He even tasted like coffee. Rich and full of dreamy flavors she could spend hours exploring. His fingers tangled in her hair, pressing to the back of her neck ever so lightly. If she wanted to, she could jerk away, but instead, she pressed herself to him and, feeling a loose nail dig into her side, realized that the fence was still between them.
She jerked back slightly when she felt the sting of the nail.
“Oh,” Nick said, looking down. “Damn, I meant to nail that in.” He took the hem of her shirt in his hands. “It’s torn.”
She looked down at it, not caring. Then he lifted the hem up to check her skin, and she felt her entire body heat at the thought of him removing all of her clothes.
What was wrong with her? This was Nick. This was… the boy of her dreams who had turned into the man of her dreams right before her eyes. Somehow, she hadn’t even realized how much she’d wanted him. How much she’d grown to like him. What he meant to her.
“It doesn’t look like the nail broke the skin,” Nick said, looking back up into her eyes. “Are you okay?”
She nodded, not really wanting to open her mouth for fear of what might come falling out.
“Good,” he said. He easily jumped the fence and landed by her side. He took her hand, and they started walking towards James. “Since you’re here and James is here…” He stopped and turned towards her. “How about I saddle up Crash, and we head out for a ride?”
She nodded again.
“Good.” He smiled and took her hand again, only this time, they headed towards the barn.
When they stepped inside, she stopped and gaped at the space.
“Wow.” She blinked to let her eyes adjust so she could get a better look.
The Howe’s ranch house was a beautiful sight. The home was easily twice the size of her family home. It was made of wood and glass and sat on top of a small hillside. The back of the home had large windows that overlooked the Howe property. The long drive split in two near the road, and a dirt lane headed off in the direction of a few trailers and a smaller ranch house. She knew that a few full-time staff lived out there, most of them in the trailers or in campers of their own. She’d always been told to steer clear of them, since most of them were drifters.
She’d only been inside the Howe home twice over the years. Once, when Nick’s mother died and the other when his father had been really sick, and her stepmother had delivered a casserole.
Kara didn’t know why she hadn’t been in there more often, but then again, Nick had probably only been inside her home a handful of times too.
The barn impressed her and made her immediately jealous. From the outside, the building looked like any other barn. It was tan, with a dark metal roof. There were thick wood beams holding up a long section of roofing that sat directly over the outside paddock areas.
Inside the barn, there were at least a dozen stalls on one side of the building, all made of the same wide wood beams and black iron railings. On the other side was a wall of doors. Some were large garage-style doors and others were smaller and led into storerooms.
Compared to her small barn, which housed three horses and had barely any storage area, this was a mansion for animals.
“This is impressive,” she said, following him to a stall.
Each of the horses had their names carved into wood plaques that hung above the stall doors.
“Crash, Bolt, Lightning, Thunder, and…” She moved down to see the last horse. “Mariann?”
Nick chuckled. “She’s not really part of the family. I’m breaking her in for the Bertons.”
“Right.” She smiled and nodded to his horses. “I see a theme. Do you name all your animals after a stormy night?”
He chuckled. “Just the horses. The cattle are named after Pokémon.”
“Gotta catch ’em all.” She smiled and he nodded.
“The chickens are named after Star Wars characters.” He walked over and opened a door. Inside was a room filled with saddles and other riding gear. He took a saddle and set it down on a bench, then walked over and got Crash out. She leaned against the door to his stall and watched as he saddled him.
“What about the goats?” she asked.
“Most of them came with names. Next generation is going to be Star Trek characters.” He smiled. “First and second generation.”
She laughed. “Nerd.”
“You know it.” He smiled.
“What about football or basketball players?” she asked.
He shrugged. “I only played in those sports to piss off Willy by being better than him,” he admitted, and she laughed.
“I knew it.” She pointed towards him. “Everyone did, actually.”
“I think at one point it was common knowledge.” He tightened the saddle.
“Is that why you dated Carla in tenth grade?” she asked, remembering the hot redhead that Willy had bragged he was going to bang before prom.
“No, I dated her to protect her from Willy.”
“He hates being called that,” she said with a smile. “Which is why I call him that all the time.”
Nick chuckled. “Me too.”
Nick finished getting Crash ready for the ride and then helped her get back on James before they set out across the field.
She figured he would want to stick close to the house, and sure enough they made a large circle around the property. While they rode, they talked about Willy and everything he’d done over the years to get back at Nick.
“It’s like he has a playbook and is going through different moves to see what works,” Nick said with a chuckle.
“I wish he’d give up trying with me,” she admitted with a sigh.
“Is he still bothering you?” Nick asked with a frown.
“No, not for a while, but that won’t stop him from trying again. He usually forgets about me for chunks at a time. Then something will set him off and, boom, he’s knocking on my door again.” She rolled her eyes.
Nick was frowning so much now that she decided to change the subject to the animals that he was training. By the time they returned to the barn, they were both laughing again as the snow started falling. The sky had turned gray and there was a bite to the wind now.
She started to tie James up outside so she could help Nick put Crash away, but he stopped her by taking her hand in his.
“No, I’ve got this. You should go home before it gets too bad out here.” Nick rubbed her ungloved hands in his. “I already kept you out in the cold too long.”
“You didn’t keep me,” she pointed out.
“Here.” He stepped inside the barn and came back with a pair of warm riding gloves. “You shouldn’t go out riding without a pair.”
“Thanks.” She held onto them, wishing he’d hold her hands again instead.
“Tomorrow night. I’ll pick you up around six,” he said, leaning back against the barn door.
“I could—” she started, but he shook his head.
“I’ll pick you up,” he said with a smile. Then he walked over to her and pulled her close again. “So it will be an official date,” he said quietly. Her entire body warmed next to his. “Go home, Kara.” He brushed his lips across hers, then helped her back into the saddle. She wanted to argue with him, but she slid on the gloves and turned James towards home.