Page 46

“She tried reasoning with him,” I continued. “Turns around and tells him, ‘Stop.’ He didn’t. He keeps coming. She gave him another warning: ‘I mean it.’ Still, he pressed on. Then she says—and I swear, this is verbatim—‘I have fired men for less aggressive behavior than this.’”

Beverly nodded and pointed her finger. “Now, that sounds just like her.”

I continued, “But Rambo wasn’t intimidated. I chuckled at her reasoning, and she noticed me standing beside the barn. She turned her frustration on me and said, ‘Are you going to help or just stand there and watch me get mauled by a chicken?’ I told her ‘I think you’ve got it under control,’ which she did not qualify as helpful.”

Laura shook her head, lips pursed. “You boys, always testing the boundaries.”

“Rambo wasn’t joking around,” I said. “He made his move, wings up, talons ready. Mikayla screamed, jumped behind me. and grabbed the back of my shirt. I asked her, as politely as I could while redirecting Rambo back to his pen, what exactly she was doing, and she said, ‘Using you as a human shield,’ as if the answer was obvious.”

Reba howled, nearly falling off her log. “Classic!”

“I got Rambo safely back into the coop. I turned around to face Mikayla expecting a hero’s thank you, she just looked at me and said, and I quote, ‘Excellent response time. Remind me never to list you as my emergency contact.’ Then she turned and walked up to the house like nothing had happened.”

The aunts exchanged satisfied glances, as if my answer was a test they’d all agreed I’d passed. I thought I might be off the hook, but that wasn’t the end of my trial by fire. These women were professionals.

“Okay.” Laura, folded her hands in her lap and fixed me with a gaze that could sandblast a deck, “that was logistics, but was it love at first sight, or did you take some convincing?”

I thought about lying. I thought about playing it cool. Instead, I told the truth, maybe because there was something in the night air, or maybe just spending the day as her boyfriend, made it impossible not to.

“Honestly?” I shrugged. “I was hooked the second I saw her. I know how that sounds. But there was just something about her—like she was the only one in color, and everything else I’d ever known was black and white. She’s smart, she’s tough and witty, but she’s also got this kindness she tries to hide behind this dry sarcasm and that big city attitude. I’ve never met anyone like her. I didn’t stand a chance.”

The women still appeared skeptical, but I felt they were moving toward approving.

Reba allowed herself a smile. “You’re a good storyteller, Damon.”

“I’m just being honest,” I replied.

Beverly wasn’t done giving me the third degree yet. “From what I’ve heard over the past two days I’ve been in town, you have quite the reputation. So, why do you think Mikayla will hold your attention? What do you think makes our Mikayla special compared to the other women falling at your feet?”

I’d been observing Mikayla for two years, watching her interactions, listening when my half-brother Deacon talked about why he’d placed her in charge of his family’s legacy. I didn’t think about my response, I just spoke from the heart.

“Well, besides the fact that she didn’t fall at my feet,” I said with a small smile, “I think what makes Mikayla special is that she doesn’t even realize half the things that make her extraordinary. She’s got this way of making people feel like they matter. Like whatever they’re saying, whatever they’re going through, she’s right there with them. And it’s not something she does to impress anybody. It’s just who she is.”

I paused, watching the flames dance.

“She’s strong, but not in the way most people think. It’s not just that she can walk into a room full of powerful men and hold her own, although she does that on a daily basis. It’s that she can be hurting herself and still find room in her heart to worry about somebody else. She remembers the little things. She notices when someone’s having a bad day, even when they’re doing their damnedest to hide it. And she’ll go out of her way to make it better, then act like she didn’t do anything special.”

I shook my head, smiling to myself.

“And Lord, that woman can be stubborn. She’ll argue with me until she’s blue in the face, but the thing is, she’ll listen, too. Really listen. And if she realizes she’s wrong, she’ll own it. You have any idea how rare that is?”

My gaze drifted toward Mikayla before I looked back at Beverly.

“But I think what gets me most is that she’s got every reason in the world to keep people at arm’s length, and somehow, she still chooses to love with her whole heart. She shows up for the people she cares about. Not just when it’s easy or convenient, but when it costs her something. She makes their problems her problems, their victories her victories. And I don’t think she has the slightest idea how much brighter she makes the lives of the people lucky enough to be in hers.”

I let out a quiet laugh, rubbing a hand over my jaw.

“And somewhere along the way, I started noticing things I had no business noticing. Like how her whole face changes when she laughs for real. How she gets this little crease between her eyebrows when she’s trying to figure something out. How she can be running an entire company one minute and get excited over the simplest little thing the next. I started looking forward to her visits before I even realized I was doing it. And when she left, the ranch just felt a little quieter.”

I glanced at Beverly, suddenly aware of how much I’d said.

“So, I guess that’s my answer. There are plenty of beautiful women in the world. Plenty of smart ones, too. But I’ve never met another woman who makes me want to know every little thing about her. Not because I’m trying to figure out how to win her over, but because even after two years, I still find something new about her to admire. And the more I learn, the more I realize I haven’t even scratched the surface.”

I looked down at my hands, a smile tugging at my mouth.

“She doesn't have to do a damn thing to get my attention, Beverly. She already has it. Even when she's thousands of miles away.”

Beverly tilted her head to the side. “You didn’t mention her looks.”