“You’ll have a good time when you go. Just go into town and turn right at the blinking light. They always have a good band.”
“I’m going to go. I just hope Alyssa goes with me.” Ryan’s fingers tapped nervously against her camera strap.
“Yeah, it’s best you don’t go alone. You’ll have all those young cowboys in their starched shirts and polished belt buckles after you,” Cull said with a grin.
“Better than the one here,” she muttered, causing Cull to laugh.
Once they reached the field, golden with morning light, Ryan stepped from the UTV and took photos of the guys planting rows of hay with the machine, along with the beautiful mountains in the distance. The rich scent of freshly turned earth filled her nose as she captured the mechanical precision against nature’s backdrop. It was fascinating to watch, but she couldn’t get her mind off Seth and what a prick he was this morning, his harsh words still stinging like needles.
“Did Sean show up?”
“Not yet.”
“I bet he panicked when he saw the snow,” Ryan said with a grin.
“Hell, that was nothing. It didn’t even cover gravel. Maybe it was the last hurrah for it.” Cull shook his head. “I don’t believe that for a second.”
As Cull pulled the UTV to a stop, she unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed out. She raised her camera and snapped photos of everything around her. She even snuck in a few of Cull. She lowered the camera and glanced around. It was the most gorgeous place she’d ever seen. Well, okay, maybe not the mostgorgeous, but the mountains with their snowcapped peaks and the fields of grass made it one of the prettiest places. She looked at Cull beside her.
“So, this straw is used just for the ranch?”
“It’s hay, not straw, but yes, it’s for the ranch.”
“I never knew there was a difference.” Ryan frowned.
Cull smirked. “Hay is made from the whole plant for nutritional value, which consists of leaves, stems, and seeds. Straw is a byproduct of grain harvesting. It’s made from the stalks left over after the grain’s removed. It’s low in nutrition and is primarily for bedding.”
“I see.” She shook her head. “I never knew.”
“You didn’t need to.” Cull shrugged.
“Let me get a few more shots, then we can go. That wind is cold.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
They walked back to the vehicle, climbed in, and once Cull started it, he drove back to the ranch.
At the end of the day as she drove to the cabin along the winding road that kicked up dust in her rearview mirror, she shook her head about Seth.
After getting pictures of the golden wheat, Cull rode her around the property, and it was too beautiful for words. Seth had an exquisite place.
She wanted to get the photos uploaded, send them to Doris, then take a long soak in that deep tub. She’d look for Alyssa as soon as she arrived at the cabin. Maybe they could go to the bar Saturday night, lose themselves to the sound of country music and have some fun, and she could get Seth Harrison, with his arrogant stance and those infuriatingly intense eyes, out of her head.
When she pulled up to the cabin, the tires crunching on the gravel, she saw that Alyssa’s cherry-red SUV was there, but whenshe knocked, the hollow sound echoing in the stillness, she knew Alyssa wasn’t there. Ryan dug in her bag for a pen, wrote her a note on the back of a receipt and told her to come see her once she arrived home.
Ryan entered her own cabin, locked the door behind her with a click, and made her way to the bathroom with its gleaming fixtures. That jacuzzi with its promising jets was calling her name and she was still a little sore from all the riding, muscles she didn’t know she had protesting with each step. Who knew riding a horse would use so many muscles, from her inner thighs to her shoulder blades?
She’d upload the photos after her bath, when her skin was flushed pink and her mind finally clear.
After stepping from the tub, Ryan pulled on an oversized grey T-shirt and soft black lounge pants. The cotton brushed her ankles as she sank into the sofa, its cushions sighing beneath her weight. After she made herself a cup of hot tea, she clicked on the TV, and the flickering glow of a black-and-white detective film filled the living room. Outside, the early evening light filtered through lace curtains.
An hour later, a gentle knock rattled the doorframe. Ryan paused the movie, the screen froze on a shadowy alley, then rose and made her way across the hardwood floor. She unlatched the door to find Alyssa standing on the porch.
“Hi, Alyssa. Come inside.”
“Hey,” Alyssa said with a warm smile. “Thanks.”
“Of course.” Ryan stepped aside, and Alyssa’s boots clicked on the floor as she crossed to the sofa and eased herself down.
