Willy, or Wil as he demanded to be called, had been the star player in both football and baseball. At one point, he’d asked her out on a date, and she would have said yes if Liz hadn’t warned her about a rumor going around that he and his buddies had a bet on who could have sex with her first.
That year, she hadn’t dated anyone. Even though he and his friends continued to ask her out.
After that, she’d started seeing through Willy’s facade. He was a jerk to anyone weaker or smarter than he was. He was rude to the point of crudeness towards women. Most importantly, he was such a jerk to Nick that it infuriated her.
Was this what Nick was upset about? Was he worried that all his dreams would disappear just because he wasn’t married? Was that why he was so interested in her place? She stiffened at that thought. Then she froze in place when she thought about why he was being so much nicer to her lately. Did he think she was the answer to his problems?
Chapter Six
“Be careful,” Nick said for the second time as he helped his father into the house. Lenny and Squiggy tried to scoot in before them. He snapped his fingers, and both dogs sat down and waited for their turn.
“I can only be so careful,” his father said, and then he coughed several times.
Nick helped him sit in his favorite recliner. His dad was hooked up to an oxygen machine, so Nick set it beside the chair. The dogs settled at his father’s feet, as if understanding they were needed there.
“Do you want some water?” he asked, only to be waved away.
“I’m fine, just hand me the remote,” his father answered. “Then you can go out and do your chores.”
Nick didn’t want to leave his dad there alone, but it had been two days and he really needed to check in with his foreman, Daryl Conrad. The man had been working on the Howe ranch since before Nick was born.
Nick and his father trusted Daryl with every detail of running the massive place.
“Call me if—” Nick started, only to have his father wave him away again.
“Don’t forget to check in on the Montgomery place,” his father called after him as he walked out.
Nick wanted to tell his dad that there was no way he’d forget to go see Kara, but he figured his father already knew that. Was his dad serious about selling the ranch to Wilbert?
How the hell was he supposed to find a wife by Christmas? For the next two hours, he toiled over that question. Every time he thought about it, he came to the same conclusion. Kara.
By the time he rode his horse Bolt towards her ranch, the snow was falling, and he was pretty sure his first step should be to ask her out on a date. Which meant he had to grow a pair of balls on his ride over there.
He was halfway across her field when he noticed her riding towards him from her side field. He pulled Bolt to a halt and waited for her to stop next to him.
“How’s your dad?” she asked him, a little breathless. She wore a wool beanie, and her hair was in a thick braid that lay over her shoulder. She had on a heavy coat, gloves, leather chaps over jeans, and riding boots. Her cheeks were pink, showing signs that she’d been riding for some time in the cold.
“At home, resting,” he answered. “Out for a ride?”
She nodded. “Care to join us?”
They pulled the horses to fall in step with one another and headed off towards the far field.
“How have things been over here the last few days?” he asked.
“Fine,” she answered quickly. “No issues. How are things at your place?”
He shrugged. “Had a busted pipe in the well house. Daryl and the guys fixed it up. Got a few new goats.”
She frowned over at him. “Birthed?”
“No, someone dropped them off. Daryl has been letting a few other ranchers know that if they have trouble animals, they can drop them off for rehab.”
“You work with goats? Aren’t they pretty stupid animals?” She chuckled.
He stilled his horse, and she pulled her horse to a stop too.
“Lady Di would be shocked if she heard you talk about her kind like that,” he said, shaking his head.
Kara laughed even more. “You have a goat named Lady Di?”
“She came with the name, and she’s as intelligent as… well.” He motioned to the horse she was riding. “Whatever her name is.”
“James,” she supplied, and he smiled and leaned down and took a closer look at the horse.
“Right, sorry ol’ chap.” He started walking Bolt again. “James and Larry.” He shook his head with a chuckle. “Nice names for horses.”
“That’s Bolt, right?” Kara motioned to his horse.
“Yup.” He gave Bolt a pat on the neck.
“James is pretty smart. You’re telling me a goat could be as smart as James here?” she asked.
He glanced sideways at her. “We could wager on it?”
She laughed. “Right.”
“Chicken?” He egged her on.
She pulled James to a stop again, and he and Bolt had to back step a few steps to be neck and neck with them.
“What kind of wager?” she asked.
“Well, we could run them through simple commands at first.”
“No, I mean, what would we bet?” she corrected.
He thought about it. “If I win…”
“If I win, you stop coming around and trying to run the ranch,” she interrupted.
He felt like he’d been kicked in the gut. “Trying to get rid of me?” he asked, trying to sound lighthearted.
“No, it’s just…” She turned a little pale. “No, it’s just…” she said again. “I’ve waited my entire life to run this place. By myself.”
He nodded and took a deep breath. “If I win, you go out on a date with me.”
Her eyes went wide.
He held out his gloved hand and waited. She hesitated for a split second, then shook his hand.
“I won’t lose. James here is our smartest horse.” She lifted her chin slightly.
Nick smiled. “What do you say you ride him over to my place in the morning, and we can see who is smarter. A dumb goat or an old gelding.”
She nodded slightly. “First thing in the morning.”
He started to turn Bolt back towards his place but stopped when she called after him.
“You… didn’t want to come and check up on things at the ranch?” she asked.
He smiled over his shoulder at her. “No, I just came to ask you out on a date.” He kicked Bolt into a trot.
He smiled the entire way back home. He took his time making sure Bolt was cooled off. He brushed him, then saw to it that all the animals were safely tucked into the barn for the cold night.
He stopped by Lady Di’s pen. She was there waiting for him and the carrot she knew he’d brought her.
“How are you doing tonight, my lady?” he asked, snuggling up to the goat’s neck as she munched on the carrot. She let out a happy bleat, then nudged his shoulder. “Okay, okay,” he said, pulling out the sugar cube. “Your dessert.” He handed it to her, and he could have sworn she smiled at him.
When he walked into the house, his father was sitting at the kitchen table, talking to Stephen McKinney. The man had been his father’s lawyer for as long as Nick could remember.