West of Forever (Heartstone Ranch #1)(63)

I stare down at the text and bite my thumbnail. How do I answer that?

How about honestly, Lark?

I sigh and respond.

Maybe. Why? Are you planning to kill me and leave me somewhere in the wilderness?





Ben Thrustin





Since I have you in the wilderness pretty much every night and haven’t killed you yet, I think you’re safe.





Am I?





Ben Thrustin





Care to take a chance?





Yes, yes, I do. Which is stupid. I could tell him no, say I don’t want that, and we need to stick to the rules we set.

I could, but you know, that’s just clearly not what I’m willing to do when it comes to anything regarding Tristan.

What do you have in mind?





Ben Thrustin





Pack a bag and come away for the night.





I read that text six times to make sure I’m not seeing words that aren’t there, but no, that’s what it says.

You want me to come away with you?





Ben Thrustin





Yes, leave your car at Mary Lou’s and I’ll pick you up there at five.





All right…





I’m not sure what the heck any of this is, but at the same time, there’s no way I’ll say no.

Mary Lou is back in Montana, so that seems like a great place to leave my car so no one will notice. Not sure what I’m going to tell my family, but Carter will arrive soon, and I doubt they’ll care, since it’s all about him anyway.

Still, I fret for the rest of the day about it all. I worry about what to wear, where we’re going, what we’re going to do.

Each time I check the clock and it’s been only fifteen minutes instead of the hour it feels like, I start to go a little crazy.

Finally, around four, I put the horses up and find Momma in the kitchen.

“Hi, love.”

I smile and kiss her cheek. “Hi, Mom. Just so you know, I’m going to see Mary Lou tonight, and I’ll be home sometime tomorrow.”

Her eyes widen. “Oh? Did you mention that before?”

“No, she called and asked me to come up. I miss her, so…”

“Of course, honey. Have fun.”

“I will. I’m going to shower and head out.”

Momma smiles. “All right.”

I rush upstairs to my room and hop in the shower, stressing the entire time I wash the day off. I try not to shake as I’m shaving my legs—and other places. This is kind of exciting and totally out of character. Still, a night away with Tristan where we’re not worried about bugs or horses or sneaking out is going to be kind of amazing.

As I’m washing the conditioner out of my hair, a new worry hits me. What the hell do I pack?

Gah! All of this is too much.

Okay, breathe, Lark. You’ve already been with this man every night for almost two weeks. This is just an overnight trip where we’ll actually be in a bed—maybe.

I’ll pack a cute dress, comfy shoes, and condoms. Lots of condoms.

Although maybe he’ll bring those.

I force myself to keep it together. I put on a pair of jeans, boots, and a cute top with a sweatshirt over it—so no one will see said cute top—and throw some stuff in a bag. Okay, that’s a lie. I literally agonize over which sundress to pack, but I finally get one in there that I don’t totally hate.

Once I pass the mirror test, I head out to Mary Lou’s house, park my car, and wait.









Chapter 25





Tristan




“Now are you going to tell me where we’re going?” Lark asks for the fifteenth time in about an hour.

I shift my gaze to her and grin. “Nope.”

“Ugh, you’re so annoying.”

“Yes, I’ve been told this often.”

“I’ll assume by Sadie and your sisters?” she hedges her bet.

“It makes me think that females are really nuts.”

She slaps my chest. “Watch it, or I’ll show you how nuts I can be.”

“Oh, I haven’t seen it all yet?”

Lark rolls her eyes. “You haven’t seen half. Hell, you haven’t even seen a tenth. You’ve gotten all the good parts so far.”

Yes, I really have. I smile and take her hand in mine. I tell myself it’s because I want to keep her from slapping me again when I say the next thing. “Who knew you had good parts.”

Her jaw drops. “Tristan Stone, you asshat.”

I laugh. “I’m kidding. So far all I see are good parts.”

At that, her mouth turns into a smile. “Aww, that was sweet.”

“What can I say? I’m charming.”

“Yeah, that’s the adjective I’d choose.” She tries to hide the softness in her eyes, but I see it.

I just choose not to say anything about it.

The next day and a half are a chance for us to not worry about anything. No nosy neighbors who might see us. No cameras that might catch us. No prying family members who will never understand what we’re doing or why.