“Dreamy cowboy?” Liz looked around. “Oh, that’s just Glen. He works in the stable with Wyatt.”
“He’s…wow, I’m a writer and I have no words. I need to meet him. I want to marry him and have his babies.”
Liz blinked at her friend a few times. “I think you’ve been reading and writing too many romance novels, Kaya. He’s a cowboy. Get close to him, and he’s going to smell like sweat and horse manure.”
“Right at the moment, I don’t even care. Please introduce me!”
Liz watched and as soon as Kelsi stopped talking to Glen she called his name. “Hey, Glen!”
Glen turned on his chair and smiled, raising a finger in greeting. He was a man of few words, like his boss, but not quite as bad. He talked to people he liked, unlike Wyatt Weston. “Hi, Liz.”
“Come meet my friends.” When Glen got to the table, he touched the brim of his cowboy hat, nodding at Kaya and May in turn. “These are my friends Kaya and May. They’re both writers as well.”
Glen smiled. He wasn’t into books unless they were nonfiction. He was working on his doctoral thesis while working for the River’s End Ranch as an assistant to the resident horse whisperer, Wyatt Weston. When he was finished, he hoped to open an equine therapy center to help kids with autism. He was only a few months from getting his PhD.
“It’s nice to meet you both. What do you write?”
“We both write romance,” Kaya said. “May’s huge, but I’m just small potatoes.”
May shook her head. “I’m not huge. I promise unless you read romantic comedy, you’ve never heard of me.”
“I have a feeling I’ve never heard of you then.” Glen smiled then, a huge smile that transformed his whole face, and Kaya felt something hit her like a punch in the gut.
“You should pose for romance covers,” Kaya blurted out without meaning to. She couldn’t believe how attracted she was to the man in front of her.
Glen laughed softly. “I don’t think so. Have you seen Friends?” When Kaya nodded, he continued. “Do you remember the episode where Chandler and Monica were taking engagement pictures?”
Kaya nodded again. “Yeah. That one was hilarious. Chandler kept making this really scary face every time a camera was on him, but he would smile at her normally when the camera wasn’t pointed at him.”
“That’s me. Point a camera at me, and I turn into Chandler Bing.”
Kaya laughed. “So maybe being a romance model isn’t a good idea for you…”
“Probably not.” Glen looked at the girl sitting beside Liz. She looked so animated and full of life. In a way she reminded him of Kelsi, but he felt brotherly toward Kelsi. The feelings that were rumbling around in his stomach when he looked at Kaya were definitely not something a brother would feel toward a sister.
“So what do you do here?” Kaya asked, needing to know how to find him. Sure, she could ask Liz, but it was better to ask him.
“I work in the stables with Wyatt. I teach people to ride, groom, exercise and feed the horses. Basically, if it has to do with horses, I do it. I’ve even been known to help them give birth if the doc can’t make it out right away.”
“Well, maybe I’ll make it out to the stable one day this week. I’d like to learn to ride. Do I need to make an appointment for that?”
Glen tilted his head to one side. “Yeah, it’s best if you do. Especially if you want a specific person to teach you.”
“Well, then I’ll make an appointment. I have a feeling I’d feel more comfortable with you teaching me. You’re the only one I’ve met.”
He nodded, smiling a little, turning when he heard Kelsi call his name. “My lunch is ready.” He touched the brim of his hat once more. “It was nice meeting you ladies.”
Kaya watched him walk away, her eyes on his bottom. “I’d always heard that cowboys had the best butts, but I didn’t believe it until today,” she whispered to the other two.
May covered her mouth with one hand to keep from laughing. Liz just shook her head. “I knew spending two weeks with you was going to be interesting, but until this very moment, I had no idea how interesting.”
“You love me, and you know it.” Kaya sighed happily. “I get to spend two weeks with my favorite two imaginary people and fall in love all at once. This is going to be the best two weeks of my whole entire life!”
Chapter Two
Glen walked back to the stable, his mind on the girl in the café. He thought she’d said her name was Kaya, but he wasn’t sure. She’d been almost a blur to him, so excited and animated. He chuckled a bit, embarrassed that she’d said he should model for book covers. He was a psychologist…gearing up to open his own ranch for equine therapy. He specialized in the study of autistic children, and he could think of no greater reward in life than working with those special kids and horses at the same time.
He shook his head. No, I can’t think about a girl. Maybe in a few years. For now, I need to keep my eyes on the prize. I’ll finish my doctorate, and then turn the ranch my uncle left me into a paradise for small kids.
He’d been saving every dollar he made for years to accomplish his goal, and he had made some small changes to the ranch. The stable was ready for horses, and he had fixed up the gazebo. Maybe in five years he’d be ready to think about a woman, but for now, he needed to concentrate on his goals. And pretty little romance writers did not count as goals.
* * *
Liz drove Kaya and May to the Bearfoot Bungalow where they’d be staying. “This is my favorite cabin, because the living area looks out over the water. You’re going to be amazed at this place.”
While they waited for Liz to unlock the door, Kaya laughed at a sign on the front of the cabin. “I thought you were saying Barefoot Bungalow. But it’s Bearfoot!”
Liz nodded. “Yeah. I’m not sure who named this one, but they have a sense of humor.” She got the door opened and stepped inside.
Kaya followed Liz, looking around. “Wow. This place is incredible.” She took the steps that led to the back of the porch, and she saw the beautiful lake through the huge floor to ceiling windows. “Can I live here forever?”
Liz grinned. “We got a huge discount on this place, because of my connection with the Westons and it being a last-minute vacancy. I promise you, not even May could afford to live here.”
“I don’t know that I could leave Wiggieville, and my aunt, but I’m happy to stay here for a couple of weeks.” May stared around her, obviously pleased with the house they’d share.
“Do you want to pick your room first?” Kaya asked May. “I can deal with anything.”
May shook her head. “No, that’s fine. You pick. No big deal.”
Kaya wandered into both of the rooms, but to her there was no contest. They were both about the same size and furnished similarly, but one had a door that led to a balcony overlooking the lake. She wanted to be a selfless person and give that room to May, but she just couldn’t make herself do that. She could picture herself out there late at night, listening to the sounds of the lake while she wrote her heart out. She’d invite May to write there with her. That would be just as good, right?
“Can I have this one?” Kaya asked May. Not feeling sure if she should just announce it was hers, or offer it to the older woman who had helped her so much.
“Absolutely. Where I sleep isn’t all that important to me.” May put her things in the third bedroom, and wandered out. “I think we should get the grocery shopping done tonight. We’re going to need writing snacks.”
Liz nodded. “We won’t be able to write without them, and then you never know what could happen.”
“Universal implosion!” Kaya said in an awed voice. “It would be like starting a sprint at a time that didn’t end in five or zero!”
“Kaya, I’m going to tell you a secret, and I don’t want you to freak out. Maybe you should sit down first!” May suggested.
Kaya sat on the edge of the couch, looking at her friend. “What’s the secret?”
“When you’re not around, we start sprints at times ending in three and seven, just because we can.”
Kaya’s eyes grew wide, and she put her hand on her chest. “I’m aghast at this information! Do you hear me? Just aghast! How could you?”
Liz hurried over to pat Kaya awkwardly on the shoulder. “It doesn’t mean we love you any less.”
“But universal implosion!”
“The universe seems fine!” May told her earnestly. “Maybe it’s only when you start at an odd time that the universe implodes.”
Kaya put her head in her hands for a moment, knowing she was being overly dramatic and enjoying every minute of it. “How could you?”
Liz patted some more. “There there. I’ll cook dinner tonight to make it up to you.”
Kaya looked up with a smile. “It’s a deal!”
“Were you just acting upset so I’d offer?”
“Of course not! How could I know you’d offer to feed me?”
Liz frowned. “I guess you couldn’t. Do you want to unpack first or go to the store first?”
Kaya looked at May. “No preference here. You?”
May shrugged. “Let’s just get it over with. I hate grocery shopping.”
“That’s because you’ve never shopped with me!” Kaya announced excitedly.
Liz groaned. “Remember, I know these people. Don’t you dare embarrass me, Kaya!”
“I’ll do my best.” Kaya jumped up from the chair. “Let me just get my purse, and I’m ready.” She’d thrown it over her suitcase, which was already in her new room.
As she hurried away, she heard May say softly, “I hope she behaves herself.”
“Me too.”
“I heard that!” Kaya yelled out as she walked back into the room with her purse over one shoulder. “Let’s go conquer the grocery store!”
“How ‘bout I make a list of the things I want and send you with my debit card?” May asked, looking back and forth between Liz and Kaya.
Kaya laughed, sliding her arm through May’s. “You’re going to love me even more after this shopping trip. I guarantee it.”
When they got to the store, each of them grabbed their own grocery cart, and they walked up and down the aisles together. They found all of their favorite writing snacks, foods they talked about all the time in their online chat room. “Don’t forget we need to buy meal stuff,” May said, obviously surprised at the sheer amount of junk food that had jumped into their carts.
“Does this mean you’re offering to cook?” Kaya asked.
May made a face. “I can if I have to.”
Kaya stopped in the middle of the produce section. “I’ll plan to cook four meals. I’ll buy the stuff for that. You guys each plan four meals. We’ll eat out once a day, have snack stuff, and we can get cereal for breakfast. No one is cooking more than their fair share.”
“I can go along with that as long as there’s a crockpot and liners. I refuse to clean crockpots, but I refuse to cook without them.”
“There’s a crockpot, but we’ll need to buy liners,” Liz said with a shrug.
When they were finally ready to leave, each of them had a cart full and paid for her own groceries. Kaya was first in the checkout line. As the cashier rang them up, Kaya chatted with her. “This is my first time in Idaho. I’m super excited!”
“You staying at River’s End Ranch?” the brunette, whose nametag read Dawna, asked.
“Yes! It’s fabulous. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Dawna smiled. “My brother works there! I’ve been out there a few times. My dad used to golf there, and I’ve done some whitewater rafting. I want to try rock climbing, and I’ve been reading up on it.” She scanned a box of Grasshopper cookies. “What brings you here?”
“We’re here for a writer’s retreat. We’re all online friends, but this is our first time to all be together in person.”
“Oh, that’s cool! What do you write?”
“Romance. Liz writes mysteries, and May writes romance as well.”
Dawna looked back in the line and saw Liz, raising a hand with a smile. “I know Liz! Hey you! Where’d you lose Jack?”
Liz smiled back. “He’s on assignment for a couple of weeks, so I came here with my friends. I’ve been wanting to show them the ranch forever.”
“Sounds like fun.” Dawna finished scanning the groceries and gave Kaya her total.
After swiping her debit card, Kaya stepped to the side. “It was nice meeting you!”
“You too!”
Liz checked out next, and when she was done, she stood close to Kaya. “Dawna is Glen’s kid sister,” she whispered softly.
“Wait, you’re Glen’s sister? He’s my dream man!” Kaya knew she shouldn’t blurt something like that out, but she couldn’t remember a time in her life when knowing she shouldn’t say something had kept her quiet.
Dawna laughed. “That’s because you’ve never shared a bathroom with him!”
Kaya grinned. “What’s his favorite thing to do? I’m going to lure him out of the stables while I’m here if it kills me.”
“He’s been so focused on his school and starting his ranch that I don’t even know what he likes anymore. He was into sports in school, but doesn’t seem to have time for anything like that anymore.”
“That’s sad.” Kaya hated the idea of Glen not doing the things he enjoyed. “He’s in school?”
“Oh, yeah. He’s about to finish up his doctorate in psychology.”
“Psychology?” Kaya was surprised. A cowboy getting a doctorate in psychology just didn’t seem normal to her.
“Yeah. Ask him about it. I promise it’s the one thing the man cannot shut up about.”
Kaya grinned. She loved that she had something to talk to him about. Maybe she could head to the stable with some sandwiches, and they could have a picnic. She wondered how that would go over with his boss. “I will.”
On their way back to the ranch, Liz asked, “Kaya, you’re not really thinking of trying to start a relationship with Glen, are you?”
“Why not?”
Liz sighed. “Don’t get me wrong, Glen’s a good guy. There’s not a thing wrong with him, but he’s driven. He’s so focused on what he wants from life, he’s never let a girl in. I’ve seen a lot of women hit on him while they were here vacationing, and not one of them got anywhere.”
Kaya shrugged. “As soon as I saw him, I knew he was my destiny. It’ll work for me.”
May shook her head, turning around to look at her. “You’re going to get your heart broken, aren’t you?”
“Probably. Are you going to be there to mop up the pieces?”
“I guess so. Be careful.” May sounded resigned. She was obviously concerned, but she knew Kaya well enough to know not to try to talk her out of it.
“I’ve written about heartache. Why not experience it? My writing will ring true that way, won’t it?” Kaya knew the others were aware of her history with men—or lack thereof. She’d been kissed once, after her senior prom in high school, and that was the only time. Her days and nights had been better spent at home, practicing her craft. She understood Glen better than most women would. And she was going to spend the rest of her life with him.
* * *
Kaya groaned when her alarm went off at eleven the following morning. She’d taken medicine to sleep, like she’d planned, but she still hadn’t been able to fall asleep until after sunrise. She had to get up though. Today was the day she was going to take charge of her destiny.
She quickly showered, running a brush through her short-cropped blond hair. She dressed in a pair of jeans and a comfortable T-shirt. When she got into the main area of the house, there was no one around, so she quickly scrawled a note to her friends. Going to the stable to see if I can get horseback riding lessons. Back before dinner time. Kaya.
They had said they’d eat lunch at the café every day or whatever, but they’d have a real dinner together at the cabin. She was
following the plan—mostly.
She hurried to the café and sat at the bar. Kelsi was there, a smile on her face. Kaya was impressed with how upbeat the other girl always seemed to be. “Hey, Kaya! What can I get you?”
Kaya studied Kelsi for a moment before leaning forward. “Can you keep a secret?”
Kelsi nodded, her eyes twinkling. “I love to keep secrets. What do you want to tell me?”
“Well, I’m going to convince Glen that I’m his dream girl. I was hoping you knew his favorite sandwich. I want to pack a lunch and take it to the stables.”
Kelsi blinked a couple of times. “Not bashful, are you?”
“Where would that get me in life?”
Kelsi’s laughter filled the café. “I like you, Kaya!”
“I like you too. Well? Do you know?”
“Pimento cheese and ham. It’s what he always asks for.”
“Sounds good to me. Can you make me a romantic lunch for two?”
“Bob’s not the most romantic chef in the world. I’ll have him make you a couple of Glen specials, though.” Kelsi disappeared into the kitchen for a moment, and she hurried back. “He’s on it. I’ll make the rest here.” She pulled out a box that was obviously meant for a to-go lunch, adding chips and cookies. “Drinks?”
Kaya shrugged. “Do you know what he drinks?”
“Yeah, he’s a Coke guy.”
“Then put in a Coke for him and a Sprite for me.”
“No problem.” Kelsi efficiently packed the box while Kaya watched. “Any plans on how you’re going to make him fall for you?”
Kaya shook her head. “I have a topic for conversation, and it’ll grow from there I’m sure. What about you? Any ideas? I mean, you’re married, so you must have done something right.”
Kelsi laughed. “I’m married to the most wonderful man in the whole world. My knees get mushy just thinking about him.”
Ranch's Retreat (River's End Ranch Book 6) Page 2
