Done and Dusted (Rebel Blue Ranch, #1)

by Lyla Sage

“Is it hard? To love someone even though they’re gone?” I felt like I needed to take advantage of this time with my dad when he was freely talking about my mom. “No, loving Stella is the easiest thing I’ll ever do, whether she’s here or not.” Who knew Amos Ryder was such a romantic?

“Did she ever regret it? Staying here?” I asked, voicing my biggest fear to my father: that I would regret staying here. My dad looked at me thoughtfully, like he knew exactly what I was thinking. “You know, I don’t think she did. When she left her hometown, she was searching for something. I think she found it here.” “What was she looking for?” “The things we’re all searching for: love, support, purpose.” “And she found that in you?” “And in the mountains. And in August. And in Weston. And in you.” I felt tears prick in my eyes. Who was cutting onions in this fucking coffee shop? I’d never really cried for my mom, but today I cried for the man who’d lost her. Leave it to my dad to make me nice and misty-eyed in a public place. He looked at me, and love was written all over his face when he said, “I hope you find that, too, Clementine. Whether it’s in Meadowlark or somewhere else later down the line.”

Later that night, we fell asleep on his couch watching my favorite, Sweet Home Alabama.

“Wow, you really have been busy.” “They’ve only been here for a few minutes. I thought I had it timed perfectly to when you’d come down, but I didn’t take into consideration how often you snooze your alarm.” I gave him another playful shove. “Shut up.” “How can you grow up on a ranch and still not be able to wake up with an alarm?” “I stay up late. I like the quiet.”

It was hard to breathe, but not because I was panicking. It was because this man had quite literally taken my breath away.

“Sugar, you deserve to go out on your own terms. Just because you got dusted doesn’t mean you’re done.”

When we got them situated, Luke told me he’d call me later as he was walking away, but there was no way I was letting him go into that house, the house that made him feel like he wasn’t worth anything, all alone. That’s how I ended up in Luke’s truck, in the middle of the bench seat, with my head on his shoulder and our fingers intertwined.

“Mrs. Hale,” I jumped in. “Is there anything we can do for you while we’re here? Make you dinner or anything?” Lydia took another drag of her cigarette and blew the smoke in my direction as she surveyed me. “I don’t need anything else from the Ryders,” she said sharply. What was that supposed to mean? “Your lot already took my son away from me, and now I see you’ve got your claws in him.” Luke squeezed my hand again. “Mom. You know I couldn’t stay here,” Luke said fiercely. “Don’t hate the Ryders for giving me what you couldn’t, and I’m not going to stay here if you talk to my girl that way.” My girl.

“That sucked,” he finally said. “Is it bad if I hope that John just stays gone?” “No,” I responded. Luke lifted his head from the steering wheel and looked at me. It didn’t feel like I was looking at Luke, the thirty-two-year-old man. It felt like I was looking at Brooks, the fifteen-year-old boy who would’ve done anything for a family.

When I pulled back, he said, “Thank you for coming with me, Emmy.” “I’d go anywhere with you,” I responded. I meant it.

“That’s my girl.” Luke smiled big enough that I could see the wrinkles around his big brown eyes. They were the last thing I saw before he kissed me. You know in the action movies, when the hero and heroine kiss right before the battle, and all of the sudden they’re ready to take on the aliens or the mutated monster or whatever? I understood that now.

“What?” I asked her. She shook her head slightly like she was in a daze. “You’re in love with her,” she said. It wasn’t a question. “Yeah, I am.” I didn’t have any reason to lie to Teddy. If she didn’t punch me in the face the day she came into my office to interrogate me, I was pretty sure she wouldn’t now. “Does she know?” “Not yet.” “You should tell her.” “I will.” “She loves you, too, you know.” The thought of that terrified me, but it also made me feel like the luckiest man alive. I didn’t really know how to be in love, but I knew I wanted to be with Emmy in every way I could. I wanted the kitchen slow dances, nights out with shots, rides through the mountains, hot sex, afternoon naps, and two-lane highways with the windows down. I wanted it all. “How do you know that?” “She asked for you.” Teddy shrugged. “Emmy never asks for anything. She just puts her head down and deals with things in the only way she knows how, by kicking shit around in her own brain. But she asked for you.”

“You know,” Amos started, “the last time Emmy raced in Meadowlark was before she went to college. I’ve seen her race hundreds of times since then, but there’s something about seeing her race in her hometown.” Amos sounded…choked up? The man wasn’t afraid of feelings or emotions or anything like that. He told his boys he loved them, he hugged everyone, and let Riley paint his nails, but I don’t think I’d ever seen him get misty.

“He’ll get over it.” “I don’t know if he will,” I responded. “I do. Emmy came home broken, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who helped her put herself back together. “Thank you,” he continued, “for taking care of my baby girl.” “She can take care of herself,” I said. “I know she can, but you made sure she didn’t have to do it alone.”

I came back and outstretched my hand to Gus, hoping he would take it. He did, and we shook hands. As I ran out the front door, he called after me, “Just so you know, if you break my sister’s heart, a black eye is going to be the least of your worries.”

“I still can’t believe Luke took a punch for you. He’s normally the guy that does the punching,” she had said while we were lying in my bed the morning after the race. “He’s down bad for you, Emmy. You should’ve seen him in the stands at the race. He couldn’t take his eyes off you. How everyone didn’t know the man was hat over boots for you before the whole kissing incident is beyond me.

“It’s true. I’ve never seen you just melt like that. And I’ve never seen Brooks’s face look anything other than careless. I think both of you bring out each other’s soft side.” “What does that even mean?” “Some love stories burn hot and fast, but you two are more low and slow,” she said. “It’s a strong and steady kind of love.” She was right. More than anything, Luke made me feel safe.

Luke jumped off of Friday, literally, when they were about fifteen feet from us. He somehow landed on his feet. Friday came to a stop near Maple. I noticed he wasn’t even tacked up. Luke had ridden through the ranch’s roughest trails bareback. All to make it to me. I looked at him. His chest was heaving, and his eyes were bright. He didn’t have a hat on, so his hair was messy from riding. He looked like a man possessed. In a good way. The best way.

“I love you, Clementine Ryder,” he said earnestly. My breath caught in my throat. “I’m so fucking in love with you.” Tears started to well behind my eyes as he spoke. “You and your fucking skirt you wore to my bar a few months ago have turned my life completely upside down, and I never want it to be any other way.”