Inspired By The Creative Cowboy (Sage Valley Ranch Book 5) Read online

  “I’ve known you less than a week, and I’ve kissed you twice. We haven’t even been on a date.” She chuckled.

  Smiling, he ran his fingers along her temple. “How about I rectify that? Would you go out with me tomorrow?”

  She nodded. “I’d love to.”

  He kissed her again, taking his time to properly thank her for accepting the invitation. He nipped her bottom lip. “I suspect we need to get a fire going.”

  Summer threaded her fingers in his. “I guess so.”

  One last kiss, and he used his free hand to open the pickup door and grab his guitar case before strolling to the backyard, holding hands with Summer.

  Julian could get used to this. Holding hands with her and taking a journey that led down a path of forever. He’d fallen for her. Now he needed to show her that he meant it. Just because he’d fallen fast didn’t mean he couldn’t slow down and take the next steps slower. His dad had courted his mom, and it had led to lasting devotion. That’s exactly what he wanted with Summer. A season that never ended.

  15

  One last mirror check, Summer thought to herself as she readied for her date with Julian. She’d picked a floral spaghetti-strap dress and sandals for the night, and she’d spent time curling her normally stick-straight hair.

  Nervous didn’t begin to describe how she was feeling. If this date was anything like she’d imagined, she’d be coming home with her head in the clouds and her heart firmly in his grasp.

  The night before, she’d walked with him to his truck, and before she knew it, she was locking lips with him. It had been even more incredible than the first kiss. Just thinking about it made her light-headed and gave her goosebumps.

  She’d been tempted to look him up online, but that wouldn’t tell her who he really was, and she wanted to find that out on her own. He sure could play the guitar. Maybe not Madison-Square-Garden good, but Summer loved it. Even her nanna had been impressed with his ability. Bucky requested an old hymn, and before long, they were all singing along. It had been the best night she’d had in a long while. And she had a feeling this night was going to top that.

  A knock came from the door, and her heart fluttered. Grabbing her purse on the way, she stopped, took a deep breath, and then opened the door.

  Her mouth fell open at the sight of him. “You normally take suits with you when you roam?” He was drop-dead gorgeous in his dark gray suit. It looked like it was made just for him.

  He shook his head. “No, I went out and bought one today.” He took her hands in his and bent down and kissed her. “I have never seen a woman lovelier than you, but I’ve thought that since the moment I saw you.”

  “I feel underdressed.”

  “You’re perfect.” He kissed her nose, prompting a giggle from her. “And you could make sugar jealous.”

  Heat rushed from her cheeks to her ears. “Thank you.”

  “Are you ready?”

  She nodded. “Uh-huh.” Yep, right out of the gate, and her head was nearly to the edge of the atmosphere.

  “Hope you don’t mind. We’ll be taking my truck.”

  Touching her lips to his, she whispered, “As long as I’m with you, I don’t care.”

  “I don’t either, and normally, I’m not this fancy, but I thought our first date should be something special. Thank you for accompanying me tonight.”

  A tickle raced down her spine. She’d never had anyone treat her like this, and, until Julian, she had no idea how much she loved it. “Thank for you asking me.”

  She shut and locked the front door, and they walked to his pickup where he held the door for her as she got in. On the ride to the restaurant, they chatted about their day and what they expected from the roofers the next day. Once they arrived, he jumped out and held the door for her again. It was little things like this that she’d wanted. Sweet gestures that meant she was treasured and desired.

  Inside, they were led to a booth, but instead of sitting across from her, he slid in beside her. It was cozy and romantic enough that goosebumps blazed down her arms. At this rate, she’d be covered from head to toe before the night was over. She rubbed them, trying to stop the tingles.

  “Are you cold?”

  What could she say? He was making every little dream she didn’t know she had come true? “Maybe a little.” A good white lie didn’t hurt, right?

  He took off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders. “There you go.”

  As if he wasn’t sigh-worthy before? “Thank you.”

  A waiter stopped at the table. “Good evening, I’m Jacob. I’ll be taking care of you tonight. May I start you with a house wine?”

  Julian shook his head. “Not for me. I’ll just have some tea.” He looked at her.

  “I’ll take tea as well.”

  The waiter smiled. “Any appetizers?”

  They looked at each other and shook their heads. Julian turned his gaze back to the waiter. “No, thank you.”

  “I’ll be back with those drinks in a moment while you look over the menu.”

  Summer held up her hand. She’d been to this restaurant a few times and didn’t need a menu. “Actually, Jacob, I know what I want. Just a small steak and some fries. But you can put it in when he knows what he wants.”

  Julian nodded. “Actually, I’m good with what she ordered, but maybe not as small.”

  The waiter chuckled. “Sure, I’ll go put that in, and I’ll be back with the drinks.”

  “Thanks,” Julian said.

  The waiter strode off, and the second he was gone, Julian pulled her close and kissed her. “Did I say thank you for being my date tonight? I think I did, but I should say it again.”

  Inside, she was squealing with delight. “You did, and I’m glad you asked me.”

  His eyes turned stormy. “I’m willing to take things slow and see where this goes. My parents did things kind of in the old-fashioned way, and they built a foundation that helped them weather storms. I want that, and…” Shaking his head, he looked down. “You probably think I’m crazy.”

  She tucked one finger under his chin and lifted his gaze back to hers. “I don’t think that’s crazy. I haven’t dated much because I want more than just dating. I want it to be leading somewhere.”

  “I want to be able to trust the person I’m with, and I want them to be able to trust me. Trust is a big deal to me. More than anything, I want you to know you can count on me always.”

  Her pulse jumped. Always. He might be wanting to take things slowly, but that was because he was thinking long term. “I want the same.”

  A smile stretched on his perfect lips, and his eyes twinkled. “And now that we’ve got a baseline, how about we enjoy the rest of our evening?”

  The rest of it? How about everything since the moment she opened the door. It would probably sound desperate and pathetic if she said that. “Sure.”

  They chatted until their food came and then slowly ate as they continued to talk. Over the next couple of hours, Summer learned even more about Julian. How he’d attended college a few semesters before being offered a chance to study with a painter in Paris. He’d stayed there two years when he was in his twenties. She couldn’t imagine being able to do that. The way his face lit up as he talked about it, the charm, the people, the history…it was enough to make her put it on her bucket list.

  “So, is it safe to ask what happened with your last job?” asked Julian.

  “It’s safe.” She set her fork down and folded her hands in her lap. “I told you that I grew up in West Texas. My dad left when I was little, so it was just me and my mom. For extra income, she saved her money, bought a rundown house, and fixed it up. It sold for a good profit, and she did it over and over. I thought she’d do it forever, but she got tired of it.”

  “Really?”

  Summer nodded, reliving the disappointment she felt when her mom said she was done with flipping houses. It had been a side job for her, and with Summer in college, she’d sold the business w
ithout even talking to Summer. “Yeah, and I’d helped her for a lot of it for extra money before I went to college. I thought I’d take it over one day, but she sold it and retired to Hawaii.”

  “Why didn’t she let you take over?”

  “I was in college, getting my business degree. In her mind, that was more important. Plus, at the time, if I’m honest, I was on the fence about it. Once she sold it, that’s what I wanted. Too late then, but right out of college, I went to work for a flipper in California.”

  “You didn’t stay in Texas?”

  “No, I wanted a change of scenery, and since my mom was in Hawaii, I figured why not.”

  His gaze dipped to the table. “I can understand that. What happened?” he asked as he looked back up.

  “Long story short?” She smiled. “I’d worked my way up to project manager. I was in charge of a dozen homes in various stages of remodeling. It’s a huge company out there, and I was one of a few project managers. But they were seeing a downturn in real estate and not hiring more.” She paused a second and took a drink of her soda. “A woman named Naomi was my assistant. She was so good. I thought we were friends. I mean, she’d worked for me for two years. One of the last homes I was working on, she sabotaged me. Ordered all the wrong materials, told contractors to show up at all the wrong times, booked things wrong and then blamed it on me. Since I was the manager and all the signatures were mine, the company let me go.”

  Julian knitted his eyebrows together. “Didn’t the company know that? You’d worked for them and never done that before.”

  “I had, but what I didn’t know was that Naomi was having an affair with the man in charge of the human resources department. Of course, I didn’t know that until after, but it was already done by then.”

  “Could you have fought to get your job back, though?”

  She shrugged. “I guess I could have, but I’d already moved back to the ranch. Nanna let me have a little bit of time to regroup and then gave me the barn project. I think she felt it might boost my spirits.”

  He closed his eyes and bit his lip. “And then that first contractor ditched you.”

  A light chuckle popped out. “Yep.” And once again, her blind ability to trust had hurt her. Which made this thing with Julian all the more strange. She trusted him wholeheartedly…and in the back of her mind, she wondered if she was being foolish. She hadn’t known him that long. What if he turned out to be someone else hiding things from her? But he said he wanted to take things slowly. Maybe it’d give her a chance to really trust him before things got too serious.

  When they were done eating, he took her back home and walked her to her door. “You can come in if you’d like. I could make us something to drink,” she said.

  He shook his head. “No, I better not. First, I don’t want Bucky coming after me, and second, I need to be up early tomorrow so I can meet the roofer out at the barn.”

  Summer understood; she just didn’t want the night to end. She’d enjoyed it so much. She couldn’t remember having such a good time with a man. “Okay. I guess we do need to work tomorrow.”

  Julian bent down and kissed her. “That doesn’t mean I don’t want to.”

  She circled her arms around his neck as he put his arms around her. “Thank you for taking me out tonight. I had a great time.”

  Holding her gaze, he smiled. “Me too.”

  With one last kiss, he let her go and stepped back. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

  “Okay,” she said and went inside.

  From her window, she watched him take slow, easy strides to his truck. Once he was gone, she leaned her back against the wall and sighed. It was only one date, but she couldn’t fathom the next being any less fantastic.

  Part of her wanted to be realistic. That there was no way this was going to end but badly. But the less-rational side of her brain seemed to be in charge. She’d worry about everything else later. For now, she’d soak up Julian and his kisses. The rest she’d deal with later.

  16

  Dropping his keys on the end table next to the lounger, Julian slipped off his suit coat and laid it over the back of the couch. He’d had the best date he’d ever had, and the desire to tell someone was so strong that he pulled out his phone and called his brother Zach.

  “Hey,” Zach said.

  “Hey, I didn’t wake Kenna, did I?”

  Zach laughed. “No, if you had, you’d be hearing from Harley.”

  Julian grinned. “True.”

  “What’s up?”

  “I think I found her.”

  “Her?”

  He took a seat in the lounger and flipped the legs up. “Yeah. I think she’s the one.”

  Zach coughed. “That’s a big deal coming from you. She must be something else.”

  “That’s an understatement. She’s beautiful, funny, bright, and spunky. Her name is Summer Brown.”

  “Wow. I’m shocked. You’ve always said you wanted to stay single.”

  That was true…until the past year when he’d grown increasingly tired of being alone. Seeing his brothers so happy and content made him want his own family. “I want what you and Noah have. I love Jenna, Bridget, and Kenna, and I want kids of my own.”

  “Yeah, just wait until you change a diaper with something so unholy in it that you wonder if you have a child or an alien.”

  Julian laughed. “I have, remember? You threw up.” It had been a story worth telling when Harley got home after the bridal shower they had for Mia. Zach didn’t appreciate the embellishment Julian had given the story, but Harley was doubled over, she was laughing so hard.

  “Hey, I have a sensitive stomach. I couldn’t help it. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought something like that could come out of a person so tiny and cute.”

  Laughing harder, Julian wiped his eyes. “I want that. The good, the bad, the smelly memories. I want all of it. You’re happier than I’ve ever seen you, and I realized I’ve been running from something that, deep down, I’ve wanted for a long time. I’ve just been too cowardly to admit it.”

  “Is that what’s been bothering you? Why you had so much trouble with this last group of paintings?”

  “Yeah. You getting married, then Noah, Zoe’s little girls, and Kenna coming along…Mia pregnant. It woke me up.”

  “It’s about time you figured it out.”

  “Like you had all the answers before you met Harley. Do I need to remind you?”

  Their dad’s brain tumor had slowly changed his behavior. He became a man who was angry, violent, and ruthless, nothing like the man they’d grown up with. Instead of listening to their mom about their dad’s illness, Zach had turned his back on their dad, and, until he met Harley, he’d sworn off relationships. He didn’t want what happened to his parents to happen to him. It had taken two weeks stranded on an island to wake up Zach.

  “No, I don’t need reminding,” Zach grumbled.

  “Let it go, Zach. Dad knew you loved him. We all dealt with his disease in different ways.”

  “But you didn’t turn your back on him.”

  Julian flipped the legs of the chair down and sat forward. “But I did. I ran to Paris.”

  “That’s different. You were studying with someone.”

  “And grieving the loss of my father before he was even gone. Why do you think that first gallery showing went so well? I was pouring my sadness and anger onto a canvas. You were building the business. Both of us were doing things that, if we’re honest, we knew would make Dad proud. And he was. I know it because I knew him.”

  For a few moments, Zach was quiet. “Thanks, Julian.”

  “They say wisdom comes with age.”

  His brother snorted. “You should be up there with Solomon, then.”

  Julian smiled. “Shut up. I’m not that much older.”

  “Keep telling yourself that, bro.”

  “Whatever. I just…”

  “Wanted to tell someone.”

  He nodded. “
Yeah.”

  “Well, good luck. Just remember, be honest with her and yourself. You might not be in the public eye as much as the rest of the family is, but you are. That’s not something you want to spring on her.”

  Zach was right, and Julian knew it, but he wanted a little more time to be just Julian. “Thanks.”

  “No problem.” Zach yawned. “Okay. It’s late, and I have a baby who will wake up long before I’m ready.”

  “Give her a kiss for me.”

  “I will.”

  They said their goodbyes, and Julian ended the call. He flipped the chair legs out again and stretched out, yawning. His talk with Zach had given him the opportunity to voice what he’d been thinking. Now that it was out, his feelings were even stronger. Given his choice, he’d work to make a life with Summer. He just needed to convince her.

  17

  Summer parked her car in front of Julian’s cabin. He was always at the barn at an insanely early hour, and she hoped she could catch him before he headed out. They’d been working so hard the last month that she wanted to treat him to something fun. Well, she hoped he thought it was fun.

  Just as she stepped out of her car, Julian opened the door. Her heart thrummed as he smiled.

  “Hey,” he said. “You’re really early.”

  “I wanted to catch you before you got all hot and sweaty. I have a surprise for you. That’s if you’re up to it.”

  He jogged down the steps, picked her up by the waist, and twirled her around. “If you’re there, that’s all I need.”

  Along with working hard the past month, they’d spent every evening together. Mostly either sitting on his front porch or hers, eating dinner and talking. It was so much better than a movie date because she got to know him: his wants, desires, and visions of his future. And she got to share hers. They talked about values and how many kids they wanted. The little things that were big things once two people planned a life together.

  She threw her head back and laughed. “You’re going to make me dizzy.”