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Gray shrugged and raised his eyebrows in the tell-tale sign of “get lost.”
Mason laughed again, this time with vigor. “Okay, then. Save me some cookies.” A look passed between them, and I knew it was some sort of secret man-code thing. Not that I got a vibe that Mason was being anything but polite and charming. He might have a little swagger, but he didn’t at all seem interested in me.
There was something going on, though.
“We’ll see,” Gray said, rising from his seat.
“Alright, boss.” Mason turned to me and took my hand, kissing my knuckles. “It was nice to see you again. Don’t let this brute scare you off. I’ll see you Saturday.”
“You sure will,” I said, smiling widely at him before he turned to leave.
Once the door was closed, Gray rounded the desk and leaned back against it. His casual stance did nothing to cover up his simmering energy.
“What’s Saturday?” he asked.
“Oh, Mason kindly invited us to his house for a barbecue.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and I tried to ignore how the fabric of his blue button down shirt stretched across his biceps. He had the sleeves rolled up and his forearms practically had me drooling. I needed to focus.
“Is that right?”
It took me a moment to remember what we were talking about but I recovered. “Yes. I’ve found the people in Whittier Falls to be wonderfully welcoming.”
He grunted out a laugh. “Oh yeah, Mason is welcoming, alright.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He shrugged one shoulder. “Nothin’. Man just likes getting under my skin, is all.”
I took a step forward. “Why would him inviting me to a barbecue get under your skin?”
His eyes scanned over my body again as he conveniently ignored my question. That was fine. We were doing something here, and I wasn’t above playing along. Even if I didn’t know the rules.
He uncrossed his arms and stood up straighter, which only reminded me of how tall he really was. Easily a foot taller than me.
“Well then, I’ll see you there,” he said.
I almost laughed. It seemed that Mason wouldn’t have to drag him out there after all.
“Oh, perfect. It’s supposed to be beautiful weather.” I breezily stepped forward and thrust the box of cookies into his hands. “A token of our appreciation. Thank you again for the trail ride. The waterfall was stunning.”
“Wait till you see the others.” He set the box on the desk behind him. “That was just a primer.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Heck of a primer.”
“Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice view and all. You wanted to see one people don’t often get to see and I delivered. But the hidden ones, the ones that take a whole day’s trek? Those are . . . magical.”
Something about the way he said it, the fact that a man like Gray would even use the word ‘magical’ had my heart racing.
“Well, maybe one day I’ll get to see one of those.”
He tilted his head. “I expect you’ll be leavin’ soon.”
I nodded and looked around the office. It wasn’t large, but had enough room for Gray’s desk and two extra chairs. Built-in shelves along the wall held an assortment of framed black and white photographs of his ancestors and the ranch. A trophy and an old cowboy hat that looked like it hadn’t been dusted since the last century sat in a place of pride on the top shelf. Gray clearly hadn’t touched any of it when he took over. I smiled sadly.
“We only planned to be here for a short vacation. I’m supposed to be heading home next week.”
“Back to the city life?” Gray's tone was neutral but I could sense an underlying curiosity.
