Overprotective Cowboy - Elana Johnson Page 0,3

of the office, down the hall, and right on out of the building. A huge, black truck waited in the circle drive, the early morning sunlight glinting off all the chrome. Jarrell strode toward it, extending the thick folder of paperwork toward whoever was inside.

Nate got out of the passenger side and took the folder with the words, “Thanks, Jarrell.” His gaze switched to Ted, a smile blooming on his face. “You ready?”

He was going to have to be, Ted supposed, and he swallowed and nodded. He relaxed as Nate embraced him again, as Jarrell promised to follow up with him in a couple of weeks, and as he got in the truck after Nate had slid into the middle.

“Ted,” Nate said. “My fiancée, Ginger Talbot.” He looked from Ted to Ginger. “Ginger, this is Ted Burrows, my best friend.”

“Nice to meet you,” Ginger said, and she gave him a real nice smile too, as if she actually meant it.

“And you,” Ted said, because he’d been taught manners once upon a time in his life. He was Texan, after all. He settled into the comfortable seats as Nate told him they had about a three and a half hour drive ahead of them.

“And we’ve got better clothes at the ranch,” he said. “That shirt looks a little small.”

Ted didn’t care about the ill-fitting clothes or the long drive; he wasn’t behind the walls of River Bay, and when Ginger turned down road after road and then onto a highway with the water on the left, all Ted could do was stare.

Nate didn’t try to engage Ted in conversation, thankfully, as Ted felt like he was having an out-of-body experience. The sky was so blue. The water so beautiful. The sunshine so bright.

Eventually, they reached the town of Sweet Water Falls, and Ted thought even the name was too good to be true.

Then Ginger turned onto the dirt lane that led to the ranch. The instructions started then, and he learned where he’d live, and where the women on the ranch lived, and when he’d meet with Ginger.

She pulled into a garage that had doors on both sides, so she could essentially drive straight through the house in one of the three stalls separating the West Wing—where the women lived—from the Annex—where the cowboys lived.

“Your room is right by mine,” Nate said. “And Connor’s. We’ll share a bathroom.”

Ted made a sound of affirmation, because he wasn’t sure what to vocalize. He’d met Connor before, because Nate’s brother used to bring him to the prison to visit.

“Emma will have lunch ready,” Ginger said, opening her door. “You hungry, Ted?”

He looked over at her and nodded. “I didn’t get breakfast.”

“We should’ve stopped,” Nate said. “Why didn’t you say something?”

“I’m fine,” Ted said, though he did get grumpy if he didn’t eat enough. His stomach growled at the same time it told him not to eat, because it was nervous and wouldn’t know what to do with the food he gave it.

“Let’s go eat.” Nate got out on the driver’s side, and Ted finally got himself to move. Ginger had gone into the house ahead of them, and Nate met Ted’s eye. “It’ll be overwhelming for a little bit. But this is a great place, I swear, and you just do the same thing here that you did at River Bay.”

“What’s that?”

“Take it one day at a time.” Nate gave him another smile and said, “Okay, so you’re going to meet a bunch of people at once. Don’t try to remember all of their names. You just need to know Ginger’s.”

“Ginger,” Ted repeated. “Got it.” He never forgot a face, but names did sometimes slip through the cracks in his mind.

Nate climbed up the couple of steps and opened the door, and Ted followed him, a little weirded out that there wasn’t any clinking of chains accompanying his footsteps. Just like he’d had to get used to life at River Bay, he’d have to figure out how to get used to life here at Hope Eternal Ranch.

“All right, guys,” Ginger said over the gaggle of people inside, most of whom were talking. Ted saw several more men wearing cowboy hats. Women wearing cowgirl hats. One in an apron. All of them looked fresh, and happy, and almost like they glowed.

Ted felt completely out of place, and he’d wished he’d asked Ginger to pull over so he could change his clothes. He stood halfway behind Nate as Ginger continued with, “This is Ted Burrows, our