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“Tomorrow is the ranch.”
“Right. Okay. That shouldn’t be a problem. I’m sure by now the Governor has corrected the vegetarian issue, but please, try not to let anything else happen to him.”
Like she had any control over the man or his job. “Will do.”
“And sis…”
“Yes?”
“Love you.”
Why did her brothers always have to make her smile when she wanted to stay angry at them for at least a little bit? “Love you too.”
Chapter Eight
Once they’d been freed by the winery manager, dinner had been cut short. Some problem or other with the weather forecast had the man pulling Paige away to deal with an issue. Kissable lips pressed tight, Paige barely shook her head and waved at the food. “Thanks for the thought, but this may take awhile. You might as well take it home and I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“At the ranch.” Daniel nodded, seriously wishing the guy had waited a little longer to uncover the problem of the hour. “That’s the plan.”
Her gaze darted from the food on the table to her manager waiting patiently at the door and back to him. “I really am sorry.”
Again, he bobbed his head. “No problem. But don’t forget to eat.”
She’d done her best to offer what he hoped was a grateful smile and then turned away. Single file, they’d marched up the stairs and out the door. He’d given her one final wave before driving off to his very lonely hotel.
The morning light had him awake and dressed long before his alarm went off. The scheduled agenda for today had Daniel standing in front of the ranch home that reminded him more of a Southern antebellum house than home on the range, he hoped arriving a few minutes early wasn’t a problem. He also hoped they didn’t mistake his eagerness to see Paige again with his opinions on Houston’s chances with the team.
A young woman he remembered to be one of Paige’s sisters opened the door. “I hear you had a bit of an adventure last night. Glad to see you survived.”
He chuckled. “I survived.”
“Clay took the door off its hinges so it won’t lock anyone else in.” She pointed a thumb at her chest. “I’m Siobhan.”
“Yes, I remember.” No point mentioning he’d remembered the face not the name.
“I’m surprised. There’s a whole pack of us. Keeping us straight is not an easy task.”
From the foyer he followed her into a large, what someone might call family room, though the size seemed more suited to a hotel lobby.
“Hey,” Paige called out from across the room, waving her arm toward a scattering of people. “You remember everyone. For those who haven’t met our guest yet, this is Daniel.”
Various hellos, and a howdy or two, were shouted in his direction.
He gave a quick wave and settled on a simple response of, “Hi.”
On her feet, Paige waved him over. “We’ll be mostly outside today.”
Following her onto the rear patio, he was just as impressed today as he’d been the first time he’d seen the yard. The sun shone brightly and as many people as had been inside, were spread around outside. Glancing up at the cloudless blue sky, he shook his head. “I thought the forecast was for rain all week.”
Paige laughed and shook her head. “It wouldn’t dare rain on the Governor’s outdoor plans. After all, he always—”
“Gets what he wants.” They both laughed at what had now become an inside joke, but he was starting to see there was more to that little phrase than mere semantics. The smell of grilled meats drifted over to him. His first time in the yard he hadn’t noticed the outdoor kitchen to the far end of the patio.
“We Texans love our beef.” Paige had followed the direction of his gaze. “The Governor has been smoking pork for hours.” Grinning, she spun to face him. “He’s also got a stack of veggie burgers and some plant based something or other. I think you’ll be pleased.”
He chuckled. Rich, powerful, thoughtful, and the man smoked his own meats instead of catering. This family was truly an anomaly to what Daniel knew of the rich and famous.
Today, the backyard also sported the addition of a volleyball net. Not far away a horseshoe pit had been set up. A familiar face, her brother Craig waved at him before he took a shot at getting a ringer.
