Done and Dusted (Rebel Blue Ranch, #1)

by Lyla Sage

Brooks had always been a ladies’ man. It had taken less than a minute of all his attention being on me to understand why. He was intoxicating.

Teddy was my best friend. I could tell her anything. That was the whole point of having a best friend.

At this point, I would’ve done anything to be close to Emmy, but this was more than that. I wanted her to get back on the horse, and I wanted to be the one who helped her.

I wanted her to be able to do what she loved.

When it came to Emmy, I was playing with fire, but I would happily walk into the flames for her. And I’d have a smile on my face the whole damn time.

You are weak, Clementine Ryder, I thought to myself. One backward baseball cap, and I was throwing all my opinions on muscle tees out the window.

And my opinions on Luke Brooks were being thrown out with them.

“How do you feel?” he asked. “I feel amazing,” I said. Truthfully. “You look amazing, too.” This man and his ability to make me blush was still annoying.

From the second she walked through the door of my bar a few weeks ago, it was like she had branded herself onto my brain and practically demanded I think about her 24/7.

It was like I had spent my life getting pieces of her, and now I was finally putting the pieces together. Guess what? There wasn’t any piece of Emmy I didn’t like. I was so fucked.

“I didn’t know if your coffee order changed, so I just got what I remembered. Drip, lots of cream, no sugar.” “It’s perfect,” I said. I couldn’t even think of a time when Brooks was around to hear how I took my coffee, but here he was, remembering it like it was nothing.

when he knows your coffee order 🥹

Brooks laced his fingers through mine. At that moment, I made my decision. I was going to kiss this man. Today.

Emmy Ryder was just…more. She was more than anyone was, or than anyone would ever be.

She was beautiful. I wondered if there would ever be a time when she didn’t cause my heart to go from zero to one hundred in one second flat.

I didn’t know how to give Emmy what she needed, or how to be in any sort of relationship. I’d never done it before. I’d never even wanted to try, but with Emmy, everything was different. And it scared the hell out of me.

I couldn’t believe the universe was so big, and I got placed on this random floating rock at the same time as Clementine Ryder.

I was a goner for Emmy Ryder.

I kept an eye on Emmy throughout the night. Not in a creepy way–just in a “I really like you and think you’re the most beautiful woman alive” way.

Emmy Ryder might have been in like with me, but it was then that I knew I was falling in love with her.

For someone who’d spent their entire life begging for attention from others, he really knew how to make me feel like I was the only person on the planet.

“You can do this, Emmy. We’re going to take it slow, but I know you can do this.” “How do you know?” He cupped my face in his hands. “You’re Clementine fuckin’ Ryder.”

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

“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.”

“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.”