“This is great,” Dare said as they found a spot to sit on the patio. “I can’t believe I haven’t eaten here before. Grey would love this.” He elaborated. “Sorry. Grey’s my older brother. He and his wife, Cora, live in the Dallas area. He’s always finding these little places to eat at then posting about how awesome the food is.”
“Oh, I remember you mentioning your brothers. Is he the oldest?”
“I’m the youngest, and Grey is the middle brother, and Flynn is the oldest.” The waitress appeared with their drinks. She set them on the table with a smile, left three straws, and went back inside. Dare removed his straw from the wrapper as he continued. “We all haven’t always gotten along great—especially with Flynn. But we had a family reunion of sorts back in November, and things have been much better since then. We all see each other fairly regularly.”
“That’s great.” Alyssa wanted to feel sad that her own parents didn’t stay in touch more. In a way she did, but it’d been that way for so long, though, it was just the way it was.
“I wish I had a brother.” The simple announcement from Noah caught Alyssa completely off guard. She didn’t think he’d ever mentioned wanting a sibling before, and she had no idea how to respond. Thankfully, Dare seemed to know exactly what to say.
“Having a brother is awesome, but it can be hard sometimes. Brothers don’t always get along. But when they do, you’ve got someone to play with no matter where you go.” Dare lifted his gaze to Alyssa’s. “You’re lucky, because you have an amazing mom who plays with you and lets you be a little boy. Did you know it’s super important to get to play in the dirt like you do? Not every kid’s parents let him do that.”
Noah’s eyes widened as though he couldn’t believe such an outrageous suggestion. Alyssa chuckled as she reached out and ruffled her son’s hair. “Besides, as an only child, you don’t have to share your toys.”
Noah appeared thoughtful. “I guess that’s true. Though I wouldn’t mind sharing.” That seemed to be the end of that particular conversation as he and Dare turned to topics about worms, fishing, and mud.
Alyssa’s mind, however, didn’t want to stray far from Noah’s request. She’d always wished she had siblings, too. Back when she and Russell had first gotten married, she’d imagined they’d have three or four kids together. The usual sadness she felt when she thought about Russell was still there, but Alyssa was surprised to find it wasn’t as sharp as it used to be. She had no doubt the present company was responsible for that.
As Dare laughed at something Noah said, she was far too aware of how naturally they fell into this time together. How easy it would be to get used to this.
* * *
Main Street Burgers was every bit as good as Dare was led to believe it would be. In fact, it was a good thing the restaurant wasn’t close to the ranch, or he would put on way too many pounds eating there. It’d been fun visiting with Alyssa and Noah, although Alyssa seemed distracted by something.
He looked at his watch. “It’s been over an hour. We should probably head back again so you guys can get home and relax for a while.”
Noah spoke right up. “We’re going to the hospital after we get our truck.”
Dare’s eyes widened. “It’ll be close to seven by the time you get back.”
“We probably won’t be now, Noah.” She shifted her gaze to Dare. “That was my plan originally, before my truck decided to commit mutiny.”
Noah shoved a final fry in his mouth. “Mommy says I can help with the boards.”
“Borders,” Alyssa corrected gently. Dare had a feeling the boy had probably said more than Alyssa wanted him to. When he looked at her quizzically, she elaborated. “The flower beds are going to be bordered by concrete edging. They’re hoping that it’ll help with soil erosion, but also keep people from walking across the beds.” She addressed her son. “We won’t start on the borders until Monday.”
Dare was under the impression she was working on the hospital job alone. “Will you have help with those?”
“Someone else will load them into the truck that morning. Once that’s done, it won’t be a big deal to unload them as needed.”
It bothered Dare that her boss wasn’t sending someone else to help her with that. The concrete edging was probably smaller, but Dare was raised in a family where, even though Mom might be able to do heavy work on her own, she didn’t have to. Maybe her boss hadn’t earned it, but Dare had little respect for a guy who would send Alyssa out with a truck full of concrete blocks and not at least send someone else to help unload them.
She must have sensed his misgivings. “Outside of preparing the soil, putting in borders is one of Noah’s favorite things. He likes to help, don’t you?”
Noah nodded enthusiastically.
Well, Dare supposed that was better than nothing. Still, having to work on her own late into the evening and on weekends wasn’t a good thing. He left a tip on the table as they all gathered their things and headed outside.
The ride back to the ranch was spent in mostly silence. Noah seemed content to watch landmarks pass by the window while Alyssa fiddled with the hem of her shirt.
Dare glanced over at her. “I hate that you’re having to work so much.”
When she glanced at him, the annoyance on her face was difficult to miss.
With a sigh, he gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. “I watched my mom work her fingers to the bone to care for us. And that was with the help of my grandparents.”
Alyssa lowered her voice, the tone cool. “I think I’ve got this handled. I’ve been doing it for a while.”
“Just because you can do it on your own doesn’t mean you should.” There, he said it. In an attempt to take the sting out of his words, he laid a hand over both of hers and gave them a gentle squeeze before returning it to the steering wheel.
His own duties at the ranch were extensive, but he had free time and days off. Would she accept his help if he offered? Dare wasn’t sure, but he did know that now was not the time to bring it up.
Instead, he delivered them right to their truck. As soon as they pulled up, Mr. Buchanan came out with her keys and handed them to her.
“It should be purring like a kitten again,” he told her, and then elaborated to explain what he and Mason had done to get it running. “Hopefully it won’t give you any more trouble.”
“Thanks so much.” Alyssa gave him a hug and a kiss on his weathered cheek. “You guys are miracle workers.”
It was silly, but Dare wished she were putting her arms around him instead.
“It wasn’t a problem, young lady. You drive safe now.”
“I will.”
Mr. Buchanan shook hands with both Dare and Noah before returning to his home.
Dare opened the passenger door and moved the seat forward so he could get Noah’s booster seat back in place. “Here you go, sprout. Get on in.” Once he was settled, Dare closed the door again. He walked with Alyssa around the front of the truck to the driver’s side. “I know the timing is getting a little tight this week and next. I’ll see what I can do to clear my morning schedule so we can get started earlier. That way, maybe we can finish here so you can get to the hospital faster.” She started to object, but he continued. “We can eat lunch at the mess hall to save some time there, too. I’m sure Noah would get a kick out of that. Then I have Saturday off work, so I can help you all day to get things finished.”
“You don’t need to spend your day off helping me.” Her voice was barely audible.
“And what if I want to spend my day with you and Noah? I mean, it’d be rude of me to sit there and watch you work, so I may as well pitch in. At least a little.”
His words brought a smile to her face.
Dare shrugged. “Unless, of course, you’d prefer I spend my free time with Hopscotch.”
Alyssa laughed then. “Well, I sure wouldn’t wish that on anyone.” She tipped her head. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now you g
uys had better head out before it gets too late.” Not knowing who on the ranch could be watching, he resisted the urge to kiss her, something he’d thought a great deal about all day long. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Good night, Dare.”
With a final wave, they drove away, leaving Dare staring after them. After finishing up a few things around the ranch, he headed back to his bunkhouse. Gabe was nowhere to be seen, giving Dare some much-needed time to think.
He’d found himself completely enamored with his temporary co-worker. Their time together was limited, making each day precious, and reminding him exactly why he had every intention of continuing to see her once the job was finished.
8
Noah watched in nothing short of awe as Dare made quick work of a small stick. With his favorite pocket knife in one hand, and the stick in the other, he carved it into the shape of a snake. It was not nearly as detailed as what he usually accomplished, but he wanted to show Noah what could be done before getting back to work.
Ten minutes later, the smooth body led to a head complete with eyes and a mouth. He handed it to Noah, who accepted it as though it could be made of glass.
The boy ran a finger over the snake’s head as though he were petting it. “I want to learn how to carve like this.”
“Maybe I can teach you one day.” Dare smiled at him.
The sound of footsteps announced Alyssa’s arrival from her visit to the main house where she needed to speak with Mrs. Buchanan about something. Noah ran up to her, brandishing the snake in one hand. “Look what Mr. Dare made for me!”
She took it from him and looked it over before handing it back. “That’s impressive. Did you tell him thank you?”
Noah ran back to give Dare a quick hug before looking up and saying, “Thank you!” Before they knew it, the snake was incorporated into his games in the grass.
“That was nice of you,” she said as she went to stand beside him. “After we left last night, it was hard getting him to talk about anything else but you and dinner and the ranch. He had so much fun.” There was humor in her eyes, and something else, too.
Dare took a side step closer to her, Alyssa’s shoulder now touching his chest. “It was a pretty great day for me, too.” He gently put a hand on each of her shoulders and gave them a small squeeze. “For the record, I’ve gotten rather used to your company.” She leaned into him ever so slightly, giving him the courage to continue. “If I were to call you up after you were finished with the hospital job and offer to take you somewhere for dinner, would you object?”
He felt her inhale and hold her breath for multiple seconds before releasing it again slowly. She shook her head, her silky hair brushing against him.
The pounding of his heart echoed in his ears. He squeezed her shoulders again before letting his arms drop to his sides when what he really wanted to do was put them around her waist and pull her close. The intoxicating scent of her hair alone had him wishing they were somewhere more private.
He glanced around them but didn’t see anyone else in the vicinity. Still, between the Buchanans, Mason, and all the different ranch hands coming and going, the odds of someone walking up at an inopportune time was high.
“Look, Mr. Dare!”
Noah’s interruption helped both the adults to focus again. He showed them how his snake had been buried in soil.
“You did do a great job with that snake.” There was awe in Alyssa’s voice. “I was only gone for a few minutes.”
Dare smiled at her praise. “I’ll have to show you some of the other things I’ve made one of these days. My grandfather used to say I surpassed his skills years ago, but if you saw the kinds of things he could create, you’d know that’s not the case.” He laughed at the memories. It’d been over half a year since Grandpa had died, and it still didn’t seem real sometimes.
“Will you teach me?”
Noah reminded them both that the boy was listening to everything they said.
Alyssa hesitated. “I don’t know. Are you old enough?” She looked to Dare with that question.
He didn’t know why not. “As long as he can listen and take rules seriously. I was his age when I first started to learn.”
“Did you hear that?” Alyssa asked her son, who agreed wholeheartedly. She laughed. “In that case, maybe one of these days.”
Dare liked that she was willing to consider him teaching Noah in the future.
Alyssa uncrossed her arms and appeared all business. “In the meantime, we’d better get the rest of those plants into the ground so we can get that fence up around the flower garden. I want to be able to finish those other flower beds on Saturday and then put the cedar chips in by the end of the day.” She released a happy little sigh. “There’s something about the combination of sage and the cedar smell…”
That might be, but it had nothing on the sweet smell of honey and the beautiful look on Alyssa’s face.
* * *
The little flower beds in front of the cabins turned into flower boxes. After talking to Sharon, they decided to purchase large rectangular boxes to set on the ground next to the compact porches. They were approximately two feet long and a foot wide. They filled each of the boxes with a potting soil mix, and then Alyssa chose lantanas in a variety of color along with some petunias and pansies to give a contrast in plant size and color.
When they’d finished the last flower box, Alyssa stood back to admire their work. “I think Sharon is going to like these.”
“I do, too,” Dare agreed. “And you’re right, it’ll cut down on the weeds and be easy to replant come spring if needed.”
Noah kicked at a rock that rolled and bounced off the nearby box. He’d been bored most of the morning as they worked on the flower boxes. With less dirt to dig in, and a surplus of energy after being sick or cooped up in Morgan’s store, he was getting antsy. “You ready for some lunch, kiddo? We’ll get that fence up afterwards.”
“Yessss!” Noah hopped on one foot up the steps that led to the empty cabin they were working in front of and back down again. She had to admit she’d worked up quite an appetite herself.
They got everything cleaned up, ate lunch in the mess hall, and in less than an hour were ready to get back to work. Alyssa moved her truck in front of Peter and Sharon’s house then gave Noah permission to go ahead of them to the backyard so he could play.
Yesterday, Dare had dug the holes for the posts for the small fence and they’d allowed the cement to set overnight. Now it was time to put in the three-foot-tall panels and the small gate that would allow Sharon access to the flower garden.
She was watching as Dare lifted three panels from the bed of the truck when Noah’s scream pierced the air. Alyssa’s heart stumbled in her chest while Dare simultaneously tossed the panels to the ground. Together, they ran around the corner of the house.
Noah stood facing them on the other side of the backyard, and between her and her son was Hopscotch. The goat’s attention seemed fixed on Noah, and the only thing between the large animal and her son was a wheelbarrow that Noah was standing behind. Hopscotch meandered slowly toward Noah, his long beard swinging.
Alyssa unconsciously reached for Dare’s hand. “Would he charge Noah?” The goat was larger than her son, and she could picture Noah’s body flying through the air and crumpling to the ground.
Dare squeezed her hand reassuringly. “Hopscotch can probably smell the apple slices Noah ate at lunch and wants to investigate. We’re not going to wait to find out.”
By then, Sharon must have heard Noah’s scream. She stood on the back porch, her cell phone to her ear as she spoke quickly to someone.
Dare used their joined hands to direct her toward the porch. “Go up on the porch. I’ve got this.”
She did as he suggested then watched as Dare skirted around the flower garden until he was on the same side of the yard as her son. Noah’s head turned to look at him, and Hopscotch reacted by increasing the speed of his approach.
&
nbsp; “Stay there, sprout,” Dare told him in a calm voice.
“Okay.” Eyes wide, Noah turned his attention back to the approaching goat.
Alyssa could only watch as Dare slowly approached Noah. Whether Hopscotch resented the intrusion, or he simply decided he disliked the wheelbarrow, Alyssa had no idea. The large goat shook his head, lowered it, and began to charge at the wheelbarrow.
In moments, Dare closed the distance between himself and Noah, scooped the boy into his arms, and let his momentum carry them both away.
Hopscotch’s horns clanged into the wheelbarrow, knocking it over onto the grass. By the time the goat turned his head to find Dare and Noah again, they were nearly to the back porch.
It wasn’t until Noah was safely wrapped in her arms that Alyssa realized she’d been holding her breath.
The sound of a truck pulling into the driveway up front was quickly followed by doors slamming shut. Moments later, Mason rounded the corner of the house at a jog, Peter behind him. Mason had a rope in his hands.
Between Mason and Dare, they managed to get the rope around the goat’s neck without incident. Together, they led the goat out of the backyard. Peter joined them on the back porch and put a hand on Noah’s head. “Are you okay?”
Noah nodded. “Next time, I’ll save an apple slice from lunch for Hopscotch.”
Alyssa laughed along with Sharon and Peter. She loved that, after everything, that was her son’s innocent takeaway from his encounter with the goat.
When Mason and Dare returned, they assured them all that Hopscotch was back in his pen.
Peter addressed Mason. “I’ve put it off way too long. Do what’s needed to ensure that blasted goat can’t escape again.”
“Yes, sir,” Mason said with a nod of his head.
Charmed By The Daring Cowboy (Sage Valley Ranch Book 4) Page 7
