I rested my palm over his heart and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth.
“You are the sweetest man I’ve ever met. Not sure I want your first time seeing my place to be without me there, or before I’ve had a chance to clean it up.”
He chuckled and the sound vibrated down my spine. “Guess I’ll leave that to Silk then. So, you’ll be okay if I’m gone for a few hours?”
I ran my gaze over his face. No doubt he’d been up since before dawn working, and it was now past midnight. Exhaustion was showing in the lines on his face and the set of his shoulders.
“I’ll be fine. Silk’s here with me and Christopher’s somewhere close too. But will you be okay driving that far on your own when you’re so tired?”
He squeezed me tighter. “I’ll grab another coffee to go on my way out. I’ll be fine, and I’ll be back before you know it.”
I reached up and ran my fingers down the side of his face, scraping my nails through his blonde scruff.
“You might as well crash for a few hours in your own bed. Come back in the morning.”
He silently watched me. “You sure you don’t want me back sooner?”
I didn’t want him to leave, but I could hardly tell him that. We’d only known each other for less than a month. Didn’t seem right how much I needed him close to feel safe already.
“There’s no point in us both not getting any sleep. At least I’m small enough to fit on the couch to maybe get a little.”
He gave me a slow nod. “Okay, then. I’ll return in the morning. I’ll be sure to bring you a Vanilla Coke too, now that I know your addiction.”
I laughed. “It has to be Sonic, though. They do something special to theirs.”
He gave me another kiss, wiping my mind of all thought, before he pulled back and with a tilt of his head to Silk, sauntered away.
“Hot damn, Gabs. That man is smoking hot and so into you.”
I nodded numbly as I stared out the empty doorway. “That he is. Struggling to believe he’s real with how great he’s been today.”
Silk crossed her arms over her chest. I was in for it.
“So, spill. What were you doing up at The Barn when you met your hot cowboy and why haven’t I heard one word outta you about him?”
I shrugged as I went over to my mom’s bed and fussed with the corner of the sheet.
“I went to The Barn for a drink a month back and we met there. He’s a rancher and has been busy with calving so today was the first time we’d been able to line up seeing each other again.”
“And instead of a perfect first date, you get to hang out in a hospital. I’m sorry, Gabs.”
A small smile crept across my lips at the memory of earlier this afternoon. “Got to help him pull a calf first before I got the call about the accident.”
Silk chuckled. “Only you’d be smiling at the memory of something that gross.”
“It wasn’t gross. Well, there was some blood and other crap, but it was mostly sweet, helping the mama cow birth her calf then watching as she cleaned it up and checked it over.”
“Found your match then, huh? Tell me, does he have horses?”
Heat raced over my cheeks as I cleared my throat. “Of course, he does. We were on horseback when we found the mama cow in trouble. He has a stallion and two mares. The mares are rescues.”
Silk groaned. “Rescues? Oh, man, could he be any more perfect? Just promise me you’ll be careful. Don’t rush in and let him trample your heart.”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s taken us a month to get from meeting to a first date. I think it’s safe to say we’re taking our time.”
Before she could say anything else, her phone rang and when she answered it, I could tell it was Eagle on the other end of the line.
Then the door opened, and a flurry of activity followed as my dad was moved into the bed beside my mom. I had all the distractions I needed to ensure I wasn’t going to get caught up thinking about the situation with Silk or Boone.