Redeemed Cowboy (Whiskey Valley Bryant Brothers)

I look off in the distance and then back at Natalie. I don't want to ask, but I know I need to. “Can I ask you something, and you'll be honest with me?”

Natalie doesn't even hesitate. She nods her head. "Of course I'll be honest with you. What is it?"

“Did you know? I mean, do you know that I had a little crush on Ryan?”

For just a second, I think she's going to act like she doesn't have a clue what I'm talking about, but finally she nods her head and lets out a breath. “Yeah, I knew.”

I put my head in my hand. I can't believe everybody knew. I’ve made such a fool of myself. Natalie grips the stand in front of her. “Is that what all this is about, the new makeover, the new clothes? Because of Ryan?”

I shake my head. “It's not what you're thinking. I'm not doing this for him. Maybe I'm doing it because of him. He said... forget it.”

Her forehead creases. “He said what?”

I hold my hands up in front of me. “Oh, let's just say he thinks I'm a frump. And I mean, I can't really blame him, I guess.”

She starts to shake her head violently. “He said what? I can't believe Ryan said that about you.”

I shrug my shoulders. “It's the truth. Let's face it, I don't know anything about all this girly stuff. But I can't keep going like I am. I need to move on. I know there's no chance between Ryan and me. So I need to, I don't know, date somebody or something, I guess. I definitely don't need all of the Double B Ranch knowing that I have some crush on Ryan and looking like a fool.”

Natalie holds up a dress in front of her. “Nobody thinks you're a fool, Mia. Everybody loves you.”

I shrug my shoulders. Sure, what she says makes me feel better. And I've always felt like I fit in at the ranch. All of the brothers have gone out of their way to make me feel like I'm part of the family since my dad moved on. But I can't help but cringe thinking about everyone knowing about my crush. Mortified doesn’t even begin to cover it.

Natalie comes toward me with the dress. It's black, low cut in the front, fitted at the waist and flares around the bottom. “This would be perfect for the Cattleman’s Association Ball. You would be a knockout in it.”

I take the dress from her hands, hold it up to me, and turn around and look in the mirror. It's definitely like nothing I've ever worn before. "I'll go try it on," I tell her. I grab the dress and head into the dressing room.

"I want to see it," Nat says as I close the door behind me. When I have it on, I look at myself in the mirror and I barely recognize myself. If anything, I can't believe the person that is staring back at me.

I look good, I think to myself.

"Come on, I want to see it," Nat says again.

I flip the lock on the door and walk out, and she stares at me with her mouth hanging open. “It's perfect. All we need are the shoes, and it will be perfect on you. Ryan won't know—”

I hold my hands up to stop her. “Again, I’m not doing this for Ryan.” I really need to let it go. I need to do this for myself.

Nat nods her head and looks at me proudly. “You're beautiful, Mia, just the way you are inside and out.”

I can't resist reaching for her and pulling her in for a hug. King might as well have won the lottery when he met Natalie. She and Elijah have brought so much to the ranch, and I'm so happy to have a friend like her. I pay for the dress and the rest of the things that we've found.

As we're walking out of the mall, a deep voice sounds to the right of us. “Mia, is that you?”

I look over at the tall dark-haired man with tattoos on his arms. "Hey, Brent. I haven't seen you in forever." He pulls me in for a hug, and I put my arms around his waist and squeeze before looking up at him. I met Brent at one of the rodeos when I first got to town. Brent and his brothers all ride in the circuit and do really well at it.

He leans back and looks down at me, his arm still around my shoulders. “You look good. It's been a while, hasn't it?”

I nod, and I can feel myself blush at the compliment. “Thanks. Yeah, it's been a while, but I saw how you're doing in the circuit. Don't think that you weren't the talk of the town a few weeks ago when you won the championship at the Buckin’ Rodeo. Congratulations.”

It's his turn to be embarrassed, but he shrugs his head. “Hey, would you like to go out to dinner and maybe catch up?”

I've always liked Brent, and he's a good guy, but I know that it's not a good idea for me to go out to dinner with him.

“I don't—"

But before I can get the words out, Natalie elbows me in the side. “Why don't you come out to the house for dinner? You guys can catch up there.”

I hold my hands up in front of me. Nat has no idea who this man is, and I didn't introduce him. I know it's not a good idea for him to be invited out to the ranch for dinner. “Sorry. Brent, this is Natalie, King’s wife. Nat, this is Brent McCoy. He’s our neighbor.”