Catching the Cowboy (Circle B Ranch 2)

I suck in a deep breath, and the hearty smell fills my nose. I can’t grab a plate fast enough. Grayson and I sit and immediately dig in. I look around, and laugh because there are more ranch hands than guests in the dining area. If Maize comes out and sees us eating up all her food, she’s gonna lose her shit. Honestly, though, she should be used to it by now. It’s been a longtime tradition among the workers, which was started by John, Jackson, and Alex themselves, not to mention it’s Grandma Bishop approved.

The next morning, I’m up before I get a text from Riley because I’m so damn nervous to be around Rowan. It’s time for us to drive to Houston to help her move all of the shit she’s accumulated while at college back home. The last time she was in town was spring break two months ago, and even then, we both worked, so I didn’t actually see her that much. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited for her to be here permanently.

I meet him at the B&B, then we hook up the lowboy and get going. It’s a six-hour drive to the campus, and Riley calls Zoey almost every hour to check on her. It’s disgustingly cute.

After all the boxes are loaded, we immediately drive back. Rowan’s following us, and Riley notices the smug grin on my face. If looks could kill, I’d be six feet under.

We don’t stop to eat a proper lunch, just some shitty fast food to go because Riley wants to get home before dark.

“You know this ain’t gonna tame the beast,” I tell him, unwrapping and nearly devouring the burger within three bites. I can barely hear him scolding me for making a mess as I sip my Coke.

Though we’re not supposed to speed while hauling a trailer, Riley doesn’t follow the rules. He goes as fast as he wants and takes curves like a bat outta hell. Rowan’s boxes are sliding around, and I know if any of them fall off, she’ll kick someone’s ass. And for once, it won’t be mine.

We finally make it back to Eldorado, and Riley nearly flies down the long dirt road that leads to his parents’ house. He parks, hops out, and already has a box in his hands by the time Rowan catches up with us and gets out of her car.

“Seriously? I’m telling Zoey how you were driving.” She throws Riley a glare with a hand on her curvy hip. Soon, the two of them are going back and forth as we carry the boxes. Rowan’s trying her hardest to ignore me, but each time I pass her, our eyes meet.

After thirty minutes, we’re still unloading. Her shit is heavy, as if she packed the boxes with bricks, so I peek inside one and see a few romance books and souvenirs from her college life. I walk into her bedroom she had when we were kids, and it brings me back in time. The walls are still purple, and some posters of her favorite boy bands are still hung. It’s like a time capsule of Rowan’s teenage years.

“I plan to have a life, thank you very much,” I hear her say.

“Yeah, hanging out with me,” I interrupt, hauling in an oversized box and dropping it.

“Hey! That could’ve been fragile!” She stands and gives me a scowl. She’s so cute when she’s mad.

“Relax, princess. I looked inside, and it wasn’t.” I flash her a shit-eating grin.

She pushes her finger into my chest, but I don’t move an inch. “Don’t look through my things, you weirdo!”

I chuckle as Riley interrupts our moment. “She literally just moved back. Can’t you two be adults and stop antagonizing one another?” he asks, then laughs.

“Between Diesel and me, there’s only one adult here,” she says, narrowing her eyes at me.

I press a palm to my chest. “Now that just hurts. You wound me.”

She rolls her eyes and pushes past me, all worked up.

“Alright, children. Let’s get this shit done so I can get back to my pregnant wife.” Riley scolds, following her. By the smile on his face, I can tell he’s thinking about Zoey. I take a few minutes to look around her room and remember coming in here when we were kids. Before she gets weirded out that I’m lingering, I leave and pass them as they continue bickering.

I look at the boxes and see one has clothes written on it in black Sharpie. If she was worried about me looking through her romance books and pictures, this will really get her fired up. Happily, I grab it, walk inside, then set it down.

“I went through this one too.” I smirk at Riley, knowing he’s going to be annoyed at our banter, but I don’t care. “You have a thing for red thongs, huh?” I tease Rowan.