lay it on so thick.”

Damn, I’ve been a fool. “We’re going to have a good time tonight, Mia, and then when we get home later, we’re going to talk.”