Secret Sweetheart, Chapter 2
*Quinn Valley Ranch Romance *Cowboys *Family Saga *Valentine's Day
Knox found it entirely unfair to go from Caribbean warmth to Idaho chill in the same day. His body was having a hard time acclimating and keeping up with the changes, and he held his hands in front of the fire in the blacksmith shop at Quinn Valley Ranch.
He’d been gone since Christmas Eve, and he’d missed the New Year’s celebration too. Honestly, he was fine with all of that. The Quinn’s were great people, but he sometimes got overwhelmed with the sheer number of them.
His mind focused on a particular Quinn he’d like to spend some alone-time with, but now that Logan was back with Georgia, Knox felt Betsy slipping further and further from his reach. Not that he’d ever reached out to her.
He sighed and turned away from the fire. He didn’t have a whole lot to do for Quinn Valley this afternoon, because he’d spent his last working hours before the cruise getting everything done. He’d spent the day at Granite Springs Ranch, but they didn’t even have a smithy, and he needed the one here to complete his jobs at the other ranch.
Behind him, the door opened, and he turned that way to see Newton Matthews enter. “Hey, Knox,” he said, adjusting his hat and pausing just inside the door. “I thought I saw smoke out here.”
“I’m sure you did.” Knox smiled at the other cowboy and crossed the small space to shake his hand. “And it’s about ten below freezing out there.”
“So cold,” Newt said, entering further and closing the door behind him. “I know you just got back, but I’m wondering if you want to step into my place for the poker game tonight.”
Knox’s eyebrows went up. He’d been working at Quinn Valley for about three months now, and because he wasn’t terribly outgoing and loud—and worked in the blacksmith shop alone most of the time—he was still getting to know everyone at the ranch.
He knew Newton from high school, and when Betsy made lunch for everyone, he usually sought out the dark-haired cowboy so he’d have someone he knew to sit by.
“Poker?” he asked.
“Yeah, it’s casual,” he said with a shrug. “But we’re supposed to get a replacement if we can’t come, and I just got a date with Parvati.” He grinned like he’d figured out how to achieve world peace instead of getting a date with a woman. Of course, Knox hadn’t exactly been able to ask anyone out in a while either.
He only had one person he wanted to get to know better anyway, and his nose twitched a little with the memory of Betsy punching him in her attempt to knock on Christmas Eve. A smile curved his lips, and he wasn’t sure if it was for her or because Newt had gotten a date with the woman he liked.
“I can do it,” he said.
“Great,” Newt said. “Everyone brings something to eat. It’s casual, like I said. No real money changes hands.”
“Good,” Knox said. “Because I can’t remember the last time I played poker.”
“Probably at scout camp when we were fifteen.” Newt laughed, and Knox joined him.
“Probably.”
“Starts at seven. It’s out in the east stables.” He turned to go. “I’ll tell Clay you’re stepping in for me.”
“Sounds good.” Knox held the door for Newt as he left, and when he turned back to the blacksmith shop, all he could think about was what snack he should bring to poker night with the other cowboys that night.
Clay Martin ran the veterinary care at the ranch, and while Knox didn’t know him well, he’d seen the man eat eight chocolate chip cookies at the Harvest Festival last fall. There was only one bakery in town, and surely Knox could get a bunch of cookies.
He immediately started to worry if cookies were too simple, and he ended up completing his work for the other ranch and zipping into town, dozens of ideas for food coursing through his mind.
Skipping the bakery, he went to the grocery store instead. When his own mouth watered at the sight of the seven-layer dip, he knew he’d found his snack. Two containers of that and three bags of chips later, and he was on his way back to the ranch.
The east stables sat pretty far east on the ranch, and he wondered why the men set the game up out there. Maybe Rhodes didn’t know about it. Newt had said that money didn’t exchange hands, but that didn’t mean the foreman would approve of poker on his property.
Nerves danced through Knox as he pulled up to the stables. Bright, cheery light leaked out from underneath the door, and he could hear people laughing inside. For some reason, his steps slowed.
He’d always felt like the tarnished version of his brother Logan. Where he had bright green eyes, Knox’s were muted. Logan could grow a healthy beard in a week while Knox struggled to even have his look good after a couple of months. Logan had charisma; Knox knew how to hide in the shadows.
The scent of barbecue met his nose, and he suddenly wondered if he’d brought the right food. Why hadn’t Newt told him what to bring?
He reached the door and couldn’t prolong entering unless he was willing to go on home by himself. He didn’t want to do that either, as Logan let his dogs outside and then back in, so they tracked snow and mud all over the kitchen.
Nudging the door with his foot, it swung open easily to reveal a round card table had been set up in the middle of the open area before the stalls took over. A separate table held the food, and a few other people stood there, eating and laughing while a radio warbled country music from a higher shelf.
“Oh, hey,” Clay said, separating from the group and coming over to Knox. “Newton said you’d be taking his place.” He looked down at the seven-layer dip in Knox’s hands. “Oh, stars alive. Flynn is going to love you.” He grinned and took a couple of bags of chips from Knox. “Guys, Knox is here. He’s playing for Newton tonight.”
Knox said hello to Flynn Hollister, who took the seven-layer dip and said it was all for him. At least Knox knew he’d earned one friend.
Another cowboy—still dressed in his jeans, boots, hat, and belt buckle—Wyatt Barlow grinned and stepped out of the way so Knox could see the last man.
Except it wasn’t a man at all.
Betsy stood there, stirring something in a Crock pot that wasn’t plugged in anymore. She tucked her gorgeous red-tinted blonde hair behind her ear before she looked up at him. “Hey, Knox.”
He could’ve fallen over with the level of flirtatiousness in her voice. Instead, he simply stared. If anyone else noticed the exchange, they didn’t say anything.
Clay clapped him on the back and said, “We start in five minutes. So everyone get your food, and let’s get this game going.”
“I hope you boys are ready to lose tonight,” Betsy said without taking her eyes off of Knox. “I’m feeling real lucky.”
The other cowboys laughed, and Knox startled when he realized he’d fallen into a trance. He joined his half-hearted laughter to theirs, loaded up his plate, and took the last seat at the table.
It happened to be directly across from Betsy, and he wondered if he was torturing himself on purpose. She felt so out of his league. Completely off-limits, as she was his boss’s sister and his brother’s girlfriend’s sister.
But, oh, how his heart ricocheted around in his chest at the very sight of her. Tonight, she wore a blouse the color of blueberries, and it went so well with her hair. He rarely saw her wear it down, and as she scraped it together into a ponytail, he mourned the loss of it.
She cracked her knuckles and picked up her barbecue pork sandwich. “All right. Let’s play.” She shuffled the cards like a pro, and that made Knox’s pulse accelerate even more.
He managed to eat while keeping one eye on her while she dealt, all the while wondering how he could be the one to take her back to the homestead when the game ended.