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The picturesque ranch was breathtaking. White fencing ran as far as the eye could see. The rolling hills were dotted with cattle in the distance. With the bright sun beating down on the land, Alexa found it hard to believe a storm would be rolling in soon.
She wanted to focus on enjoying the ride, but on occasion Hayes’s thigh would brush against hers and those tingles would start up all over again.
Good grief. She’d met the man only moments ago and already he held such power over her… How was that even possible?
Maybe she’d been too enveloped in her classroom and her son. Alexa needed to venture out more, as Sadie had said when she’d insisted Alexa take this vacation, but in her normal life…well, where would she go? It wasn’t as if she had guys asking her out or a large group of friends she went out with. She had Sadie, who taught in the class next to hers. They’d met in college and had been friends since. And she had Mason.
Alexa was fine being a single mother with not much of a social life. Her job right now was to be both mother and father to Mason, so anything else would have to wait. And that was more than okay. She had one guy in her life and he was more than enough.
“How long has this land been in your family?” she asked, desperate for a topic that would get her mind off the rugged, moody man and slice through the tension between them.
“My brothers and I are third-generation ranchers at Pebblebrook. My grandfather built the house that I live in.”
So he had mentioned before. “How many acres are there?”
“Over five thousand.”
Alexa had read that in the pamphlet for the B and B, which advertised the upcoming dude ranch. She’d asked because the last thing she wanted was silence. That would only be awkward and cause her daydreaming to start all over again.
Alexa couldn’t even imagine trying to keep up with all this land and the livestock, but of course the Elliotts had the funds to hire people to do all the maintenance and grunt work.
Her world consisted of wrangling four-year-olds all day and coming home to a rambunctious baby boy. Her life was quite different from the Elliotts’ ranch lifestyle. Part of her was proud of herself for taking this break Sadie had insisted and paid for. The other part of her wondered if Mason had enjoyed his morning snack of blueberries and bananas.
Maybe she should stop to call and check in.
“That’s the first barn my grandfather built on this land.”
Hayes cut into her thoughts with the history of the ranch. Up ahead, Alexa spotted a small barn, definitely old in comparison to the massive stone-and-metal structure at the beginning of the property. The Elliotts might be billionaires, but she could see the way they’d grown this estate from something small into something grand.
“You doin’ all right?” Even with the concerned question, Hayes had that low, gruff tone.
“Fine,” she replied.
“Want to explore more?”
Or turn back.
Alexa wasn’t quite ready to head back, but at the same time she knew he didn’t want to be out here with her. He probably preferred privacy.
“I could stay out here forever,” she replied, finding it to be true. “But I don’t want to keep you.”
He grunted, whatever that meant.
“Was that a reply?” she asked as she glanced over to him. It was nearly impossible to see his face in the shadow from his hat’s wide brim.
“I’ve got nothing,” he replied, sounding way too lost, too broken.
Alexa glanced at his hands on the reins. Scars randomly crossed over his taut knuckles. Those large, tanned hands no doubt had done so much. He was a soldier, a rancher. Everything about him screamed alpha and loner. For some insane reason, she found that attractive. She chalked it up to the fact that she always looked out for those in need, not that she found him irresistibly sexy.
Hayes was the exact opposite of her late husband. Before Scott had passed away, they’d been so in love and ready to spend the rest of their lives together. He was safe, made her feel safe. She hadn’t felt that way since he’d died of heart disease. The doctors had tried to comfort her by telling her there was no way they could have known he’d been born with the defect that had ultimately taken his life.
She hadn’t been able to save him. Not that she was a medical professional, but she had survivor’s guilt. There was no way to dodge it. And finding out she was pregnant only a week after she’d lost him had only added to the guilt.
Alexa was familiar with the emotion, even before Scott died. She had been only eight when her sister drowned while they were swimming. On their family vacation to the beach, they’d both gone out too far. A riptide pulled her sister out and it was all her father could do to save Alexa from being swept under as well. Years of remorse and counseling had held her family together.
So Alexa recognized the brokenness Hayes displayed.
Alexa gripped her reins and enjoyed the steady trot. They were going a bit faster than before and she figured Hayes had urged his horse to speed up and hers had followed suit. Someone like Hayes wouldn’t ask permission first, but he kept glancing her way to check on her.
