The Unwanted Runaway

Guys Night

Denton’s POV

It has been surprisingly easy to avoid Anna for the past few weeks. But every now and then, I catch a glimpse of her on the ranch. It's just better if we stay away from each other. I think it's because of all the stress with Sarah and our relationship, as well as Seth's behavior issues. But for some reason, I find myself oddly drawn to Anna.

I've come to the conclusion, in thinking that my desire to be a savior for a damsel in distress, combined with my caring nature, may be the reason for my attraction to Anna.

My dad, brother, and I even my ma call around to see if we can find any experienced ranch hands.

I've hired five new guys and had Carter do a major background check on them and everything came back clean.

Now that the bunkhouse is full. This gives me some much-needed time for myself and to spend quality time with Sarah. However, tonight, Evan invited me over for a poker game with Jason, James, and another guy who I haven't met yet. Apparently, he's dating Brooke's cousin, Ellie.

My guess is ma’s gonna watch the kids

While, the women go out tonight. They’re just planning on going to Dukes Bar & Grill for a few hours.

As I make my way to Evan's house, I can't help but feel a sense of excitement. I walk up to the front door and my niece Lily greets me with a big smile. "Uncle Denton, Hi uncle Denton “do you want to play tea party with me and Anna?" she asks enthusiastically.

I smile and say, "Not right now sweetie, but maybe later." I can't help but feel a little panic when she mentions Anna's name.

"Where is Anna anyway?" I ask Lily, trying to keep my cool.

"She's in my room, we're playing with my Barbies and having a tea party," Lily replies.

Just then, Mia walks up to me and says, "Hey Denton, the guys are in the den getting things set up."

She then turns to Lily and says, "Come on, leave your uncle Denton alone."

But Lily insists, "I want uncle Denton to play Barbies and tea party with me and Anna."

I smile at Lily and say, "Maybe later, sweetie. Right now,. But I promise we'll have a tea party soon."

Lily pouts a little but then brightens up when Mia suggests, "Well, I bet Grammy will let you bake something with her."

Lily's face lights up and she says, "Mommy, I like playing with Anna. She's fun, and we have Buster in my room. Anna helped me dress him up all pretty too."

I chuckle to myself, thinking about my poor dog being dressed up in frilly clothes. But I reassure Lily, "Just ask Grammy and I'm sure she'll be more than happy to bake something with you. You know how she loves to bake."

As Lily runs back up the stairs to her room, I can't help but think about poor Buster being tortured with dress-up and tea parties. I shake my head and make my way to Evan's den, where he and my other guys are getting things set up.

EJ walks past me and asks his dad, "Do you think I could stay too to play poker?"

I laugh and say, "No son, not yet. Maybe in a few more years."

Evan and I share a laugh at his comment, and Mia says, "Come on EJ, both you and your sister are going to Grammy and Pop pop's house. I'm sure Pop pop will let you tinker in the garage for now."

"Mia calls up the stairs for Lily to join her downstairs so they can leave for Grammy and Pop Pop's house. Buster comes bounding down the stairs, making it hard for me not to laugh. Lily follows, chasing after Buster who has one of her favorite Barbies in his mouth.

"Don't worry about it," Mia reassures Lily. "We'll get you another one."

"But mommy, that was my favorite one," Lily protests.

Just then, Anna rushes down the stairs and offers to retrieve the Barbie from Buster. But as she turns the corner, she accidentally bumps into me and we both let out a loud "oof."

We pause, looking into each other's eyes. It's like time has stopped. I take her hand and ask, "Are you okay?" She mumbles a quiet "I'm sorry, Denton." I say nothing and watch her chase after Buster out the door.

Mia kisses Evan goodbye on the lips before they leave for her ladies' night and Evan tells her to have fun. She responds, "You have a good time playing poker with the guys."

Anna comes back in just as Mia and the kids are about to leave. She takes the bottom of her shirt and wipes off the Barbie, bending down to hand it to Lily. "I did my best to save it," she says apologetically. "But it's still pretty dirty from the dog drool."

Lily gives Anna a big hug and says, "Thank you so much." Then she adds, "Anna, I hope you marry my uncle Denton someday, because I would love for you to be my auntie."

Everyone's eyes widen in shock, including mine. James comes over and says, "Uh oh, Denton, looks like you're in trouble."

Anna glances up at me with a bashful smile, her cheeks turning a rosy red at Lily's comment. Mia tells Anna to go ahead and follow her out the door with the kids so they can leave straight from my mom’s house to the bar.

Mia, EJ, Lily and Anna all walk out the door

I ask James if Carly is working tonight and he responds, "No, she's at home with the twins. But my in-laws are definitely running the bar and grill tonight."

As I confidently take my seat at the poker table, I do a quick scan of my surroundings and immediately realize that Jason is nowhere to be found. I turn to Evan, who is already seated and preparing for the game, and ask, "Do you know where Jason is?"

Without missing a beat, Evan responds, "He's picking up Travis. You know, Brooks' cousin's boyfriend." I nod in understanding as Evan finishes his beer and sets it down on the table. "They should be here any minute now," he adds.

As James begins shuffling the deck, he also brings over a round of cold beers for all of us. Just then, Jason strolls in with a tall guy who I assume is Travis. We all exchange greetings and Travis takes a seat next to Jason. James starts dealing the cards and we begin to chat about the football game we watched last night.

In between discussing the game, we also delve into a deeper topic - the things that women do that can drive us crazy. I chime in with a few examples from my own relationship, mentioning how my girlfriend Sarah has some habits that really get under my skin.

James then brings up the awkward encounter I had with Anna earlier in the kitchen. I shrug it off, claiming it was just a simple accident. But Jason, being the observant one, decides to add his two cents. He reveals to James that I have been actively avoiding Anna for the past few weeks and have even put him in charge of her work on the ranch.

I quickly defend myself, explaining that I only have Anna working part-time with us because she also helps out in the orchard and greenhouse. But James, being the playful one, teases me and suggests that perhaps I have a thing for Anna. I brush it off, stating that she comes with too much baggage and is a bit of a mystery that I don't have the time or energy to solve. After all, I already have enough on my plate with Sarah.

Evan, who has been listening intently, finally speaks up and asks what exactly I have to deal with when it comes to Anna. He points out that she is kind, and how the kids, adore her, and she even helps out my Ma” in the kitchen without being asked. This is a big deal considering how particular my Ma” is about her kitchen. Evan also mentions that our Mother has noticed and appreciated Anna’s help.

He then brings his our high school days and how Sarah used to be a bit snobbish. Evan also mentions that it bothers him when Sarah and I leave right after dinner without offering to help clean up, or when she comes over early and doesn't offer to help prepare food. There is a hint of disgust in his voice as he adds, "It's just common respect."

As we sat around the table, finishing up the poker game, Jason suddenly brought up a topic that caught my attention. He recounted how Brooke and Mia had concocted a plan to set up Carter and Anna romantically. According to Brooke, Anna could use a good man like Carter in her life, and not just because he's the sheriff, as Jason said Brooke claimed.

Hearing this, a part of me couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy, although I knew I shouldn't. I wanted Carter to be happy, and Anna deserved a break. But a selfish part of me didn't want anyone else to have Anna, as if she was mine.

Evan chuckled and commented, "Good luck with that one. I'm pretty sure Carter has his eye on the former sheriff's daughter, who now happens to be a teacher at EJ's school."

As much as I tried to brush off my jealousy, I could tell Evan was watching me closely, silently questioning my reaction.

He then asked me if I’m alright?

I awkwardly responded, "Yeah must have been the burrito I had for lunch. I might blow up your toilet later if you don't mind."

Travis couldn't contain his laughter and threw his cards down on the table, busting out in a fit of giggles. The rest of the guys looked at me like I was an i***t, but I shrugged it off and focused on my cards. I had a royal flush, and I couldn't resist making a joke about taking a s**t and "flushing" the money into my pockets.

They threw their cards down in defeat, clearly annoyed at losing to my lucky hand. I scooped up the coins and dollar bills, jokingly telling them, "Sorry fellas, you gotta learn to bluff and play the game."

As we continued to play poker, I couldn't help but feel a sense of uncertainty when it came to Anna. It's a good thing we were playing poker, because I couldn't bluff my true feelings for her.

If Carter and Anna get together, at least, hopefully this weird attraction that I have towards her would stop.