Misty paced around in Clay's loft, checking her phone for the umpteenth time. About an hour ago, Misty received a text from Clay that said, "We need to talk." When she texted him back, asking what they needed to talk about, Clay had just told her to meet him in his loft in an hour, so here she was. Waiting anxiously, not even caring that her pacing was hurting her side where she broke two ribs. 

      Deciding that pacing was just making things worse, Misty walked into the living room, sitting down on the couch. Opening her inbox, Misty checked to see if there was another text from Clay. Nothing. Rereading their conversation just made Misty even more concerned; what could Clay possibly need to talk to her about? There were plenty of things: maybe Jace had talked to Clay and lied about what happened, or Clay decided he no longer wanted to date Misty, or...wait, Clay had met up with Misty's dad today. That's why Clay needed to talk to her...Bill told Clay that he didn't want his daughter dating Clay. Misty knew it; that's what happened. 

     Misty mentally prepared herself for whatever would happen next when she heard the door open, then boots clicking against the hard wood floors. Turning, Misty faced Clay; she walked towards him. Clay and Misty both reached their arms out to each other in a hug. Wrapping both of his arms tightly around Misty, he planted a kiss on the top of her head, breathing in the clean scent of her hair. "Hey, babe." 

     "Hey, you said that we needed to talk." Pulling back to look up at Clay, Misty had a worried look in her eyes. "What's wrong?" 

      Taking a deep breath, Clay pulled back slightly to place both of his arms on Misty's shoulders, running his hands down them, and back up. With a sigh, Clay started, "I talked to your dad today." 

      Misty gave him a pleading look, hoping whatever he would say next was going to be something good. 

     "He knows about you and Jace." Clay remarked, his jaw clenching tight. 

     Misty nodded slowly. She already knew where this was going and that saddened her. "How does he know?"

     Clay shifted slightly, looking at Misty with an unknown look. "He said that Jace confronted him about it."

     "How did that come up in the conversation?" Misty asked. "You didn't say anything, did you?" She asked in an agitated voice. 

     "No, of course not. I promised you I wouldn't." Clay gave Misty a small smile, rubbing his hands up and down her arms again. "Bill brought it up. He said that Jace came in the other day and told him what happened. Your dad said that Jace felt horrible about it because he knew about you and me, but Jace claimed that he just needed to know if you liked him. Bill asked if I knew about it, and I told him yes, that you told me all about it." 

      Misty felt her shoulders slump under Clay's strong hands. Looking away, she mumbled, "Let me guess, my dad thinks that Jace and I are better together, and the talk didn't go well, and my dad wants us to break up." With a sigh, she added, "I knew it." Bringing her eyes back up to Clay, she apologized, but when a smile rose on his lips, Misty asked, "Why are you smilin'?"

       Clay, moving his hands off of Misty's arms, and down to her hands, he responded, "Because the talk with your dad went great. He said that he couldn't think of a better guy for you than me." 

       "Wait, so he wasn't mad about the kiss?" Surprise strung on her face.

       Shaking his head, Clay responded, "No, he wasn't. So," Clay pulled Misty slightly closer to him. "Will you officially go out with me?"

       With a smile the size of Cheyenne, Misty nodded. "Yes, I would love to officially go out with you, again, considering you already asked me once." 

       "Good." Clay smiled, pulling Misty into a hug. On the top of her head, he settled a kiss, breathing in her smell. Pulling back from the hug, Clay asked Misty how her ribs were feeling. 

      "They're okay. They're still really sore, obviously, but I'm healin', thanks to the help of my amazing boyfriend." Loving how that word sounded coming off her lips, Misty smiled. 

      "Well, I'm glad that I am able to help my girlfriend." The smile transferred from Misty's lips to Clay's as he smiled down at her. Moving his hand slightly, Clay softly ran it over Misty's hurting ribs. There was so much that he wanted to say about the accident, but he knew better than to bring it up. Taking in a breath, to shake the memory of the accident, Clay asked, "So, what do you say you let me take you out tomorrow? I know a great fishin' spot." 

      "I don't know if I could cast well because of my side." Misty replied, pulling back from Clay to walk towards the living room.

      Clay hesitated. "Then what would you rather do?" He followed her into the living room, stopping to lean against the door frame, pushing his hands into his pockets.

      "Well," Misty sauntered her way over to Clay. "I would love to stay in and just cuddle on the couch with you." A mischievous grin played on her lips.

     "Darlin', I would love that, too, but we already do that a lot." Clay straightened, grabbing both of Misty's hands in his own. "I wanna take you out." Lifting one of Misty's hands above her head, Clay spun her around in circles in front of him, erecting giggles from Misty. "Show you off to the world." Having stopped spinning Misty in circles, Clay pulled Misty tight against him. "Let all of the guys know that you're taken." Looking at Misty's eyes, Clay added, "I kinda, honestly, get jealous of all of the guys starin' at you whenever I take you out somewhere. It's intimidating. But, now that we are official, you're all mine." Clay's smile was so big that his dimples, slight as they are, began creating crates in his cheeks.

      With a shy giggle, Misty responded, rolling her eyes, "Guys do no stare at me whenever we go out." Pulling back, Misty swatted at Clay. "Stop that. You're makin' me even more self-conscious." She walked to the coffee table in the living room, picking up her cell phone and keys. When she turned around, Misty saw Clay standing right in front of her. "What?" She asked when she saw the look on Clay's face. 

      Reaching out a hand, Clay tucked some hair behind Misty's ear. "Why are you so self-conscious?" Bringing himself closer to Misty, he asked another question. "Don't you believe me when I tell you you're beautiful?" 

     Misty hesitated. "Of course I believe you. I just don't feel it sometimes. That's all." Reaching a finger up to Clay's lips, Misty silenced him. "And before you say anything else, it's just how I am and you are gonna have to accept it if you want to date me. When you asked me, just a minute or so ago, to be your girlfriend that means accepting me just as I am. Flaws and all. That includes me being extremely self-conscious." 

      Clay grabbed Misty's hand, placing a kiss on it before lowering it off his lips. With a smile, he told her, "Of course I accept you just how you are, Mist. When I tell you you're beautiful, dadgummit I mean it, and I want you to believe it. From here on out, I promise to tell you every day that you're beautiful until you believe it. Even after you truly believe it, I will still tell you you're beautiful inside and out because you are." 

     Pulling away from her boyfriend, Misty remarked, "You're awful flirty today, aren't ya?" She changed the subject off of herself. 

      "I'm just so excited for our date tomorrow. I hope you know that I'm goin' to be that guy holdin' your hand every where we go, tellin' everyone that you're my girlfriend." Clay said, being overly dramatic with his words and gestures, making Misty chuckle.

     "Stop that. You look ridiculous." Misty sat on the couch, grabbing her boots from beside the coffee table. There was a smile on her lips. 

     "Wow, you're grouchy today. Was it something I said?" Clay stated in a casual voice. 

     "Yeah," Misty slipped her foot into the left boot, pulling up on the boot straps. "You came up here, scarin' me half to death, and leading me on to believe my dad doesn't want you dating me. It seriously scared me." After she got her right boot on, Misty pulled her jeans pant leg down over the shaft, standing from the couch. "Don't ever scare me like that again, please." Misty pointed a finger at Clay. 

      With two hands in the air, Clay replied, "Oh, I won't." Just realizing that Misty was trying to get out of his loft, he pushed his eyebrows together in question. "Where are you goin'?" 

      "I have to go into town to pick up a shipment, and run some errands, and then I am fixin' to come back here and work with Casper more." Misty explained, fixing her Bailey cowboy hat on top of her loose hair. 

     "Babe, please take a break from workin' with Casper today." Clay suggested, following Misty out of the loft, and down the stairs. "I can lunge him and do some sacking out for you. Just take a day off." 

     Misty walked out of the barn and to her truck. Leaning back against the closed door, she tucked her hands in her jeans pocket. "Why don't you want me workin' with Casper?" 

      Clay let out a sigh, taking a step closer to Misty, placing his hands on her waist. "Darlin', it's only been a few days since your accident with him, and you broke a couple ribs. I know that you are healing remarkably well, but workin' with a horse is still a lot of strain on you and your body." Rubbing a hand softly over her ribs, Clay added, "I just really don't want you to get hurt again, darlin'." 

      Misty, smiling, tapped a finger on Clay's nose. "Honey, it's been more than a few days...it's been a couple weeks." Wrapping her arms around Clay's neck, she said, "I really appreciate your concern, darlin', but I will be okay. I have done more with worse injuries."

      "That may be true, but that was before you had a really caring, and worrisome boyfriend who would rather work with the mustang than his girlfriend. That way if I get hurt, it's not a big deal, but if you get hurt again..." Clay paused. The images of the evident pain on Misty's face when Casper spooked...her laying in the round pen dirt, not even able to stand...it was too much for him. He couldn't go through it again. "I just don't want you hurt."

       "Yeah, but if you get hurt, then you and I will both be cripples, and we can't have that, now can we?" Misty pointed out.

      "True, but if I was to get hurt, I know you would play a great nurse." There was a wink as his dimple on his left cheek began peeking through.

       Misty reeled back, playfully slapping Clay on the shoulder. "Clay, you are so flirty today. My gosh."

      "What? I'm just bein' honest." He smiled. "Besides, you are my girlfriend now, and I cannot explain how happy I am to say that."

      "Flattery will only get you so far in life, Clay Montgomery. But it's not goin' to work. I'm still goin' into town to get the feed and bedding shipment, and I have to run some other errands, and then I am coming back here and working with Casper. Plus," Misty ran her hands down to rest on Clay's toned chest. "The doctor's said I need to start doin' more physical activity."

      "There's other things you could do for physical activity besides breaking a wild mustang. You could clean tack, sweep the barn, scrub water buckets and troughs, make me dinner, do some laundry, all of that stuff. That's all ranch work, but nothing dangerous." 

      "I beg to differ. Cleaning tack could lead to me getting a rash from the cleaner, the dust from the barn could make my allergies flare, the bleach from scrubbing buckets could cause harm to my skin and clothes. I could easily burn myself, or cut myself while making you dinner, and with doing laundry, the machines could fall on me, or I could inhale the lint and get sick." Misty quickly retorted.

       "You're impossible." Clay groaned, leaning his head back.

       "But you still like me." Misty tapped his chest. "And don't you ever forget that." Turning from Clay's embrace, Misty opened up her truck door, slipping into the driver's seat. As she turned the key, the passenger side door opened, and Clay got in. "What do you think you're doin'?" She asked with a chuckle.

      Buckling his seatbelt, Clay said, "Oh, you didn't think that you were fixin' to lift all those bags by yourself, didya?" A teasing smile played on his lips. 

       Shaking her head, Misty knew better than to argue with him. She had to admit she lost. "You're the impossible one, Clay Montgomery." She replied, putting her truck in reverse.

       "But you still like me." Clay repeated her line from earlier. "And don't you ever forget that." He said, adding a wink, slinging his arm over the back of the seat. 

       As Misty drove them to town, she tried to think of a time in her life that she had ever been so happy. Never. Never before had she felt like this, and that made her smile bigger than ever before.