Interlude
The annual July 1st bachelor auction in Heart Falls had been the starting point for dozens of short-term relationships, a whole series of happily-ever-afters, and a few spectacular oh my God disasters.
This year promised to be one for the books as Cody Gabrielle stepped onto the stage, and the already wild crowd gathered in the community hall sucked in a collective, noisy breath.
Fern Fields didn’t breathe.
She couldn't.
Because while he’d threatened to sign up, heck, she’d told him to, Cody wasn’t supposed to be here. In the lineup. In the spotlight.
Not after what they’d shared. Not after she’d laid everything on the line.
He was dressed as if he hadn’t intended to be onstage. His work jeans were clean but faded, and his old, soft black button-down was rolled to the elbows, displaying firm forearms. His deep brown hair was damp and stuck up in all directions as if he’d run a hand through it just before walking out.
Fern’s dad was backstage behind the curtain, but right there on the stage, co-emcee Chance Gabrielle stumbled as he stared at his brother, a soft curse escaping at what was clearly not part of the original plan.
Cody and Chance exchanged a few words, too low for earshot. Around her, people whispered, nudging one another, trying to catch up. Seated beside her in the traditional metal and faux-leather community hall chairs, her sister Rose clutched her hand, but Fern felt nothing. Heard nothing, even though Chance was speaking now. Explaining, probably attempting to make the unreasonable reasonable.
Her heart pounded too loud, a bass drum of disbelief and something that might’ve been hope. Or fear.
Or fury. She hadn’t decided yet.
Cody’s eyes found hers as if by magic, and the rest of the room blurred into shadow. Time stretched as Fern stared back, hoping for a glimmer of understanding.
His left hand twitched, and he pressed it firmly to his thigh as if he didn’t trust it to stay still.
Her heart ached. Oh, Cody.
He cleared his throat then lifted the mic his brother had passed to him.
“Hi,” Cody said, voice low and rough. “I’m not officially on the auction list, but I’d like to offer myself up anyway.”
A stunned silence fell like an anvil, and Fern’s stomach dropped with it.
Not because of what he said, but because of how he said it. Not with charm. Not with bravado. As if he stood on the edge of a cliff, seconds from plummeting over. Or maybe he’d already fallen.
Trust in destiny?
Fern thought she had, but now, she wasn’t so sure.
Chapter 1
August, two years earlier…
Life, Fern knew, didn’t always go as planned. But it went in the right direction a lot more often if you helped it along then trusted in destiny.
Basically, that was her go-to plan. Figure out what she wanted, calculate the best route to get there, eliminate the potential problems. That was the part of her agenda that her family and friends knew about.
The final key component, though, was to open her hands and let fate do its thing.
She was delighted to come downstairs at the home she still shared with her parents to discover Grandma Sonora with her mother, the two women enjoying cups of tea at the kitchen table.
“Hey, Granny. You look bright and cheery.” Fern dropped a kiss on her mother Sophie’s cheek en route to hugging her grandma.
“Lots to be thankful about,” Grandma Sonora informed her, hugging her back with great enthusiasm.
Fern headed for the fridge and the teapot as soon as she was free. “Tell me more, only let me get ready at the same time?”
“Of course.” Sonora looked her over as Fern popped bread in the toaster and made her own cup of tea. “You’re not wearing your prosthesis today?”
At the table, Sophie snickered into her cup then wiped her face clear of amusement. “Sorry. It’s not funny.”
“It’s totally funny, Mom. Now.” Fern sighed and explained further, facing her grandma. “You know my part-time job with the painting company? I was carrying an open paint can, and my attachment jammed. I tried to let go, but the hook didn’t open. But since I’d already successfully passed Jimmy three pails, he wasn’t expecting an interruption and tugged. Forcefully.”
Grandma Sonora looked suitably horrified even as amusement twisted her lips. “This is not going to end well.”
“Nope. My prosthesis detached suddenly. Paint flew everywhere. On me and my arm, on him, on the floor, the walls.” Fern caught the toast as it popped up. “I have to get it cleaned and repaired.”
“Well, you do just fine without it,” Sophie pointed out.
“I do, but it’s convenient to have.” Fern eyed her grandma. “Now tell me more about why you’re all lit up with happiness.”
“Be careful what you ask for,” her mother warned.
“Hush,” Grandma Sonora muttered. “Just because the thought of your mother being in love makes you want to slap your hands over your ears, not everyone has the same sensitivities.”
Sophie met Fern’s gaze, amusement bubbling out of her. “Tell me, my sweet daughter, do you want to listen to your grandma babble on about her sex life?”
“I said love life,” Sonora protested.
Oh boy. Fern stared at the ceiling, desperately trying to find a proper response that didn’t involve breaking into a cackle.
“See? I told you,” Sophie said with a laugh.
“She didn’t say a word,” Grandma Sonora complained.
“She did the look. The one Malachi does when all of us are tormenting him and he’s trying not to end up in the doghouse after being surrounded by a gaggle of women.”
Oops. Fern concentrated on spreading peanut butter to the very edge of her toast. “Thank you for pointing out that tell. I will make sure I avoid it in the future. Grandma Sonora, I am delighted that you are in love. I aspire to be as happy and wholeheartedly head-over-heels as you in my future years. Mother, you and Dad are also very much in love, and very…demonstrative…about it. In case you’re not aware, sometimes your public conversations lean toward TMI. I can’t imagine where you learned it from.”
Fern pointedly glanced back and forth between the two older women until they both squirmed slightly, then laughed.
“Fine.”
“We’ll be good.”
Fern straightened and held her toast in the air. “To love.”
“To love,” they both echoed back.
The older women in her life—and there were a lot of them—always made Fern smile for one reason or another. Her three sisters were just as rock solid as Mom and Grandma, and Fern cherished the moments she got to spend with them.
Her phone rang, and she answered it quickly, hoping she wasn’t about to disappoint one of those important people.
“Hey, Rose. Please don’t ask me to come in early, because I can’t. I’m going for a trail ride with Tansy and Cody. She’s finally cashing in her win from the last bachelor auction.”
“That’s why I’m calling. Message for you from Tansy. She’s sick as a dog.”
“Oh no! What’s up?” Fern stared out the window, avoiding eye contact with her mom because Sophie was a mind reader at times. One of her babies sick?
She’d be over at the apartment, mothering Tansy within minutes.
“Just a bad summer cold, so she plans to stay in bed today. But—” Rose added before Fern’s disappointment could rise, “the trail ride is still on. I called Red Boot ranch and let them know you’re still coming out, so go ahead and keep that date.”
“Is she sure? We could switch it to another day.”
“No. Tansy insists you go,” Rose assured her. “Have fun. Tell her all about it when you can. She bid at the auction to mess with people. She wasn’t really hoping to date Cody or anything.”
Which Fern already knew. “If she’s sure…”
“Very sure. Now, I have things to do since I’m the only sister working the café this morning,” Rose teased. “Have a blast, and I’ll see you this afternoon for your shift.”
“Deal. Love you,” Fern offered brightly.
“Love you too.”
Between catching her mom and grandma up on the details of Tansy’s cold and then getting herself ready for the ride, she didn’t have time to do more than consider in passing that this wasn’t what she’d had in mind when she’d asked to join Tansy and Cody.
She knew him. Sort of. They’d bumped into each other around town over the past few years since he’d moved to Heart Falls, but he was a good bit older than her and didn’t run in her usual social circles. She’d met him a few more times recently since his older brother was now dating Rose, but that was the extent of it.
The morning was shaping up to be an entertaining adventure, no matter what happened. Proof once again that she’d done the planning to set up the thing she really wanted—the trail ride—and now it was time to trust in fate.
Whatever it had in store for her.
**
Cody swayed easily in the saddle, letting Princess Buttercup pick her own pace down the dusty trail that edged Red Boot’s western fence line. It was early enough the high summer heat hadn’t set in yet, the sun still polite, and the air tasted faintly of sage and fresh hay.
He’d knocked out chores before dawn to keep the day clear. Fencing check done. Feed delivered. One stubborn calf turned back through the gate it apparently thought was optional.
All so he could ride with Tansy Fields. Too funny.
Princess Buttercup flicked an ear back, annoyed with his drifting mind. He chuckled and adjusted the reins, giving her a reassuring pat on the neck. Smart, steady little mare. Knew the trails better than he did sometimes.
Cody’s mind, however, continued to drift. This time to Chance, his older brother who’d come to Heart Falls barely a month ago yet somehow walked right into a life that fit him tighter than a custom saddle.
And Rose Fields. Good Lord, that girl had turned Chance inside out from day one.
“Settled right down, didn’t you?” Cody muttered to the horse, but the words were for his brother. He could almost hear Chance’s voice in reply, cocky and laughing.
Aye, only feckin’ eejits run from a good thing, Cody. Might as well stay put if yer arse likes the bed.
Cody huffed a quiet laugh. Chance’s accent always thickened when he got smug, which around Rose was more often than not these days. Not that Cody begrudged either of them the happiness. It was early days yet, but so far the two of them were shaping up to be more than a casual fling.
If Cody was honest with himself, he wouldn’t mind a bit of that kind of luck himself. He had steady work, damn good friends, and a stretch of Alberta prairie to live on that felt like home.
Only piece missing was a woman.
He’d found no potential match, though, in the small town of Heart Falls. His halfhearted attempts at love lately had been through an app, and the results were a bunch of ghostings and cat photos. One online hopeful in Nova Scotia was the only one he’d corresponded with more than a few times, and while he enjoyed their conversations, it still felt odd.
They’d been talking about her coming out for a visit, and he was strangely okay about it. Which sucked. He should be excited, not simply okay.
Today’s ride was supposed to be a break from all that. Tansy was a hoot, and from what Rose had assured him, even though Tansy had bid on Cody at the bachelor auction, she had zero interest in romance.
Perfect. No expectations. No awkwardness. Just a couple hours winding along trails under tall pine trees. Talking about everything and nothing.
As he rounded the last bend to the main arena, Cody pulled Princess Buttercup up short. Parked in the section clearly marked Visitors was a beat-up old Ford pickup that definitely hadn’t been there at sunrise.
Before he could swing a leg over to dismount, the driver’s door flew open and out popped… Not Tansy Fields.
Fern Fields.
He knew her. Sort of. Mostly in the way everyone in Heart Falls knew the Fields family. Salt of the earth and loyal as border collies. They’d met at a few community events, Fern flitting around like a sunbeam. Always smiling. Always moving.
Right now, she bounced on the balls of her feet as if she might launch into orbit. Her curly black hair bobbed in a halo around her head as she moved, the deep tan brown of her skin warm in the morning sunlight.
“Hey, Cody!” she called brightly, waving her bare, short left arm as she approached slowly. No prosthesis today. He’d noticed she wore or didn’t wear it with about even timing. He respected that.
“Hey yourself. Where’s Tansy?” he asked, scanning behind her as if Tansy might leap from the truck bed with a shout.
Fern stopped a foot away, examining him and the horse with equal interest. “Home, coughing up a lung,” she said with a sympathetic grimace. “Rose called and said Tansy’s down for the count but insisted I come anyway.”
Cody’s mouth worked for a second then settled on a slow, careful smile. “So, you and me today, huh?”
Her grin widened, and she rocked back on her heels. “If you don’t mind. I promise not to talk your ear off. If you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you.”
Something warm trickled through his chest, a quiet spark that made him feel about five years younger.
“I don’t mind at all,” he said.
It took barely any time to get ready to go as one of the Red Boot ranch hands walked out the big sorrel gelding he’d planned for Tansy to ride.
Cody tied Buttercup to the railing so he could move in to help. “This is Lonesome Charlie. Need a hand up?”
“Please and thank you,” Fern said, already stepping close. He caught her waist, warm and slender, and hoisted her up smooth as silk. She settled as if she belonged there, adjusting her reins with easy competence.
Her eyes were so full of mischief it tugged at the edges of his composure. “See? Destiny’s helping already. If Tansy was here, I’d have had to haul myself up like a spider monkey.”
Cody barked out a laugh. “I somehow doubt you’ve ever looked awkward in your life.”
Her lashes fluttered dramatically. “Flattery from a ranch foreman? Be still my heart.”
He watched her a second longer than necessary before clearing his throat. “You look comfy up there. Ride much?”
Fern shot him a pleased smile. “Not as much as I’d like. Our family’s been friends with the Stone family since way back, so I used to ride with their youngest son, Dustin. My oldest sister married one of the Stone brothers, and I sneak a ride at Silver Stone at times. But not often enough.”
“Well,” Cody said, swinging up onto Princess Buttercup beside her, “we’ll fix that today.”
He led Buttercup forward, careful to keep the horses close but not crowding. Fern adjusted her reins, posture loose and confident. She used the crook of her left arm to pinch the loop while changing the grip on her right. It worked just fine, and Cody relaxed a little more.
Riding always meant being adaptable, and it appeared Fern had things well under control.
“So, Mr. Gabrielle,” she said, voice teasing as they set off with the horses at an easy walk. “How’s life treating you these days? The ranch looks as if it’s still standing. Your brother behaving himself?”
He snorted. “Chance is as happy as a clam, though he’d call me a ‘clueless gobshite’ if I told him that. Ranch is steady. Bosses are good people. No complaints.”
Fern leaned a bit closer. “Any secret ranch gossip to share?”
He snorted. “Wouldn’t be a secret long if I told you, now, would it?”
“Fair enough.” She hummed under her breath, gaze sweeping the open fields as if she was absorbing every square inch. “I like it out here. Quiet, but not lonely, you know?”
He did. More than he could say without sounding like a sap.
She peeked at him sideways. “So. Since I know your brother and my sister are gaga over each other, it seems I should know this next bit. What about you? Are you seeing anyone special?”
The question was light, playful, but it hit a spot he hadn’t expected. Cody considered a moment before answering.
“Seeing someone. Kind of,” he admitted. “She’s out east. Long-distance thing. Not serious yet, but…we’ll see.”
He felt rather than saw the shift beside him. Fern’s energy didn’t dim so much as redirect, pivoting from playful flirt to something brighter and more purely friendly. She laughed lightly, flicking him a grin.
“Well then. Good for you, and good luck. If it’s meant to be, I’m sure all the distance in the world won’t keep you apart. Destiny doesn’t care about your GPS location.”
Cody chuckled despite himself.
They rode another hour through the soft rustle of grass and the hush of wind through pine trees. Fern talked about her sisters, her part-time jobs, and her recent graduation from tech design school.
He told her about the horses, the ranch, and was shocked to find himself mentioning the quiet weight of being the man everyone counted on, even if he didn’t say it quite like that.
He deliberately made sure to say nothing about the hollow spot that had been growing in his chest for months. The one her laugh and lilting voice filled, if only for a while.
When they made it back to the arena, Fern swung down on her own with a triumphant little whoop, landing lightly in the dust.
“Thanks for letting me steal your morning,” she said, patting Lonesome Charlie’s flank with a competent ease. “Not what either of us planned, huh?”
“Nope.” Cody tied off Buttercup and found himself smiling at her. Really smiling, no half-measures. “But I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Fern’s smile sparkled, wide and certain. “Told you. Destiny always knows what she’s doing.”
He didn’t argue. He didn’t dare.
Because maybe destiny really did know best. Which meant maybe he should be fool enough to trust her.
First, though, he had a lot of thinking to do.
Return to Fern’s Date with Destiny
