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“He was a complete gentleman. We had this amazing candlelit dinner. And then he took me on a walk. And we talked, a lot.” She trailed off, thinking about it all. “It was wonderful.”
She could’ve stayed longer, but she had to be home to say goodnight to Emma. That, she’d never bend on. Not for work, not for herself, and never for a man.
“That’s just fantastic.” Georgie’s eyes moistened. “I’m so happy for you, Hannah.”
She nodded, getting misty-eyed herself. Never in a million years would she have ever expected one of these late-night coffee klatches to be about her own love life.
“Did you ride out to the four corners?” Olivia asked.
Hannah giggled. “We didn’t stop talking long enough to ride. Besides, he only has one horse.”
Before she went to bed, each woman predicted when Jake would propose. Georgie said he wouldn’t wait. Olivia said he’d take the time to plan something big. Maggie took Hannah’s face in her hands and said she believed it didn’t matter, that they had already made a life-long connection.
She tried to pretend not to listen, not to get her hopes up, but she felt so good, so high on pure happiness, that when she went to bed, she dreamed of living on the ranch, running after Millie, watching Emma riding Trigger, while Jake watched over them all.
Chapter 13
Hannah brought Emma along the next time she went to visit Jake. She was the first to ride Trigger. She didn’t even hesitate before jumping on his back, and the Morgan didn’t seem to mind having the young girl holding the reins. He ambled along the fence as Jake and Hannah followed behind.
Dinner followed, once again served outside on the linen-covered picnic table. The biggest piece of barbecued filet mignon she had ever seen was accompanied by tossed salad, corn on the cob, fresh baked bread, and a fancy cream sauce she couldn’t pronounce. As the sun fell low behind the trees, he invited them inside for dessert.
“Come on, Emma, let’s get some of this stuff into the kitchen,” she said, stacking plates.
He put a hand on her arm. “You’re my guest. Please, leave all this here and come inside. I’ll clean up later.”
As they entered the house, Jake gestured for them to make themselves comfortable in the living room.
Hannah studied the knick-knacks, books, and games on the shelves. The room was sparsely furnished, just a couch and a table with a lamp. She supposed a single man living alone didn’t need a lot of furniture, but where would they all sit?
“Why don’t we sit at the kitchen table?” she suggested.
Yes, hard kitchen chairs evenly spaced around the table would be more comfortable in her current state than getting cozy –too cozy– on the couch. She needed to cool down, because she felt herself reacting more and more strongly to his presence. She wanted to kiss him again. To feel that electric current through her body. She had never felt anything like it before.
But she didn’t want Emma to get the wrong impression. She might want her mother to be happy, but she also knew that Emma needed a father figure. She wanted to encourage Emma to think of Jake in that role, rather than as an object of her mother’s desire. She could remember her own mother’s many boyfriends all too well.
The kitchen had an unintentional retro sixties style, with yellow and white checkered linoleum, white trim, and walls papered with tiny orange lanterns.
The space was sparse, but cozy. The countertops were bare, but there were two cuckoo clocks on the wall, and a shelf lined with quirky vases.
Hannah stopped to read some of the rustic wooden signs that decorated the wall under the shelf.
“Mrs. Wilson left a lot of their stuff, in case they decided they didn’t like Florida.”
“Do they?”
“They seem to.”
She felt a tug at her heart. “When will they decide?”
“They told me they were going to return in a month or so and let me know.” He let out a long breath. “From what I can tell, they love it where they are, but they have family up here, grandkids and stuff. And the fact that they weren’t ready to pack up all their decorations makes me wonder how serious they are.”
“What about the cattle?” She could feel her anxiety rising. Homelessness had always been a real threat in her life. She still remembered bouncing from boyfriend to boyfriend with her mother.
“They said I could rent the farmland and barn until I find my own place.” Jake sounded confident, as though he wasn’t worried.
“But where would you stay?”
“Well… I sure hope they like Florida,” he said. “I really love this place.” He pulled an ice cream container out of the freezer.
