West of Forever (Heartstone Ranch #1)(64)

We can just be together, no restrictions, no worries, no expectations.

And the benefits of a bed.

Lark lets out a deep sigh, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Can you at least tell me what we’re doing?”

She can’t help herself, and it’s really fucking cute. “We’re going to deliver the horses, and we’re going to drive to a town close by and have a night to ourselves. Is that okay?”

Her hand slides into mine, and she nods. “Very okay.”

“Good.”

“How long until we’re there?”

I bark a laugh. “You’re as bad as Sadie.”

“Considering I think she’s of high intelligence and wonderful, I’ll take it as a compliment,” Lark says with a smirk.

Arguing that my daughter is not those things doesn’t exactly make me sound good, so I focus more on what I was implying. “I meant the part where she’s annoying on road trips.”

“Oh, well, according to my brothers, I’m annoying when I don’t know something. Really, this is your own doing,” she informs me.

“How is that?”

“Let’s see. You won’t tell me where we’re going.” She ticks the first one off on her free hand. “You won’t tell me how far away it is.” Next one. “You won’t say what we’re doing when we’re in said place.” She sighs heavily. “And you’re allowing my imagination to run wild, so this is your penance.”

“I see.”

She looks around. “Oh, are we in Utah? Or maybe Arizona? Shit. I should’ve paid more attention!”

“You’ve been too busy yapping about random things.”

Lark snorts. “Yeah, like being taken against my will and crossing state lines.”

Now it’s my turn to laugh. “Against your will, huh?”

“That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.”

“Why don’t we call the cops then?” I taunt her a little. “Maybe Jimmy can come arrest me.”

“Don’t tempt me with a good time.”

“I almost forgot you and your friends have a thing about cuffs,” I say, remembering our night at the bar.

However, that also reminds me about how much I’d like to explore having her bound up, just for me.

“I do not. If you recall, that was Suzanne,” Lark corrects.

“And what about you? Would you like me to tie you up?”

She grins at me, mischief in her eyes. “Maybe, cowboy.”

“I’m very good with rope.”

“I bet you are.”

God, I love the banter between us. The way it’s so easy and natural makes my heart swell.

I’ve never had a relationship like this before. Where we can laugh, talk, and just be a little stupid at times.

I loved my wife with all my heart, but we were young, and so was our love in a lot of ways. We didn’t have a playful marriage. My mother got sick a week after we were married, and it changed everything in our lives. Then Emmy Jo got pregnant with Sadie soon after that. A few months after giving birth, she was diagnosed with cancer.

Emmy Jo smiled up until the end of her life, but it never really reached her eyes.

With Lark, her entire face lights up. She’s like the sun, blinding as she rises, and you just want to bask in it. She takes the clouds and pushes them aside, allowing the rays to peek through.

It’s hard to look away from.

Even harder to stay away from.

“All right, do you really want to know where we’re going?” I ask.

She bounces in her seat and squeezes my hand. “Yes!”

“Good. You’ll find out when we get there.”

“I hate you.”

“You don’t,” I tell her.

“No, I really do.”

“Well, I am your sworn enemy.”

“This is a fact.”

Only we don’t do anything that enemies do. In fact, we’re doing the opposite of that. Although, if we were caught leaving town, I probably would’ve made a joke that I was kidnapping her to get to her family.

They would’ve bought it.

“You’re mine as well,” I remind her.

“Also true, but do you take all your enemy conquests away on sex trips?” Lark asks.

I could answer sarcastically, allow the jokes and quips to continue. Instead, I tell her the truth.

“No, sweetheart, you’re the only one.”





Lark leans across the table. We’re in Arizona, right outside of the Grand Canyon. “Do you feel weird?”

“Weird?”

She nods. “Yeah, like we’re doing something we shouldn’t?”

“Not really. We’re at dinner—are we not allowed to eat?”

“You know what I mean,” Lark says with an eye roll.

I do, but it’s so much more fun to irritate her. “We’re not doing anything weird or odd. No one here knows us.”

“I’m aware of that, Tristan. We’re in another state. Still, I feel like we’re going to get caught.”

I lean in, taking her hand in mine. “Then stop being weird and looking like we’re doing something wrong.”