Watching Fred with his mom and brought her own mom fully back in her memories. Some days were harder than others, but she hoped Fred realized how lucky he was to have her around. Even living with her didn’t seem odd. She’d give just about anything to have her mother around, even in the same house.
She shook the thoughts from her head and reached into the small, silk jewelry bag she’d brought with her. She pulled out a small emerald pendant and matching earrings—the last gift from her mother.
“Perfect for today,” she said to her reflection as she finished combing her hair, applied a tiny bit of makeup and headed out for her first day of work at the bank.
Chapter 11
Fred hung up the phone and closed his eyes. He’d been trying to get in touch with the surveyor for over a week now, and the fact that he hadn’t been able to would really set him back on his time line. They only had a week left, and he hadn’t even been able to visit the property. The surveyor was swamped, he’d said, and today was the only day he could meet him at the property.
That would require a little fancy footwork on Fred’s part. He and Olivia had worked from sun-up to sundown—and many nights well into the night—for the past week solid. She was incredibly dedicated, and he was grateful. Just this morning, he’d felt more than a little bit guilty when she came out to get coffee before her shower with dark circles under her eyes. He was working her pretty hard, and he had no idea how he’d announce the he was ostensibly going on a trail ride—and leaving her behind to spend the day hunched over stacks of papers.
He leaned back in his chair at the bank, opening them when he heard Olivia’s voice at the door.
“I think I’ve finally completed the major portion of asset valuation,” she said as she walked in, her black hair shining in the morning sunlight that streamed through the window.
The sun also glinted off the emerald necklace and earrings that she’d worn every day since she’d arrived, and he couldn’t help but smile at her look of excitement.
“Wow, and that only took a week. You’re speedy.”
Her eyes twinkled at the compliment.
“Thank you. That’s kind of you. So, maybe we’re a little teensy bit ahead of schedule?”
“I guess so,” Fred said as he glanced at the file cabinet that held the property information. He’d already copied it and sent it over to the surveyor, so all he had to do was meet him at the property and they could move forward with the transfer of ownership.
“What?” she asked as she plopped down in the chair facing his desk.
He wondered how she knew he was thinking anything at all. He had never realized he was that transparent, but she seemed to know when he was thinking something—or hungry, or tired.
“I just got off the phone with a surveyor and I need to meet him at a piece of property,” he said as he looked away. Man, he hated lying—especially, for some reason, to Olivia. Maybe it would be easier if he just thought of it as confidentiality for a client rather than lying, but he was certain it felt the same. They’d had many, many talks over the past week about things like that. Olivia had a lot of clients for whom confidentiality was critical, and it was also a big part of their jobs. But still—for some reason, this was more difficult than usual.
“Oh? That sounds nice. I’d love to get out of the bank for a little bit. Not that I don’t love it here,” she said as she looked around the marble pillars of the very old building. “But it’d be nice to see the sun for a change.”
“Oh, I’m not sure we should both go. We have a lot of work to do.”
She waved the file she’d walked in with right in front of his eyes and plopped it on the desk. “I actually heard you say that we’re ahead of schedule. I know it’s just a little bit ahead, but I really could use a break.”
He had, in fact, just admitted they were ahead of schedule. He was stuck now. He resigned himself to the fact that she’d be joining him, and his mind immediately turned to how he would explain the need for it. Probably best just not to mention it was the Westons’ property, nor the reason it was a priority in the middle of their audit.
“Well, all right. It involves a horseback ride up into the mountains for about an hour, but I suppose it’ll be good for us.”
He walked over to get his coat, and when Olivia didn’t respond—which was unusual—he turned around. She sat stock still, her hands in her lap, and she was more pale than usual.
“Olivia?”
She looked down at her hands. “I—I think I’ll just stay here. But thanks.”
“What are you talking about? You were itching to get out of here a second ago.”
She studied her fingernails and looked up at the ceiling. “I’ve never been on a horse.”
He stopped mid-stride. She’d grown up in Texas, for goodness sake.
“How could that be? I thought everybody in Texas learned to ride a horse before they could walk,” he said with a laugh.
“Stop teasing,” she said as she nudged him with her elbow. “Not all of us. Not me, anyway.”
Suddenly, he was less concerned about his secret than seeing her get on a horse. It was like second nature to him—not that most people believed him—and he’d spent much of his youth riding with Wyatt. In fact, he’d contacted Wyatt a few days before to make sure he could borrow a horse to ride out the property, but he hadn’t mentioned why.
“Oh, come on. It’ll be fun. And I can show you more of the ranch.”
“We’re going back out to the ranch?” she said, hesitating. “It’s so beautiful out there.”
“Yeah, and I’ll even buy you a pumpkin spice latte or pumpkin ice cream at the saloon. Whatever you want.”
She turned to him, her eyes sparkling, and he knew he had her.
And he was glad she was going. She was one of the smartest, most interesting women he’d ever met—and by far one of the prettiest—and it was the least he could do. They hadn’t done a single thing that was fun since she’d arrived over a week ago.
“Okay, I’m in. But are they big horses? You’ll help me?”
He laughed and held out her coat for her. In the time he’d known her, she’d been brilliant and fearless. This was something new to him, and he knew for sure that he’d never let anything happen to her.
“You’ll be safe with me,” he said, meaning every word of it.
“You two off somewhere?” Mrs. Wharton asked as she walked into Fred’s office carrying a stack of files.
“I guess so,” Olivia said as she glanced at Fred. “He’s making me ride a horse.”
“Making you?” he asked, his eyebrows rising.
Olivia shrugged and smiled as she looked back at Mrs. Wharton.
“Fred’s an expert horseman,” Mrs. Wharton said, and Mrs. Green, who had entered behind her, nodded in agreement.
“He certainly is. You’re in very good hands.”
They stepped aside as Fred put his hand on Olivia’s lower back to usher her out and immediately removed it. He didn’t want to be too forward, and he flushed as Olivia left the office and he looked back to see both his mother and Mrs. Green smiling and waving—Mrs. Wharton sending a wink as they turned the corner and left the bank.
“We can stop by the house for a second to change and then head out,” Fred said as he opened the car door for Olivia and closed it behind her.
He climbed behind the wheel and headed toward the house.
“Jeans and a sweater okay?” she asked, and he still thought he heard a little trepidation in her voice.
He learned forward and looked up at the sky. “Yes. Sun’s out, but bring a jacket. Gloves, scarf and hat, too, if you have them. It can get chilly where we’re going.”
“Okay,” Olivia replied. “I’m actually looking forward to being back at the ranch again, and getting to see some of the scenery. When I flew over, it was breathtaking.”
“It is, and this particular parcel is one of the best in the whole valley. You’ll love it.”
“Oh.
Is it part of the ranch?” she asked as they pulled into the driveway of the house.
Darn it, he thought. How was he ever going to keep this from her without betraying either her or the Westons? Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.
Chapter 12
Pulling on a pair of jeans, Olivia rushed through changing. Equally nervous and excited to go on a trail ride, her stomach fluttered. She’d come close to riding a horse several times, with various boyfriends, but it had always scared her in the end and she refused. But for some reason, going with Fred wasn’t as scary. She knew he’d keep her safe, and that trust went a long way.
At the last minute, she reached for her blue and black cowboy boots that she’d spent way too much on back when she was in college. She’d never worn them—nobody knew that but her sister, Opal—so wouldn’t now be the best time?
She grabbed her hat, scarf and mittens and shrugged her coat on.
“That was fast,” Fred said as he came through the door of his wing of the house, setting his gloves down on the kitchen island.
“I don’t mess around. Might as well get right to it,” Olivia said, hoping her voice wasn’t trembling in the slightest. She was going to do this, and it was going to be great. She was positive.
When she turned the corner and saw him, she was even more positive. He was almost unrecognizable. There wasn’t a bowtie in sight, and his worn jeans, scuffled boots and red flannel shirt were a big surprise. He was even holding a cowboy hat. He looked like every cowboy she’d ever drooled over—and stayed far away from, if she could help it.
But this was Fred. This was just some kind of disguise, because she usually saw him in a bow tie or an apron. But if it made him feel better to wear it while they were riding, she wouldn’t object. He was certainly easy on the eyes.
“You sure you want to wear those boots?” he said, his eyebrows raised.
She looked down at the smooth, glorious leather and the black and blue pattern and wiggled her toes.
“Of course. They’re gorgeous, aren’t they?”
He shook his head. “Yeah, they’re very pretty.”
“Well, then, let’s go.”
He laughed as he pulled on his jacket and held the door for her. He made quick work of the drive to the ranch, and he parked by the Old West town.
“I promised you a latte, or something pumpkin,” he said as he gestured toward the Saloon. “That isn’t really a saloon, and I’m sure Sadie’ll have something in there you’ll love. I’ll run to the cafe and get us something to eat on the trail.”
She hopped out of the car and headed toward the cafe. Sadie was sweet and very excited about her pumpkin line. Olivia couldn’t take ice cream on the trail, but she was thrilled to get a pumpkin spice latte.
On her way out, she ran into Jaclyn, the lady she’d meet the week before at the cafe.
“I was hoping you’d come visit,” Jaclyn said. “I guess this’ll have to do.”
She held out a bag of cookies that Olivia gratefully accepted. She felt a little awkward, but Jaclyn just kept talking.
“They’re snickerdoodles. The fairies sent them for you. You’re going on a trail ride, aren’t you?”
Olivia stared at the older lady. How could she possibly know that?
“With Fred, right?”
Again, Olivia couldn’t find her tongue.
“He’s a very nice man. Was a good boy. I’ve known him a long time.”
Finally, Olivia could speak.
“Yes. Yes, he’s a very nice man. I didn’t know him as a boy, but—”
“Well, I did,” Jaclyn said, her eyes gleaming. “His father died when he was young, but he was a very fine man, too.”
“Oh,” Olivia muttered. “Well, thank you.”
Jaclyn shifted from foot to foot for a moment before pulling her coat around her and nodding. “Enjoy the cookies. Remember, he’s a very fine man.”
“Okay,” Olivia said as Jaclyn stepped into the saloon. She stood there watching her talk to Sadie, and couldn’t seem to make heads or tails of what she’d just heard.
She certainly had enjoyed her time with Fred. Projects like this were always fun for her, but she’d really liked everything she’d seen from him, but she hadn’t really thought of him as a man. Well, of course he was a man—a man who was brilliant with numbers, funny, a bit bashful, loved his mother, was a great cook, wore bow ties and an apron...
Her thoughts screeched to a halt as she ran straight into the chest of none other than the man she’d been thinking about. The soft flannel tickled her cheek and she looked up at his bemused smile—oh, right, the dimples—and even over the scent of her pumpkin spice latte, she smelled his clean, fresh scent.
“Whoa, there. You all right?” he said as he put his hands on her shoulders to help steady her.
Even that gesture—which seemed new even though he’d done it before in the past ten days—felt new. Like she really felt it. She shook her head to throw the sensation out. No time for this nonsense.
“Yes, I’m fine. I ran into Jaclyn and she gave me these snickerdoodles,” she said, holding up the baggie.
“Uh-oh,” Fred said as he grabbed her elbow and steered her toward the stable. “We’ve got to go.”
She shrugged her shoulders, wondering why he was suddenly in such a rush, but she followed along. He had some bags in his hand, and when they got to the stables and he’d introduced her to Wyatt Weston—a very tall man, also, with kind eyes—and they’d asked after his new baby, he loaded the food into the saddle bags. Wyatt put the pictures of his wife and baby back in his wallet, his face proud, and turned to Olivia.
“You ready?” he asked.
She’d finished her coffee and threw the cup into one of the metal barrels nearby, rubbed her hands together and said, “Sure. Let’s go.”
Wyatt smiled and winked at Fred—yes, she saw it—and pulled his cowboy hat down on his forehead. He gave Olivia a brief rundown on how to ride—what to do when you wanted to go one way and the horse was going the other—and how to stop the horse when need be.
“I’ve set you up with two of my most gentle horses. Belle, here, is mine, Olivia, and she’ll treat you right. Fred’s been out with both of these horses more times than I can count. Just listen to him and do what he says. See you guys in a few hours.”
“Thanks, Wyatt,” Fred said as he touched the brim of his hat and nodded.
They headed out on the trail and Olivia breathed in the clean, mountain air. Belle followed right behind Fred’s horse with no problem, so she was pretty free to just look around and boy, was it gorgeous. The towering pine trees were dotted with glades of aspen, their leaves a fiery red. The contrasting yellow maple leaves made the entire mountainside seem to glow, and she couldn’t get enough of the view.
Fred seemed to know exactly where he was going, and he eventually turned into a small glen with a view better than any she’d seen before. It was spectacular, and she almost couldn’t breathe.
He helped her down and she was drawn like a magnet to the edge of the ridge. She felt like she could fly, and envied the hawks and eagles circling in the distance for having this view every single day.
“Is this the place we’re meeting the surveyor?” she asked as she sat beside him on a boulder.
“No,” he said as he handed her a sandwich. “This is a place my father used to bring me to when I was younger. The other place is further on up ahead.”
“Oh,” she said. His eyes were trained in the distance and he seemed lost in memory. “I’m sorry about your father.”
He blinked quickly for a minute then turned to her, focusing back on the present. He smiled sadly and nodded.
“Thanks. I miss him.”
“I bet. I hear he was a fine man.”
His eyebrows rose. “He was, but who’d you hear that from besides my mom?”
“Jaclyn. She told me that—well, she told me your father was a great guy.”
Fred laughed and turned back t
o the view. He finished his sandwich and took the cookie Olivia offered him.
“Do you like snickerdoodles?”
“I haven’t had one since I was a kid. After what happened with Dani, I was pretty sure there wouldn’t be any for me,” he said. “Stopped thinking about it.”
“What happened with Dani?” she asked as she reached into the bag.
“Aw, nothing. I thought maybe she was the girl for me, but it turned out she wasn’t.”
Olivia frowned, an unfamiliar feeling washing over her. It wasn’t actually anger, she didn’t think, but she wasn’t sure.
“You and Dani? That doesn’t fit at all. You’re sensitive and kind and loyal and even funny. Well, maybe Dani’s all those things, too, but if she didn’t want you, it was her loss.” It all rushed out before she’d meant it to, and she bit her lip when she’d finished.
“Well, thanks for the compliment,” Fred said as he laughed, and she was relieved to see his familiar dimples. He reached into the bag and took out a snickerdoodle. “Maybe this one is for me.”
She didn’t understand what he meant about the cookies, but she bit into her snickerdoodle anyway. It was the best one she’d ever had, bar none.
Chapter 13
Olivia chewed her cookie and Fred glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She really was beautiful, but more than that, she was kind, hard-working, thoughtful, loyal—lots of things he hadn’t put all together until she’d just said what she said. He hadn’t thought of anyone that way since Dani, and very few before her. It was an unfamiliar sensation, but he liked it. He felt like he could be himself around her, and they’d sure spent enough time together—pretty much all day, every day—for what seemed like a long time now.
Just as he was putting the trash in the saddlebags, ready to head on up to their final destination, something tore out of the bushes, almost a brown and white flash. Fred could kick himself for not having brought a gun, but he stopped holding his breath as the flash started barking and running around in a circle around Olivia.
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