Chapter Nine

 

Zach stared across the table at the red-haired beauty. The warm glow from the light fixture made her long locks shimmer. He liked the soft copper color. It suited her; it was vibrant, distinct, just like her personality.

“Is this the point where I admit I don’t know how to play chess?” Cherie said, her eyes sparkling over the black and white board.

Zach laughed. “You’re doing better than me.”

He’d whisked her away to the mountains for a weekend getaway and after dinner, he’d suggested they play a game. For the last six days and nights he replayed his conversation with Garrett over and over in his mind. What was holding him back?

The answer was nothing. Himself, maybe. It was silly. It was unidentifiable.

He wasn’t in the rodeo anymore, facing down thousand-pound beasts. These days he had a better chance of hammering his own thumb than getting kicked in the head by a bull.

Cooper would have told him to take life by the horns. That’s just what Zach intended to do. His buddy had been so full of energy, willing to risk life and limb and even his heart.

Cherie already had Zach’s heart. He to gut up and had to tell her. And he was waiting for the perfect moment, when the sun kissed the horizon.

“Can I get you another beer?” Cherie asked. Her gaze darted to his empty green bottle.

Zach pushed back from the chessboard. “Let’s go out on the deck.” Neither of them was going to be a grand master at this game.

He snagged himself a beer and pulled a blanket from the back of the couch. Cherie refilled her wine glass, and they ventured outside to watch the sky come alive at sunset. The cabin was nestled against the side of a mountain, amongst the trees. The valley at their feet was a world away.

Nervousness crept up Zach’s shoulders. While he knew that she loved him, finding the words to share his feelings and desires, hopes and dreams was difficult. He’d never been any good at that sort of thing.

But he hadn’t become a rodeo champion by shrugging off a little difficulty. And she was worth it every ounce of gut tightening anxiety.

He settled onto a lounger next to hers and took a sip of his beer. Then he reached over and pulled her chair against his.

“You’re so strong, ” she said, her words coming out like a purr.

He draped the blanket over her legs.

“It comes in handy.”

“I’ll say.”

Her lips curved around her wine glass, almost as if she was smiling, as she looked out at the vista.

“How’s Monica?”

Cherie screwed her lips to the side. “She’s been kind of down this week. I guess that’s to be expected given how long she had her eye on Garrett. I think she’d built up a relationship in her mind. We’ve all been there.”

Her words stabbed Zach. He never wanted her to think that their relationship was one sided, but the truth was, she was generous with her words, her love, her affection.

While he showed her with his touch, his kiss, he understood that sometimes you needed to hear the words.

Thinking about Monica’s situation made him realize that although he’d had no problem walking up to Cherie and saying hello, he hadn’t been willing to put everything on the line.

“And Jackson?”

“You could say he and Garrett are something of an item now.” She grinned over at him. “Yesterday I got a photo of the two of them together at a concert.”

“Well, at least something good came out of all of that.” Not to mention he’d be reliving that BJ in the parking lot until he was old and senile.

“And evidently Garrett is quite the dancer.”

He groaned, remembering Cherie in Jackson’s arms. At the time, he hadn’t even registered who the other man was. All he’d seen was her folded against another man’s chest, staring up at him. The idea that he could lose her had left him raw and eager to make sure she had no reason to stray.

She snuggled closer and he draped an arm over her shoulders. He’d never tire of cuddling with Cherie. If only his rodeo buddies could see him now. They’d bust his balls, but the truth was, they had plenty of reason to be jealous.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the engagement ring he’d picked up on his way back from Atlanta. The diamond twinkled up at him thanks to three minutes in an ultrasonic cleaner. There was so much to say but his tongue felt too big for his mouth.

“I love you,” he said, putting it all on the line.

She nestled closer, wrapping an arm around his waist, giving him a squeeze. “I love you too.”

“I know I don’t tell you enough. I–” He paused, searching for the words. “I’m not good at this kind of thing. Put me on a horse or hand me a hammer, and I’m your guy.”

“You already are my guy. ”

“I want to do better. I need to tell you how wonderful you are, how pretty you are, and how I spend most of my day thinking about you. Construction is an extra dangerous business when you’re on my mind all the time.”

She sat up and looked at him, as if sensing a change.

“What I’m trying to say, is that I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life loving you.”

Her gaze fell to his lap, where he held the ring.

“Is that what I think it is?” Her voice was breathless and adorable.

“I think this was meant to be yours since the moment we met.”

He held it up to her. She studied the antique setting and the old diamond. It wasn’t as flashy as a new style made out of titanium and the stone wasn’t one of the newfangled cuts guaranteed to blind you with sparkle. But that was okay. The ring had history and love.

She smiled and her eyes shimmered.

“It belonged to my grandmother. She and PopPop were married for a long time and had a happy life together. I was hoping it would bring us luck.”

She sucked in a breath and clasped his hand in hers. “I love it. I love you.”

“Will you marry me?”

“Absolutely cowboy.”