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Nick tucked into his food, hoping to make a decent dent. Conversation resumed around the table as the crew caught Ivan up on everything that had happened in his absence. There were a few funny stories about a mean chicken named Bloody Mary and some shenanigans from a horse named Nellie. Nick enjoyed their banter almost as much as the delicious food. When the crew pushed back from the table to start their workday, it shocked Nick to discover he’d cleaned his plate.
Cash chuckled at his astonishment. “We work and eat hard around here.”
Nick glanced up and saw that they were alone. “Do you play hard too?”
Cash’s nostrils flared. It was the only sign that Nick’s question had struck its target. He rose to his feet, and Nick looked his fill before giving Cash his full attention. “I have a few things I want to take care of this morning, but I’d like to show you around the ranch this afternoon.”
“I’d love that.” Nick stood up with his plate in hand as the crew had done.
Cash took his dishes and stacked them on top of his. “How does coffee on the porch sound?”
Nick sighed. “Like heaven.”
“Let’s get you set up there,” Cash said, then turned to exit the dining room.
Nick followed but stopped suddenly when Cash halted and turned around. With dishes in one hand, Cash backed Nick up a few steps. He hooked two fingers in Nick’s belt loop and brushed his thumb over the strip of bared stomach. They might’ve filled their bellies, but Cash’s hungry expression said he craved something else.
“We’re going to do so much more than sightseeing today.”
Nick quirked a brow. “Yeah?”
Cash moved in even closer. “Oh yeah,” he said, voice husky. “I’m going to take you to my favorite secluded place, and we’re going to…talk.”
Nick snorted and rolled his eyes. “Tease.”
“Thief,” Cash countered and gave him one last hungry look before he blinked it away. “Come on before they place bets on us.”
The snickering and hushed conversation coming from the kitchen suggested that ship had already sailed. Their delay probably wasn’t even a minute, but Nick detected some guilty flushes when they entered the room. The kitchen, open and airy, was a vast space, but it looked much smaller with so many people lined up to rinse their dishes and stow them in the dishwashers. Rory and Nick hadn’t chatted a lot during his time at Quantico, but each conversation had included tidbits about his ranch life. The process went smoothly, and the guys quickly filed through the kitchen. Tyler and Owen had kitchen duty and hung back to hand-wash the oversized dishes and restore order to the room.
Nick lingered to the side so he wouldn’t be in the way and risk someone jostling his shoulder. Getting dressed had hurt him more than he wanted to admit, and the meds Cash had left on his nightstand hadn’t kicked in yet. Remembering the gesture put a smile on his face.
Rory sidled up beside him and stopped just shy of bumping into his shoulder. “You might want to cool it, Nicky. You’re staring at the boss with a dopey expression on your face.”
Nick looked at Rory and thought his brother was one to talk. He’d caught him making moon eyes at Ivan throughout breakfast. Rory was so in love it almost hurt to look at him. During his long drive to the ranch, Nick had made a mental note to have a private conversation with Ivan. His brother had fallen ass over teakettle in love with the foreman, and Nick needed to be sure that Ivan’s feelings were genuine. After only five seconds in their presence, Nick scratched that item off his mental to-do list. They were so besotted with each other it nearly gave Nick a toothache.
“You’re projecting,” Nick said. “You’re so infatuated that you see it everywhere you look.”
“Is that so?” Rory asked smugly. “Where’d you sleep last night, Nicky?”
Harry swooped in like an avenging angel before he could reply. She handed Nick a cup of coffee, looped her arm through Rory’s, and led him away. “Off we go, brat,” she said. “You’re about to see a new side of me. It’s called the pumpkin spice queen.”
Nick wasn’t sure how much she’d overheard, but Nick appreciated the interference. He and Rory had a lot to discuss, but he wanted the peaceful afternoon Cash had promised him. Then Nick remembered Cash wanted to talk too. What was with all the talking around here? Patsy trotted up to him and let out three sharp barks. “You too?” Nick asked.
She turned around in a circle, but Nick wasn’t exactly sure what it meant. “You want to go outside?” It was a safe guess. She barked three more times, which he took to mean yes. “Lucky for you, my lady, I was just headed that way.”
Nick didn’t risk looking in Cash’s direction in case Rory had been right. He didn’t want to make Cash uncomfortable in his own home, which was why Nick should move to his own suite. Fuck that. Patsy trotted beside him down the long hall toward the front door. Once outside, she dashed down the broad porch steps to the grassy lawn. Nick headed to an Adirondack chair on the side of the house to get a better view of the mountains. A throw blanket rested over the back, and he covered himself up. He should’ve put on shoes and a long-sleeved shirt to ward against the chill, but Nick was too comfortable to care just then. He sipped his coffee and set it on the matching table next to him. Patsy finished her business and ran to him as if he were a long-lost friend. Cash often took the dog with him to Denver if he planned to stay for more than a night or two, so Nick had been around her a lot. She’d always been affectionate toward him, but she was even more so on her home turf. Dogs were exceptionally sensitive, so maybe she sensed his injuries—physically and emotionally. Whatever the reason, he was grateful for her presence when he sank his fingers into her soft fur. The sun rose opposite of the mountains and set behind them. Nick stroked Patsy from head to tail while watching the shadows shift on the mountain range as the sun rose higher in the sky. It was the most peaceful he’d felt in a very long time, so it didn’t surprise him when Cash gently woke him sometime later.
Nick blinked the world into focus, and damn, it was a beautiful day. Blue skies, fluffy clouds, and his Saint squatting down by his chair. “There you are.”
Those three words held a special meaning between them. Cash reached up to brush the hair off Nick’s forehead. Such a simple gesture, but Nick felt it everywhere. “You still want that ranch tour or would you rather—”
Nick threw the blanket back so fast that Cash had to stand up to avoid getting hit in the face. Patsy barked and pranced. “You heard the lady,” he told Cash. “This day is too beautiful to spend it sleeping.” Judging by the sun’s position, Nick had been out for a while.
Cash chuckled, then leaned down to pick up a wicker picnic basket. “You head inside to get socks and shoes, and I’ll get the side-by-side out. Harry and Rory made us enough food to last us a week out on the range.”
Nick just bet they did. And he suspected Rory had loaded the basket with presumed aphrodisiacs. There had better be something besides oysters in there, or Nick would find a way to wring his little neck with one hand. He wondered if he’d run into his meddlesome brother and his sidekick when he walked through the house, but Nick didn’t see anyone. His shoes weren’t in Cash’s bedroom with the rest of his clothes from yesterday, so he detoured to the library after grabbing a pair of socks. He located his battered Hey Dudes by the sofa. Nick had hiking boots and tennis shoes in his car, but his favorite casual loafers didn’t tie. He doubted Cash would take him hiking in his current condition, so he sat down and put on his socks and shoes. He’d spent the last year in the Bureau second-guessing himself, and it felt good to decide and go with it.
Cash and Patsy were waiting for him by the porch in a black-and-silver side-by-side. The utility vehicle had all the power of an ATV but came with a roll cage, a hard plastic canopy, doors, and seat belts. Cash had stashed the picnic basket in the small bed and buckled Patsy into one of the rear seats. She let out a little Chewbacca-like growl that said hurry the hell up.
