Page 90 of Wilde Hearts

“Then why?” Gatlin asked, shrugging.

Caden and I exchanged a look.

With a shrug, he said, “I mean, we talked, but you hung out with the jocks more.”

“You played football.”

“I did, but I was also dating someone who was high maintenance and demanded all of my attention,” Caden stated.

“We were good friends in elementary school.”

Caden’s eyes widened. “Holy shit. That’s right. We were! I forgot that we used to hang out together.”

“Do you remember the time we took the ranch truck and went for a joyride?”

Laughing, Caden nodded. “I do remember that. We couldn’t have been more than ten. I had to get a pillow to sit on to see over the dash!”

“I love to see you boys reminiscing about old times, but the table isn’t going to set itself. Gatlin Wilde, you help Colt right now! Honestly, asking him to carry all that in!”

Gatlin tried not to smile as he walked over and took some of the items off my pile.

As we walked out of the kitchen, I heard Vivianne say, “Caden Wilde, you may be a husband and a father, but I can still put you over my knee!”

Game night never happened, much to the Wilde children’s relief. Instead, the evening was filled with love and lots of laughter as we took many walks down memory lane. My mother and father told stories about when Grady and I were little, while Vivianne and Ladd shared stories of Caden, Ensley, Emeline, and Gatlin. Even Gus and Nellie told tales about Ladd and his other brothers. It was a great evening, and it helped heal a couple of my oldest wounds by being able to talk and laugh about Grady. I know it helped my mother and father, as well.

“I still can’t believe you and Caden were little buddies,” Ensley said, as we stood on the front porch and watched huge snowflakes fall from the sky.

I wrapped my arms around her a bit tighter as I rested my chin on her head. “It’s so beautiful.”

She let out a soft, “Mmm-hmm.”

“Pip?”

“Yes?”

“I need to take you back to your place so you can pack a bag.”

Turning in my arms, she looked at me with a confused expression on her face. “Pack a bag for what?”

“For our first date.”

She laughed. “I need to pack a bag for our date?”

Smiling, I replied, “Yep. We leave early tomorrow morning.”

Ensley took a step back. “Leave for where?”

“Banff.”

Her mouth fell open. “Did you just say Banff?”

“I did. Don’t worry about your clients; Gatlin helped me find a farrier who could take care of the few we both had scheduled on Monday and Tuesday. Since neither of us had anyone on the books for Friday, we’re good there. We leave tomorrow and head back to River Falls on Tuesday morning. We have three fun-filled days planned. Well, three and a half, if you count tomorrow.”

She stared at me for a few moments, not saying a word. Then she shook her head and laughed. “Wait…Colt, are you being serious?”

I took her hand in mine. “Yes. You’ll need to pack some warm clothes, since I have a few outdoor activities planned. We have dinner booked at a nice restaurant in town Saturday night, so you’ll want to pack something nice for that. It’s a steak restaurant, but it’s one of those Michigan-star ones. They have three stars.”

“Michelin.”