Falling For The Younger Cowboy (Sage Valley Ranch Book 2) Page 4

  Chris waved as James and Lexi headed outside. “If I were you, Lexi, I’d work on getting that secret out of James tonight. It’s a good one. Have fun, y’all!”

  James bit back the choice words he had for his friend as he led Lexi in the direction of his truck. “Don’t mind him. He likely had one too many slices of pie tonight.”

  Amusement flickered across Lexi’s face. “I must admit I’m curious about this secret ingredient. Are you sure you can’t give me a hint?”

  “Sorry.” He shook his head regretfully. “It’s a recipe passed down through the generations. You have to be family to know the details.”

  “But I’m your girlfriend,” she remarked, batting her lashes at him. “That’s gotta count for something.”

  For a second, James wondered if Lexi was serious. Maybe they were doing more than acting tonight. “Uh …”

  All too soon, however, she cracked a smile and nudged him playfully with her elbow. “I’m kidding, James. We’re pretending, remember?”

  His stomach dropped in disappointment. Of course they were. How would he ever convince Lexi to see him as more than a friend?

  7

  Lexi

  Lexi found it hard to focus on her pan-seared scallops when all she wanted to do was stare at the gorgeous man beside her. James cleaned up well, oh so well. He looked dashing in a crisp white shirt that seemed to fit his torso like a second skin. He might not work out on the field daily, but his build resembled that of a rancher, toned and muscular. Besides his appearance, James was a cowboy through and through. As a southern gentleman, he opened doors for her and ensured she was comfortable in their booth at the back of the restaurant.

  This was actually her first time at The Cabernet. She and Charlie came to town on occasion, but they usually grabbed a bite to eat at a casual cafe. There was also a dance hall called The Two Step that some of the ranch employees liked to frequent on the weekends. This place was, however, much more high end but with a western appeal. The neutral color scheme of brown, gray, and dark navy complemented the large black-and-white photographs of cattle hanging on the wall. The dim lighting made for a romantic space, along with the peace and quiet of a Tuesday evening.

  James ate his meal with great interest, savoring every bite. She could tell from the half grin on his face that he was pleased with his prime rib. Seeing him enjoy his dinner made her appetite return. The flutters that had occupied her stomach since she first saw James tonight disappeared. Lexi relaxed, reminding herself to appear happy and in love. Not that it was hard to do. Being near James filled her heart with more joy and contentment than she’d known in all her years of marriage.

  Her ex-husband was the polar opposite of James. Across the table, Thomas chewed on his steak mindlessly, glancing at his watch now and then. He had always checked his email during meals when they were married, eager to finish eating so he could get back to work. Dressed in a gray suit and tie, he sat stiff and straight in his seat.

  Tiffany, on the other hand, was all smiles in a magenta dress with her hair bouncing around her shoulders as she chattered. She tried to include Thomas in their conversation about the latest reality show she was binge watching, but with little success. Lexi couldn’t help feeling bad for her. During a lull in the conversation toward the end of the meal, Lexi directed a question at Thomas, knowing the topic would interest him. “How’s work treating you these days? I heard from my mom that you started your own company.”

  Thomas’s eyes suddenly lit up. “She told you about it? She did sound really proud on the phone. It’s going well, thanks for asking. We actually exceeded last quarter’s projected earnings. At this rate, I can retire early.”

  Tiffany clapped her hands. “Thomas wants to take me around the world. I have so many items on my bucket list. Australia, Fiji, the Bahamas. Most of all, I want to see the Northern Lights.”

  Lexi blinked quickly. This was news to her. Thomas had never made travel—something she loved—a priority. He’d actually encouraged her to give up her job as a flight attendant when they got married. “That’s a surprise. I didn’t think you liked traveling.”

  “I didn’t,” Thomas smirked, “but I’m open to it now. The older I get, the more I want to experience. I bet you feel the same. Turning forty makes you reevaluate life.”

  “You’re forty, Lexi?” Tiffany gasped. “I mean, I figured you were around Thomas’s age, but I didn’t think you were—” her eyes widened in chagrin “—I mean, you don’t look it at all.”

  “She’s not quite there yet,” James jumped in. “But you’re right. Lexi’s got an endless supply of energy. Sometimes she makes me tired. There’s so much life in her. She can brighten the room with just one smile.”

  Lexi’s stomach dipped under James’s attentive gaze. The sincerity in his blue eyes both touched and confused her. She’d never heard him talk this way before. Was James just putting on a show for their guests? “That’s really sweet of you to say.”

  James flashed Lexi his signature smile. “It’s the truth.”

  “So, how did you get Lexi to go out with you?” Tiffany’s eyes grew wide with interest. “And did you guys kiss on the first date? Oh my goodness, this is just like an episode of “The Men Tell All” like they have for The Bachelorette, except there’s only one man—you know what I mean. So, tell us all the juicy deets!”

  “Well, it was pretty straight to the point.” Rubbing his chin, James spoke thoughtfully. “I’m not much for talking, so I sent Lexi a text. Asked if she’d wanted to go line dancing. The rest was history.”

  “Line dancing! That’s so cute.”

  Thomas shot down Tiffany’s hopeful smile with a firm shake of his head. “I’m not dancing in any line.”

  “What about at our wedding? Can’t you just picture it? The wedding party could dance together with us!”

  Thomas answered her with a roll of his eyes.

  Lexi released the breath she’d been holding. Maybe Tiffany would be so caught up in thoughts of dancing, she’d forget her earlier question about the kiss. Because it was not a good idea to think about placing her mouth on James’s, not when all she wanted to do was lean over and close the gap between—

  “Fine, no dancing,” Tiffany obliged with a pout. She sighed dramatically then suddenly brightened. “So, how about the kiss? Was it all fireworks and stars? Or more of a slow burn? I love slow burn kisses. They’re so romantic and melty.”

  “Melty?” Lexi’s heart rate picked up speed as she tried to think of ways to stall. “Is that a real word?”

  James nodded. “It’s more of a casual term used to describe food. Like you put cheese under a grill until it’s bubbling and melty.”

  “It also works with love, too. You can say ‘just one look into his eyes makes me all melty!’” Tiffany squealed in delight. “Is that what happened when James kissed you for the first time, Lexi?”

  Lexi forced out a laugh. “What—oh yeah, definitely. How can anyone resist those gorgeous baby blues?”

  Tiffany nudged Thomas and remarked happily, “See, I told you they’re the real deal.”

  “Oh, we are,” Lexi agreed enthusiastically, trying to keep her breathing even. Just a little while longer and they’d be done with this ruse. They’d be home free, a thought which both brought relief and disappointment. She was actually starting to feel comfortable with their role-playing.

  “Well, now that we’ve got that established,” Thomas announced, “it’s time to call it a night. I have more work to catch up on before tomorrow.” He motioned with one hand for the check, which a server promptly brought over. “My treat. To celebrate your new relationship,” he added as he plopped down a handful of bills. He stood up promptly and motioned for Tiffany to follow.

  “Thank you for dinner.” James stood up briefly to shake Thomas’s hand.

  Tiffany blew them a kiss as she trailed after Thomas in her stilettos. “See you guys later!”

  “Bye!” Lexi called out with a wave. When th
ey were out of sight, she slumped against the booth and burst out with a shaky laugh. They had not only survived the double date, they had also convinced Thomas and Tiffany they were a couple. “Thank you so much, James. You did it. You were amazing coming up with that story.”

  “It wasn’t so hard. That was the first time we hung out, remember?”

  “Of course I remember. I didn’t know it was possible to step on someone’s toes while line dancing,” she teased him.

  “Hey, I have bigger feet than you.” James pretended to pout. “Good thing she didn’t ask for more deets—” he chuckled “—about the kiss. That would’ve been harder to make up.”

  “I bet you could’ve come up with something.”

  He gave her an uneasy smile then nodded toward the exit. “You about ready to head out, too?”

  “Okay.” Lexi gathered her purse and wrap and followed James to the door. She had to force her feet to move, one step in front of the other. As much as she’d dreaded the double date, she wasn’t ready to end their charade. She wished the evening could go on forever … because honestly, she loved how easy it was to role-play boyfriend and girlfriend with James.

  It seemed James might have felt the same way because he turned to her with a grin and asked, “Want to go visit your hooved friends?”

  Lexi couldn’t stop the smile spreading across her face. “Sure.”

  Their fake date might be over, but maybe a real one was about to start?

  8

  James

  James drove them back to the ranch, his mind spinning at the possibilities that lay before them for the rest of the evening. He hadn’t wanted their date—or pseudo date—to end yet, so he’d come up with the best reason to extend their time together: the horses.

  Since the day Lexi had met her first horse at Sage Valley, she had fallen in love. The horses—Tabasco, Sweet Pea, Shiloh, and Shadow—loved her back just as much. She spent much of her first few weeks on the ranch in their company, whispering to them as if they were close friends. What she said, he didn’t have a clue, but he figured the one-sided conversations had something to do with her heartaches. Over the months, the amount of time Lexi spent in the barn decreased, especially after she started spending more time with him. James knew though that she’d appreciate catching up with them tonight.

  After they parked, they walked over to the stable. The moonlight shone down, casting a yellow glow on the large wooden building. All was quiet on the ranch at this time of the evening, except for the clamor of crickets chirping in the distance. And the pounding of James’s heart in his chest. He took a deep breath to calm himself, inhaling the warm air. He was starting to feel nervous being near Lexi, which was odd, considering how comfortable he usually felt around her. But that was before he considered revealing his feelings.

  Now that they were alone, could he? Should he?

  His steps slowed as he got lost in his thoughts. Lexi, on the other hand, picked up her pace as she neared the stable doors. She stepped inside, and James quickly followed. The scent of sweet hay mixed with a dusty, musky smell engulfed them. It was the fragrance of his childhood, completely familiar and almost as comforting as the smell of spices. He loved that Lexi, a self-proclaimed beach bum, found the smell of the country endearing, too. That had been one of the reasons he’d fallen for her so effortlessly. Despite their backgrounds and age difference, they had such similar likes and interests.

  James watched as Lexi stopped at a stall belonging to a chestnut horse. Shiloh turned toward Lexi and whinnied in delight. When Lexi gently touched his face, he gave her hand a nudge.

  “Sorry, sweetheart. I don’t have any carrots or apples for you today. We just came by to say hi. I promise to bring you something next time, okay?” Lexi stated in a kind tone as she gazed adoringly into the horse’s big brown eyes. She turned toward James and cocked her head with amusement. “Earth to James. Come in, please.”

  “Huh?” James didn’t realize he’d been staring at Lexi, mesmerized. The sight of her in that red dress, talking to a horse, made his heart do flip-flops in his chest. It was a strange way to describe the joy coursing through his body, but that was how it felt. Without meaning to, he murmured his thoughts out loud. “You’re so beautiful.”

  Lexi’s head jerked up. “What’d you say?”

  “I, uh …” His voice trailed off as he walked toward her. With his long legs, he bridged the distance between them in two steps, coming face-to-face with Lexi. He took a shaky breath. It was now or never. He needed to say it again. “I said you look beautiful.”

  Her lips parted, but no sound came out. After the surprise wore off, Lexi bit her bottom lip and smiled shyly. “Thanks. You look pretty great yourself, too. I’d been meaning to tell you all night, but there wasn’t a good time.”

  “Well, now that we’re alone … it’s as good a time as any I suppose.” He stared at Lexi like a fool, wishing he could say everything on his mind, but it had suddenly drawn a blank. It was as bland as a pot of water. Where were all the compliments he wanted to give her and the promises he longed to make? He shook his head, hoping the motion would make the words fall into place and out of his mouth. “I, uh, had a really good time tonight. How about you?”

  “I did, too. Not the whole eating with my ex and his fiancée part of it, but definitely the having you by my side bit.”

  “Yeah, that was nice.”

  She paused and chuckled softly. “You know something? It felt so natural, didn’t it? Our fake relationship, I mean.”

  Her words hung between them, more startling than the smell of horse sweat. She was practically giving him the perfect opening. James gave himself a virtual kick in the rear. “Well, I, uh, didn’t have to act much. It kind of came naturally.”

  “Did it?” Lexi’s voice was breathless as she studied his face. “You never told me you studied acting.”

  “I didn’t.”

  “So—” she began inching toward him with every word “—if you weren’t acting, James, what were you doing?”

  The sweet, almost flirtatious smile playing on Lexi’s lips made his whole body warm. Another step closer and she’d be flush against him. In fact, they were close enough that he could smell the floral fragrance of her shampoo as she tilted her head up. The heady scent nearly made him forget his train of thought until—

  Neigh!

  They both turned to see Shiloh leaning over the stall, literally poking his nose into their business. He blew a puff of air out of his nostrils then wedged himself in between James and Lexi.

  If James didn’t know better, he’d think the horse was jealous. As much as he liked the animal, he almost laughed in his face. “I don’t think he likes us being this close.”

  “Apparently not. Oh, sweetheart,” Lexi cooed as she stroked Shiloh’s nose, “you don’t have to worry. You’ll always be the first guy who won my heart here in Sage Valley.”

  “You hear that, boy?” James chimed in. “You’re the man—I mean, the horse.” He chuckled and shook his head. “This is wild. I never thought there’d be competition from a horse.”

  Lexi quirked a brow, her eyes bright. “Competition? For what?”

  So much for stalling. James knew he’d regret it if he didn’t say something now. But just when he was about to open his mouth, his cell phone rang. He plucked it out of his back pocket, intending to silence it … until he saw the name lighting up the screen. With an apologetic smile, he mouthed, Sorry, and proceeded to answer the call.

  “James, man, how are you?” The smooth tenor voice of Backroad Boys’ front man, Nick, came over the line. “I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.”

  It was the worst, but James couldn’t tell his former employer that. “No, it’s fine. What’s going on? I thought you guys were vacationing in the Bahamas.”

  “We are, and we were having a great time until the guy we hired after you just quit on us. Claims he met the love of his life on the beach. He’s staying here to be with her, which mean
s we need you—” he bellowed the word “—to come back.”

  “Wait—you want me to go on tour again?”

  He saw Lexi’s brows shoot up as soon as the words left his mouth. A pained look creased her beautiful features. She leaned her weight against the stall and dropped her eyes.

  “Yep!” Nick exclaimed in James’s ear. “It’s just for the spring, maybe the summer, too. Just long enough so we can find someone who cooks as amazing as you do. What do you say?”

  “I … I don’t know.” As much as he had enjoyed traveling with the band, he couldn’t bear the thought of not seeing Lexi every day. And there were Nanna and Bucky to consider, too. “Summer’s the busiest season at the ranch. My great-aunt and uncle need me—”

  “We’ll pay you double.”

  James’s jaw dropped. “Double? You already paid me more than enough.”

  “You and that chili of yours are worth every penny. Say you’ll think about it.” The sound of several females screaming in the background resounded through the phone, followed by the splash of water. “We leave on tour in a week. Text me your decision this weekend. I gotta go. The pool’s calling my name.”

  James heard silence on the other end and returned the phone to his pocket. Oh, how he wished he hadn’t taken that call. Not only had it interrupted a potentially great moment, it also complicated matters—a lot. Releasing a deep breath, he slowly met Lexi’s gaze. “That was, uh, Nick, from Backroad Boys.”

  She nodded. “I figured that much.”

  “They lost their chef, so he offered me my old job back until they find someone new.”

  “Sounds like he gave you a great offer.” She squeezed out a smile. “When would you start?”

  “One week.”

  Lexi stood up straight and crossed her arms against her chest, a resolute look on her face. “You should take it, James. Go travel and have fun. You’re only young once.”