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“That must mean it’s going better than it was the last time we spoke.” She smiled and met his father’s eyes. The knowing look they gave each other was even worse than the empathetic one he’d gotten moments earlier.
Daniel got to his feet and gathered his plate. “I’m going for a ride. I need some fresh air.” In truth, he simply wanted an excuse to head out to the part of their property where Bo had built his house.
Who could blame him for wanting to spend additional time with the woman he’d allowed himself to fall for?
All eyes followed him, not arguing, not making any comments as to why he suddenly had the urge to go for a ride. Thankfully, they didn’t pressure him. This lot had probably learned their lesson in meddling with the lives of others.
Daniel trudged out into the darkness. The cool air offered a small degree of comfort as he headed toward the barn. Crickets chirped in the brush and a critter or two scuttled along the path that led to the building.
In tranquil moments like this one, Daniel was struck with just how on track he finally felt his life was. The coffee shop was doing about as well as it had when Megan had arrived, but his stress levels had dropped.
And the only reason he could think of was that it felt as though he could do anything with Megan by his side. The irony of that thought wasn’t lost on him. She was supposed to be the one thing that pulled him away from achieving his dreams.
But what dreams were those?
Certainly not the coffee shop. The way she talked about her café and the bookstore was different than how he talked about his business. He didn’t know if she could live without what she’d built. Whereas he was beginning to see a future where if things turned sideways, he’d find something else.
Did that mean he wanted to look elsewhere for his future career? No. He’d still put a great deal of time, effort and money into his little coffee shop. But would it be the end of the world if he lost it?
Probably not.
A sense of relief came with this thought. Hadn’t Megan mentioned that he should go after what made him happy? And that his career choice shouldn’t be about what hethoughtwas the right path but rather what brought him joy?
Well, Megan brought him joy. A job was just a job.
She was more than that.
He picked up his pace and hurried to put the saddle on his horse. There was a stirring in his chest—telling him to go to her, to tell her exactly what he’d realized. She needed to know.
Daniel grabbed onto the saddle horn and hoisted himself into his seat. In no time he and his steed were off to visit the fair maiden of his little fairytale story.
Bo and Gabby had opted to build far enough away for them to feel they had privacy. Daniel couldn’t blame them, but it made for a bit longer ride than he would have liked to come visit Megan.
Theirs was a smaller ranch house with only four bedrooms compared to the one he’d grown up in that had seven. Realtors would call it cozy, but anyone in the city would likely think it was still too big.
It was painted a pale blue color with dark shutters and a red door. The porch didn’t wrap around the whole thing, but it was big enough for them to put a nice swing on it. This home was exactly like something Daniel could see himself wanting with Megan.
Geez, after one night of sharing how they felt, he was going warp speed thinking about his future with her.
The funny thing was that it didn’t feel wrong. On the contrary, it felt like one of the most natural steps to take.
He grinned as he pulled his horse to a stop and dismounted. The lights were on, making several windows glow. There was no telling which room Megan was borrowing and Daniel wasn’t about to knock on the door to alert his brother to his presence.
All he needed was to send off a quick text message and Megan would come out.
Daniel retrieved his phone to do just that. In moments there was movement behind the windows. Shadows and someone calling out to someone else. Then the door opened and Megan emerged. She pulled the door shut, her hands placed against it at her back. Her smile mirrored his own and she hurried down the steps.
It was hard to believe this was the same stiff, no-nonsense woman he’d met at that family barbeque. Her hair swished around her face as she threw her arms around his neck and pressed a light kiss to his lips. “I didn’t know you were coming to visit me.”
“I had to see you,” he murmured, kissing her again.
She crooned, tossing her head back and closing her eyes as he nipped at her jawline. “You see me every day,” she murmured breathlessly.
“Yeah, and I can’t get enough.” He pulled back, then pushed a stray hair behind her ear. “Do you want to go for a walk?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” She slipped her hand into his and they headed away from the house and the possibility of being seen through the window. Several paces were done in contented silence when Megan glanced toward him out of the corner of her eye. “Do you read much?”
He bit back a smile but didn’t meet her gaze. “Do Iread? Is this like twenty questions for a girl to find out if a guy is compatible with her?”
