Tanner was right. Seth had no real claim on this land or this business. He honestly hadn’t ever wanted it. He liked ranching, but it wasn’t in his blood the way it was in his dad’s or his brother’s. For Seth, it had always been a way to prove himself. Even just this last week when the rest were up in Oregon, Seth took care of things. There was an inherent pride in working hard and working well. Getting the job done. But there were other means of achieving that same goal. Maybe his cattle ranching legacy would end with him. Maybe that was okay.
He had some thinking to do, no question about it.
He was mid-thought, in fact, when he was smacked completely out of his introspection by the cookie that ricocheted off of his chest, landing in a crumbly pile in his lap.
“Well, no one could accuse you of having cat-like reflexes.” Josie thunked down into the deck chair next to Seth. She tore a large bite out of a gingersnap and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, then leveled him with a concerned look. “You okay?”
“Hanging in there.” Seth shook the crumbs he’d gathered in his palm before tossing them into the fire. Only half of the cookie was salvageable but he’d eaten about a cup of the batter that afternoon and wasn’t really in the mood for more sweets. “How about you? My family totally scare you away yet?”
“Nah. They’re not scary. But your mom does know how to interrogate. She ever have ambitions of becoming a lawyer?”
“You mean like her son?” Seth chuckled.
“Hey, if anyone I know ever needs a fake lawyer, I’m passing along your info. You’re unequivocally the best.” Josie brushed her palm on the thighs of her jeans and then grabbed onto Seth’s hand like it was the most natural thing in the world. “I finally pulled away from your parents because I thought I should fill you in before they got to you first. Here’s the story: we’ve been dating for three years. Met at that country line dancing bar, The Rusty Spur. The one on County Road 44 next to the feed store with that big plastic cow out front. I asked you to dance first. You spilled your beer on my jean jacket. Offered to have it dry cleaned. I said it wasn’t necessary, that I’d just borrow yours. You told me to keep it and the rest is history.”
“You know, that actually sounds believable enough.”
“I thought so. Tried to keep things vague, but realistic. Your mom’s relentless, though. She wants all the details.”
“I suppose we should come up with some, then. Just to keep our stories straight.” Mindlessly, Seth’s thumb began to trace the back of Josie’s hand. For a minute, he caught himself, but when their eyes met and he read the quiet approval in hers, he continued, hoping it was okay. Her hands weren’t soft and smooth like most women’s. There was nothing masculine about them, but there was a slight roughness that hinted at honest, hard work. Josie was a capable woman. Capable of taking care of herself. Capable of providing for herself. And capable of confusing Seth’s heart on levels he hadn’t experienced in a long, long while.
“It wasn’t so much that she wanted to know details about our past. More like she wanted to know the plans for our future.”
Josie’s amber eyes glimmered the same intense hue as the fire that flickered just feet away and they mesmerized Seth in a similar, intoxicating manner. He shook his head to train his thoughts back onto their conversation. “Right. Plans.”
“I’m not sure how serious you want this to be. I’m up for whatever, but I need some direction.”
Seth wasn’t sure, either. Playing pretend had sounded like a reasonable, if not fun, thing to do. And there was no denying the tangible shift in his father’s demeanor tonight. When Seth had arrived with Josie in tow, the handshake his dad gave was not the authoritative, knuckle-crushing grip Seth had readied for. It was friendly. Congratulatory, even. Man to man, not father to son. Was this really all it took for his father to finally view him as an adult? The thought made Seth equally as frustrated as it did relieved now that he was on the receiving end of his father’s elusive praise.
“What kind of plans would we have?” It had been so long since Seth had been in a relationship where a future was even a possibility. With Bridgette, it was about the here and now. And maybe that was why things had ultimately ended between them.
“I don’t know…like, have you ever thought of marriage? I mean, are we supposed to be heading that direction? How far off from an engagement should we be?”
Marriage wasn’t a word Seth had ever associated with his future. Some men were meant to be perpetual bachelors. He always assumed he fell into that category. If he couldn’t land on a job he would be content working for the remainder of his days, he didn’t figure he’d have any easier a time finding someone to share those days with.
“I honestly don’t think it would be believable that I’d ever marry,” Seth admitted. He pretended not to notice the way Josie’s hand stilled at the confession. “My family would never buy that.”
“Isn’t that the whole thing, though? Aren’t we trying to make the unbelievable believable?”
When put that way… “I guess. I mean, maybe.”
“I’m committed to this fake relationship, Seth. I’d just like to know how committed I should be.”
He had to chuckle at the preposterous sound of it all. Committed to something entirely made up. It really was laughable.
“Let’s just take things one step at a time. See how it plays out and figure out where to go from there.”
“I can do that.” There was that confidence in her tone again. This woman was a force, no doubt.
“Hey.” Seth acted on impulse. “Why don’t you come over here and sit with me for a bit?” He tipped his chin toward his family before bringing his gaze back around. “Give them something to talk about.”
For a split second, Josie’s eyes flashed in surprise, but then she quickly regained control over her expression and just nodded. She left her chair to join Seth on his, sliding onto his lap with her good arm looped loosely around his neck, the other casted one resting lightly across his chest.
Seth couldn’t keep his hands from pulling her closer. The feel of a woman pressed up against his body, the soft, warm light from the fire pit in the distance, the hushed murmur of ongoing conversation from the opposite end of the deck—it was a calm in the rising storm of emotion Seth felt after his chat with his brother. Was it Josie that did this to him? Was it this pretend relationship?
It didn’t matter. Whatever it was, he wanted to hold on tight and never let go.
10
Josie
Cedar, cinnamon and smoke. When Josie would lay her head against her pillow later that night, those would be the combinations of smells to accompany her memories of this particular autumn evening. She didn’t know if it was all Seth or the mixture of his spicy cologne and the campfire scent that swirled around them, but it was a heady combination.
For the first few hours at his parents’ place, she hardly spent any time with the man that was supposed to be her boyfriend. Donna had monopolized much of the night, pelting questions at every turn until Josie needed a break and politely excused herself to track down the person she came with. She found him sitting alone in an Adirondack chair on the deck and she stood there a long moment, Seth’s focus entirely engaged by the fire that popped and crackled in the pit. She had said his name a few times before finally chucking one of her cookies at his chest to commandeer his attention. There was no other way to break him from whatever thoughts preoccupied his mind.