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For a scary moment, it seemed like the horse might go straight for the water, but Gus kept him under control, steering him toward the big house that had been on the property long before the others. Maybe he was taking them behind the houses.
But they were moving slower the farther they went. And then she saw it. An old-fashioned hitching post. She couldn’t help but smile to herself as the horse stopped in front of it, and Gus released his right hand from the reins.
“Stay right there,” he said.
How he managed it, she had no idea, but somehow, he got off the horse without dislodging her or the saddle. He hopped to the ground and lifted his arms as though to say, “Go ahead and jump. I’ll catch you.”
As much as Bobbie liked the idea of landing in his arms, she preferred to climb down rather than sail through the air and hope for the best. She’d done that thousands of times. The only thing that was different was that the stirrup was a little larger than she was used to.
She slipped her foot inside, lifted her left leg over, and lowered herself to the ground, feeling his hands on her waist. Once she was halfway there, the sensation itself almost knocked her off balance. They’d gone a full ten or fifteen minutes with his arms practically around her. For some reason, all that had done was increase the sparks between them.
“Thank you,” she said once both feet were on solid ground.
She turned to look at him, and the smile froze on her face. It was the intensity of his stare that did it to her. Nobody had ever looked at her like that. Not even her husband on their wedding day. In fact, she’d always struggled to even get Thomas to glance at her long enough to tell her she looked okay when they were leaving the house.
“Let me get Cash here tied up, then I’ll show you around.”
Gus said those words without taking his eyes off her face. She was so caught up in his stare that it took her a few extra seconds to realize he needed her to move out of the way.
Quickly averting her gaze, Bobbie moved aside and turned, stepping slowly away from the hitching post. She let her gaze skim the large pond. That was what their ranch had always been missing—a body of water. Bobbie never felt more at peace than when she was sitting next to the ocean or one of the many lakes nearby. Maybe she should talk to the kids about pouring a manmade pond on their own property.
It was that thought that snapped her back to reality. The ranch she’d long called home wasn’t, in fact, their property. It belonged to the man behind her, tying up a horse. If she fell for him, it might weaken her resolve. No, she had to keep a clear head here.
“Ready?” Gus asked.
She should say “no.” She should demand that he take her home. But instead, she turned and nodded. What could it hurt to spend a few minutes looking around back here?
He walked toward her, finally stopping next to her, arms crossed over his chest. “This is my favorite place in Cupid Ridge—my own backyard. I could sit out here for hours.”
“Over there?” she asked.
She nodded to her right. There was a bench with what looked like meticulously developed greenery around it. It was hard to tell this time of year, but she was guessing that in the spring, what emerged around that bench would be beautiful.
“No, that’s Elijah’s house. His ex-wife did all that work. She had quite a green thumb. She also helped set up our crops.”
“Interesting.”
She knew one of his kids was a father. She’d seen him in the diner with his little girl. She wasn’t familiar enough with each of his children to be able to tell the three boys apart. She knew Phoenix because he and Sawyer had more than a few altercations over the years, and Everest had graduated with Georgia. Avoiding the family at graduation ceremonies was something she’d become good at over the years.
“Here’s where I sit.” Gus was on the move but still walking slowly enough for her to follow.
Bobbie scanned the area for anything resembling a seat. Did he just sit on the ground?
But he was walking toward the back of his house. As she drew closer, she saw that tucked behind the house, next to that enormous garage, was a small room with windows.
By the time she reached him, Gus was already tugging the door open. It looked like it was a part of the glass of the window itself.
The smile on his face as he stepped back, holding the door open for her, made her heart do a little jump. There was just enough moonlight outside that she could clearly make out his relaxed features. He truly looked like he was in his happy place.
“This is my secret hideout,” he said, flipping on a switch on a tiny lamp in the corner, creating a dim glow. “I usually sit out here in the dark at night and read or listen to music. Sometimes I just enjoy the silence.”
For some reason, all of this surprised Bobbie. She guessed she’d never really thought of him as the type who would sit and enjoy a beautiful view. If she had pictured him, it would be hanging out with his male friends or sitting around a table with his family, dreaming up ways to make the Ludingtons’ lives miserable.
“It’s charming.” She looked around.
Charming. Was that a good way to put what was obviously his version of a man cave? There was a sofa, a wall calendar that pictured a guy playing golf, some golf clubs in the corner, and an old cedar end table that looked like it’d seen better days.
“Everyone needs a place like this.” He gestured to indicate the surrounding room.
