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“Brent, is there a hidden chef in there somewhere?”
He snorts. “Not by a long shot. The last time I tried making food was before Renee died and I nearly burned the house down. She made me swear that I would never touch the kitchen again, so I’ve tried to keep away from it.” Brent points to the mug with a smile. “That’s about the only thing she allowed me to make. Made her one every morning during the winter.”
That’s sweet and I can totally see Brent being attentive like that. “Don’t worry,” I say with a smile. “I’m not too great at cooking either. If it can’t go in the microwave, you don’t want me touching it.”
“So, what do you do for a living? With how often you come out here, I’m assuming your job must be stressful for you.”
My feet stumble at his question, but I play it off as a branch getting in my way. “Oh, uh, yeah. I guess it can get pretty stressful. I’m a manager at a firm. It can be grueling work sometimes.” He doesn’t have to know what kind of firm I work at — but I’m sure his head will immediately go to a law firm, rather than a real estate firm, and that’s exactly what I want right now.
Even though I talked to Justine about it, I still haven’t figured out what I’m going to do. This project could make or break my career, put me on top or ruin me, so I’m not sure I want to risk it. On the other hand, this place is so beautiful that I’m not sure I ever want to leave again. Each time I’ve been here the weight has been heavier and heavier on my chest when it’s time to go.
“Do you have anyone special back home?”
The question holds a weight to it that I wasn’t expecting. I could go on and on about how much of a douche Heath was in our relationship, but I’m not sure Brent wants to hear about all that right now. “Nope, it’s just me, myself, and I at the moment.”
“Are you one of those women who don’t believe in love?” he asks with a smirk aimed at me.
“Not at all, but I do believe that I’ll know it’s love when I find the right person.” I’m not about to tell him that the way I come alive when he’s near, or how his image is constantly in my head, is leading me to believe he might be just that for me. I’d rather him not think I’m a lunatic when we’re just getting on a better foot with each other.
He comes to a stop at the top of a hill and waves his hands out in front of him. “This is one of my favorite spots on the ranch, a great place to ice skate when the weather is cold enough for it.”
“Does it freeze over every year?” I ask as I look out at the water in front of us.
He shakes his head. “Not every year, but most of the time. Last year was a pretty mild winter, so Nathan and I never got the chance to come out here, but I’m hoping this year will be different.”
“Did you come out here with Renee?”
“Oh yeah, but she chose to stay on the sidelines after she nearly crashed into that tree over there.” He chuckles at the memory. “She kept telling me that she couldn’t skate and I didn’t want to believe her, then we came out here one day and I realized how wrong I was. It was brutal to watch as she tried to gain her balance. I thought if I helped her she would get the hang of it, but I ended up going too fast and she went sailing toward the tree.”
I throw my head back with a laugh at the story and nudge him with my shoulder. “I bet she never let you live that moment down, huh?”
“Not at all.”
It’s as we stand in front of the lake, him sharing stories about Renee, that I find my feelings growing deeper and deeper for him. The attraction was one thing, but to feel this need to be beside him all the time? That’s another. I’ve never wanted to know everything about someone before and I wonder if he feels the same way — is that why he started asking me questions about myself and my love life?
The idea of him asking me out on a date has my lips tipping up into a smirk and I take a sip of my hot chocolate to hide it from him.
Chapter 13
Brent
Her laugh is loud as we make our way back to the houses and I can’t help but admire the way she looks as she throws her head back. I find myself wanting to see her like this more often as long as I can help it.
“She sounds great, Brent, really,” Sydney says after getting her emotions under control.
It’s been nice, being able to talk about Renee in a way that I haven’t in a long time. I’ve missed talking about the good memories, rather than always thinking about the night Nathan and I lost her. Her accident is the entire reason this idea of Nathan competing in the derby scares me so much and after talking to him more, the fear has only gotten worse.
There’s one stallion on the ranch that no one can manage — no one other than Nathan, at least — and it’s the one he wants to compete with. It seems to do well with him, but what if he becomes unpredictable like he is with everyone else on the ranch? I’m not sure what I’d do if anything were to happen to him and I could’ve stopped it.
“Brent?” Sydney says, snapping my attention back to her. “Seems like I lost you for a minute, everything okay?”
Maybe Sydney could give me some perspective on the situation. “It’s Nathan. He told me he wants to compete in the derby with Storm.” Considering she’s been here more than most people, I’m assuming she knows the horse by name, but judging by the confusion on her face I guess not. I sigh and rub a hand over my face. “Storm is one of our stallions. The most unpredictable one we’ve got.”
She nods in understanding, but doesn’t say anything.
“I’m not sure how to handle it. Storm could either do well with him, or he could end up getting Nathan severely hurt.”
“That’s understandable, but does he trust Storm?”
