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Nova slid her fork into the pile of American fries, knowing that he had used the potatoes she’d bought for the pot roast. That wasn’t a big deal, though, since she was so bad at making pot roast. The potatoes were probably grateful that he’d rescued them.
She ate slowly, enjoying every bite, and using the food to distract her from the fact that she could feel his eyes on her. She had never felt quite so admired, and it felt good.
One by one, the kids finished and asked to be excused. She told them to take care of their plates and then they could go. Little Mona could barely reach the sink, but she managed to slide her plate onto the counter.
When they were gone, Gunner reached across the table and took her hand. “Thank you.”
Now her cheeks burned. She didn’t know what to say to that. Was she supposed to say he was welcome? Was she supposed to thank him as well?
“I mean it. I have never felt wanted in this world, not once in my entire life, but you make me feel that way. You make me feel necessary, and I’m so grateful for that.”
Her eyes couldn’t help but rise to meet his, and then she swallowed hard. The love in his eyes took her breath away. This man really loved her.
He smiled and let go of her hand. “Besides, it was also very fun.”
She giggled. Yes, it had been fun, hadn’t it? They should probably try it again soon.
Chapter 47
Life had settled into a routine, and Gunner felt bad about it. They had enrolled the kids in school, and the ranch was as busy as ever. Nova kept the house functioning, kept the kids going, and kept supper on the table. She had also created a thriving goat yoga business.
Sometimes her suppers were still hard to choke down, but for the most part, she had turned into a decent cook. And once a week, they had that pork and pasta dish, and every time they had it, he and Nova would exchange a coy look that meant they were both excited to get upstairs.
But Gunner worried that this new life, as much as he was enjoying it, was too basic. This woman had led a really exciting life before him. She had followed rock bands around the country, and now she was in this routine of work, work, work, roll around on the ground with goats, sleep, and then work some more.
And when the snow flew a little too early in the fall, Gunner panicked that when they got dumped on, she was going to realize that she had made a terrible mistake.
He caught her looking out the window at the goats in the backyard and went to stand beside her. “You probably haven’t spent many winters in South Dakota lately, have you?”
She smiled sweetly. “I spent the last one here, and it was terrible.” She looped her arm through his. “But I have lots of reasons to believe this one will be better.”
This was good news, and he hoped she wasn’t just saying it for his sake. “I’m sorry life has been so busy lately.”
She looked at him and looked surprised. “Don’t be sorry. I like it busy. Besides ...” She looked out the window again. “I’m not sure how we could keep it unbusy with three kids running around.” She looked at him. “Are the kids getting on your nerves?”
“No, no, not at all,” he said quickly. Quite the opposite actually. He couldn’t believe how fond he had grown of each kid. And not just because they were kids, but he was getting to know each of them as individuals, and they were each really cool people. They were smart, and funny, and just pure-hearted. He appreciated each of them for who they were and who they were growing up to be.
“I just wish that I could put some more romance in your life,” he said, not even really knowing what he meant by that.
She looked at him with wide eyes. “Are you kidding? You’re the most romantic man I’ve ever known.”
That said more about the men she had known that it did about him, he thought. “You know, we have never actually been on a real date.” He felt even more pathetic once he had said it out loud. “We are married, we have a family, we run this ranch like a fine-tuned machine, but I have never taken you out on a date.” He paused to look into her eyes, trying to read her mind. “How about I take you out to a fancy dinner somewhere? We can get all dressed up and go somewhere where they like play violins while you eat oysters or something.”
She tipped her head back and laughed, and she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. When she had recovered from her laugh, she leaned her head on his shoulder and looked out the window again. “We can do that if you want, but I really don’t think you want to.”
He did not argue with that.
“We can have a date, we can do whatever you want, but do you want to know what my ideal date is?”
Yes, he did, desperately, and he said so.
“My perfect date would be that the kids would not squabble, and that I would not mess up supper, and that I would cook something delicious with good music playing in the kitchen, and that you and the kids would help me eat it and would enjoy it and would tell me how good it was, and it would also be healthy without the kids knowing it. Then you might help me clean up, and then we go relax on the couch and watch TV together and snuggle. Then we go upstairs and spend some time getting to know each other a little better before falling into a nice, deep, quiet sleep.” She looked at him as if asking for his approval.
“Are you serious?” No way was she serious.
She nodded, and her eyes sure looked sincere. “I am serious. This is not the life that I would have picked out for myself, but obviously God knew more about what I wanted than I did.” She kissed him lightly on the lips. “Gunner, my life is perfect. I love you so much—” She gasped and put her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide. “Oh my gosh, I didn’t mean to say that.”
He wasn’t upset that she’d said it. He was a little startled, and he was even more startled that she seemed sorry she had said it. He stood there dumbfounded, waiting for her to explain herself.
