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“I’m here to give you a ride over to my property,” he said.
She crossed her arms. “Are you crazy? It has to be forty degrees out here.”
“I’ll keep you warm.” He reached out his hand as though in invitation.
Only after he’d done that did Gus have second thoughts about it. He should help her up and climb on behind her. He was the more experienced rider of the two of them. Or was he?
He’d no sooner had that fleeting thought than she’d stepped forward and expertly shoved one foot in the stirrup. Somehow, she managed to swing her leg over without kicking him in the face.
Bobbie Ludington had spent the past three and a half decades or so on this ranch. She was probably just as good at all this stuff as he was. Maybe better.
“What are you waiting for?” she asked before she was even fully settled. “Let’s go.”
Truth be told, his mind was all jumbled up. The only way to grab both reins was to basically wrap his arms around her, and the thought of that had him all kinds of bumfuzzled.
Once she was settled in, though, he closed his eyes for a moment and savored the feeling. By the time they were on the main drive through the ranch, it felt right having her in front of him, his arms around her. It felt like…home.
Speaking of home, that was exactly where he was heading. He probably should have stopped and asked if she was okay with crossing their property line, but he was a big believer in begging for forgiveness rather than asking for permission. If he asked for permission, she’d say no.
“Did you do that?” Bobbie suddenly asked as they neared the property line.
He blinked in surprise. Of all the things he’d expected her to say once she saw the fence, that would have been the last.
“Do what?” he asked.
“That.” She pointed toward the fence.
Gus laughed. “I certainly wouldn’t cut down a tree just to make an opening. Blame Mother Nature for that one.”
And then they were through the fence and officially on Knott family property. He felt rebellious. He felt free. But, most of all, he was happier than he’d ever been in his entire life. And that made every bit of this worth it.
5
Bobbie never thought she’d see the day when she’d be riding across Knott Ranch on a horse. And now she was doing just that with Gus Knott behind her, his arms surrounding her on either side.
The weird thing was, she had no idea what had compelled her to walk out onto that porch. Out of the blue, after hours of hard work, she’d gotten the sudden urge to throw on her coat and step outside. So seeing Gus and his horse trotting up the drive hadn’t been a surprise at all. It had felt like…
Fate.
Speeding across the ranch in the chilly night air invigorated her. She felt safe, happy, and, most importantly, free. All her life, she’d followed the rules, even after she was grown. If her husband told her they didn’t speak to Gus Knott, his wife, or any of his kids, she didn’t question it. It was all about loyalty.
Since her husband’s death, though, Bobbie had been coming into her own. Her loyalty remained, first and foremost, with her children and the business they’d built together, of course, but she was an independent woman with a mind and heart of her own. If she wanted to take a moonlight horseback ride across a ranch that wasn’t hers, that was exactly what she’d do.
“Where exactly are we going?” she called back as they neared the houses.
She really only recognized the big one. She’d seen it from the main road as she whizzed by in her truck. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she’d been aware that Gus had built homes on his property for his kids, just as she and her husband had, but she’d never seen them up close. She wasn’t sure now was a good time for that.
“I’m just giving you the tour,” he said.
The horse was heading straight for the main drive that led through the property. All one of his kids would have to do was look out a window and see the two of them riding along—their dad with a woman he wasn’t even supposed to be speaking to.
“Don’t worry,” Gus said, leaning forward, probably so that he didn’t have to yell to be heard. “The kids are headed up the interstate to that steakhouse with a mechanical bull in the center of it. None of them had Valentine’s Day dates, so they decided to make a night of it.”
Bobbie processed his words somewhere in the corner of her mind, but most of her awareness was about how close he was to her. He was still leaning forward slightly, his chest against her back and his cheek just inches from hers.
But finally, his words sunk in. His kids were away. They weren’t on the property. She assumed that unless there was a ranch hand or other employees somewhere lurking around, they were completely alone.
She relaxed, enjoyed the scenery, and tried to ignore the chilly air blowing past them as they rode. She expected them to zoom past the main house, but instead of continuing toward the road through the property, he took a quick left in the direction of the lake.
