I was still in my clothes from the night before, but I didn’t mind, as Aspen and I loaded into the UTV parked at her house. We stopped by the main barn to restock the wire, and then we were off to repair the fence she’d been working on.

This time, she used a pre-barbed wire, so all we had to do was wrap it around the posts and pull it taut.

As we were finishing up, a large brown cow with a white head meandered over to the UTV, her eyes trained on Aspen.

“That’s Carrie,” she said as she tossed the spool back into the UTV.

“Well, aren’t you a pretty girl?” I said to the cow, pulling her attention away from Aspen. It was as if the animal had just then noticed my presence. She cocked her head to the side, then strutted closer.

“Don’t let her nibble on you. She’s been known to bite.”

Nodding, I let the cow get within a foot before I stood straighter. Carrie was large, but I was taller. I could see how she wouldn’t be intimidated by Aspen, but she seemed curious around me.

Reaching out, I stroked the top of her head, and I swear I heard her purr.

“God, you even put Carrie under your spell. How is that possible?”

“It’s a talent. What about you? Do I have you under my spell?”

Giggling, she smacked my stomach gently with her good hand. “You wish, Casanova.”

Carrie turned her head toward Aspen, and I wasn’t sure what the cow was thinking, but her eyes followed every move she made.

“Hey, girl, you have to be nice to my friend. She’s here to take care of you and keep you safe, okay?”

The cow looked at me and stared for a minute before her head dropped once, then she wandered away.

It was fucking weird, but maybe I made things easier for Aspen. Or worse. There could be a jealous cow on the loose at Sunny Brook Farms now.

Back at the barn, we dropped off the UTV and walked back to Aspen’s house, where I gathered up my few things and stored them in my car. We stood on her small porch like nervous teens finishing up their first date. I’d never been anxious around Aspen until now.

“About last night,” I started. “I don’t know why I came over initially. I just…. I don’t know. I wanted to see you. You’re the only one who will treat me like a normal person. And our truce has been a nice change of pace.”

“I get it. The last couple of days have been… nice. Weird, but nice.”

“Maybe we can hold up the truce whenever I come back to visit?”

She laughed and made no promises.

“You remember I’m picking you up at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, right?” I asked.

“Yep. Still not going to tell me what we’re doing?”

“Not a chance. See you then, cricket.”

“Bye, Owen. Thank you… again.”

I left her house filled with emotions I couldn’t place. Maybe this was what a blossoming friendship felt like. I wasn’t sure.

***

After two days without seeing Aspen, I actually missed her. I wasn’t sure what the fuck that was about. I’d missed no one in my life—except my mom, when I went to summer camp as a young boy.

As promised, I showed up at Aspen’s house at 6:00 p.m. I knocked on her door, and she called out for me to come inside. The living area was barren, but I saw a light coming out from beneath the closed bathroom door.

I had ideas for tonight, and I planned on testing Aspen’s limits a bit. I needed to know what I was working with.

With my back turned, I heard her call out my name. Spinning around, I nearly lost my balance as she appeared in a short denim skirt and a flowy shirt covered in flowers. It was the perfect mix of casual and feminine, and a complete one-eighty from the outfits she normally wore.

“Will this work for tonight?” she asked, her fingers nervously skimming along the hem of her skirt.

“Yeah,” I croaked, then repeated the word more clearly. “You look great.” Her makeup was done. Her mascaraed eyelashes fluttered, and I saw her lids were a shimmering gold color. Aspen’s hair fell in soft waves down her back, and I was stunned by her appearance.

It made me wonder how she looked at prom, all done up.

“Will you tell me now where we’re going?”

“Not yet.”

“Well, what shoes should I wear? Sandals, sneakers, or my boots?”

“Whatever you’re most comfortable in.”

“Boots it is,” she said as she quickly ran up her stairs. I averted my gaze, not wanting to focus on her backside right in my line of sight. She dashed back down, carrying a pair of socks.

After slipping everything onto her feet, we were out the door.

“New car?” she asked as she ran a finger over the hood of the McLaren. I’d found the car for sale in Nashville and used the last two days to seal the deal. I contacted my old friend in town, Chris, and he and I went to pick it up this morning. Chris worked at the police department in town and had the next couple of days off, so I promised we’d spend some time catching up.

I realized since I’d been home for four days, I’d made a lot of promises I wasn’t sure I could keep. My coach had scheduled a video call for next week, and there was a chance he was going to want me back in L.A. sooner rather than later. There were a few charity games and press events he wanted me to attend. At least, that was the gist I received from his assistant.

As I watched Aspen lower into the bucket seat, her skirt exposing more leg than any man could resist eyeing, I realized I wasn’t quite ready to get back to reality.

We didn’t drive long, just enough to bring us toward downtown, and I stopped at the bar where Aspen and I started our deal.

“What are we doing here?” she asked as I parked the car out front.

“This isn’t our final destination. But it’s our first lesson. I want you to go inside and sit at the bar. Your goal is for someone to pay for your drink.”

“What? How do I do that? Owen, you know I’m not good at this. I’ve never even asked to borrow a pen from someone, let alone to buy me a drink.”

“You can do it. I’ll come in just a minute behind you. You won’t be alone. Okay?”

“What if no one buys my drink?”

“Then I’ll do it.” I shrugged. “You’ll get a free drink either way.”

The leather squeaked as she sunk against the seat, her eyes closed. My gaze traced the gentle slope of her nose and the long line of her neck before trailing down her shoulder. Her wound was covered in a few large bandages that matched the color of her skin.