“And I suppose you’ve been riding since you could walk.”
“Of course not,” she said. “We don’t start riding until we’re three or four, and that’s years after we first learn to walk.”
Nate let a beat of silence go by, and then he laughed. It was a wonderful, deep sound that set Ginger’s heartbeat racing. She joined in, glad for this single moment in time and hoping they’d have more.
She took a few steps toward him, wanting to reach out and take his hand in hers. She wasn’t quite brave enough for that. “So, you know, I eat dinner every night, and if you really wanted to eat with me, I think that could be arranged.”
“I don’t want to break the rules,” he said.
“There are no rules about who can eat dinner with who.”
“I don’t want to make your life harder.”
“Nate, I brought you here to make my life easier.”
“Then I will do my best to do that,” he said, and he was just so wonderful. In that moment, Ginger realized just how different he was than Hyrum too, and she allowed herself to believe that perhaps they could have something that went beyond friendship.
The days passed, and Ginger saw plenty of Nate. She had to, because she had to complete a daily check-in with him. She also kept in constant contact with Spencer and Nick, who were helping him learn the ropes, literally. They both said he was agreeable, and a quick study, and very, very good with horses.
Ginger finally went out to the stables on Sunday morning to see for herself. Sure enough, Nate worked with the horses as if he’d been born to do it. Even one of their newer, wilder horses settled right down the moment Nate took the reins from another cowboy. He talked to the equine in a quiet voice, and everything about Nate was a very strong version of quiet.
He put the horse in its stable and turned, catching her standing there, watching him. “Hey,” he said. “What are you doing out here?” He took off his gloves and clapped them together as he came toward her.
“I’ve been getting good reports about you,” she said. “So I came to see for myself.” She smiled at him as he neared. “How are you feeling? Ready to start the riding lessons tomorrow?”
“You know what?” he asked. “I think I am.”
Ginger nodded, glad he’d settled in so quickly. “Good.” She’d run out of things to say already, and she couldn’t imagine eating dinner with him. He’d not asked again, and Ginger couldn’t get herself to bring it up either. “All right, well, I have work in the fields to do. I’ll see you later?”
“Maybe for dinner,” he said, touching a couple of fingers to the brim of his hat, turning, and walking away.
Ginger simply stared at him as he retreated, her pulse pounding through her whole body. He’d gotten a new cell phone when they’d gone to town on Monday, and she had the number. In fact, she could take him to town. They could make up any excuse—not that anyone would truly ask.
Ginger couldn’t believe these crazy thoughts as they wound through her head. The guy had gone to prison for almost five years. Could he really be a different man than the one who’d gone along with a scheme to defraud people out of their money?
She’d never truly believed a person could change that much, but everything she’d seen from Nate was making her question that belief. He had worked in the Unit Manager’s office, and he’d been nothing but hard-working and just…good since she’d picked him up a week ago. She could hardly believe it had only been a week since his arrival at Hope Eternal Ranch, as it seemed simultaneously much longer than that but also the days had passed by in the blink of an eye.
She got herself out of the stable and into the fields to test the soil and make sure the sprinkling system was working after the maintenance that had been done last week. Now that May was a couple of weeks old, the sun had really intensified, but Ginger didn’t mind the sweat running down her face. It testified of a good day’s work, and she needed to feel like she’d done something worthwhile every day.
By the time she returned to the West Wing, her stomach roared for food. Emma had put something in the slow cooker that morning, because the house smelled like something slow-roasted and full of garlic.
“French dip sandwiches,” Emma said as Ginger walked through the kitchen.
“Gonna shower first,” she said.
“Okay, but don’t take forever,” Emma said. “Spencer, Nick, and Nate will be here in fifteen minutes.”
Ginger stumbled, throwing out her hand to balance herself against the doorjamb. “Really?”
“Yeah,” Emma said, not even looking over to Ginger. “I caught Nate as he finished with our weekend riders, and I invited them.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Is that okay?”
“You invited them? Or you invited him?”
Emma put down the tongs and turned toward Ginger. “I invited them all,” she said. “He was alone, but I told him to pass on the invite, and he said the three of them would come. He’s a nice guy, Ginger.”
“No, I know.” Ginger’s voice pitched up too much, and Emma would hear it. Her eyes narrowed as she took a couple of steps closer to Ginger.
“What does that mean?” she asked.
“Nothing,” Ginger said. “It means nothing.”
But Emma could clearly see it meant something. They’d been friends since the moment Emma had first brought her students to the ranch, and she’d been living and working at Hope Eternal for ten years now. “Ginger.”
“It’s nothing,” she said. “I need to shower.” She left quickly then, because Emma’s questions could be relentless. Ginger had no answers for them either. She’d been so sure about how things would go with the new inmate she’d agreed to.
But Nate wasn’t anything like what she’d expected. He wasn’t anything like Hyrum, and Ginger didn’t know how to make the two of them line up.
By the time she finished showering and left her bedroom, she could hear deeper voices in the kitchen. It’s not a date, she told herself. Emma would be there, as would Spencer and her cousin. And if there was anyone who could see through her easier than Emma, it was Nick.
She squared her shoulders and shook her hair out. It was still damp from the shower, and a tremor of nervousness moved through her. She should’ve dried it and put on makeup. But if she did that, everyone would know why. And Ginger didn’t even know why.
“Go on,” she muttered to herself as the people in the kitchen laughed. She went down the hall and entered the kitchen, where Jill and Jess had joined them.
Her eyes went straight to Nate, and he wore a smile but he wasn’t laughing with the others. His gaze flicked to hers too, and the chemistry between them bubbled and boiled.
“Ginger,” Connor said, and she looked down at the boy.
“Oh, hey.” She grinned as she dropped into a crouch. “Have you had a good week on the ranch?”
“Yeah,” he said, extending an envelope toward her. “Uncle Nate and I made you a card.”
“You did, huh?” She smiled at him, his blue-blue eyes too much for her to handle. “That’s so sweet of you.”