“All right. I’ll follow.”
“You know how to ride a four-wheeler?”
Kaya nodded. “That’s one of the few outdoorsy things I do know how to do. I can handle this.” She didn’t mention to him that he’d been right about not taking horses. Her bum was sore!
She moved carefully as she threw one leg over the seat and turned the key, feeling it rumble to life beneath her. “You’re going to have to lead. I have no idea where we’re going.”
Glen quickly started his vehicle and drove around her toward the path that led into the mountains. It was rare he went there without a horse, but he wanted Kaya to experience all the wonders of River’s End Ranch and his beloved state of Idaho. It was so important to him that she loved it all as much as he did. He didn’t want to think about why her opinion of his world was so important, but deep down he knew. He’d fallen in love with her the moment she’d told him he belonged on the cover of romance novels.
He led her around the café to the main road leading into the ranch and took a left toward the mountains. They went over a bridge to the other side of the river, and he stopped on the bank, pointing.
When Kaya looked, she saw a large raft with several people on it washing down the river, as well as a canoe with a blond man, who looked to be having the time of his life. They stayed close together as they went down the rapids.
“Want to try that?” he called over the sound made by the merry rafters.
She shook her head. “Too many people. I’d rather spend my time with you.”
The look he gave her at that made Kaya’s heart skip a beat. He shut off his vehicle and grabbed the sack with their lunches in it. Kaya took the quilt that had been tied to the back of her four-wheeler and spread it on the grass overlooking the river. “It’s so peaceful here.”
He sank onto his knees on the quilt beside her, quickly divvying up the food. “It is. I’d rather be right here, beside this river, than anywhere else in the world.”
“Even more than your own ranch?” she asked, surprised.
He chuckled. “My ranch is just north of River’s End, along this same river. The path I’ll be taking the children on will follow it.” He pulled his sandwich from a plastic baggie, and took a big bite, watching her as she spread her meal out in front of her, putting everything in its proper spot. He’d noticed she did that every time they ate. “What would happen if I moved your chips to where your water bottle is and your water bottle where your chips are?”
“No big deal. I’d just move them back.” She winked at him as she opened her water bottle and took a big swig of the water.
“You’re not particular about where things go, are you?”
“Nope. Not at all. Unless you move them.”
He laughed softly. “Why couldn’t you have come into my life five years from now?” he asked. “I’m not ready for you yet.”
She shrugged. “I wish it was the perfect time for us to meet, but maybe we shouldn’t let that matter.”
He closed his eyes. “You realize I can’t change my life plans—even for you.” As much as he wanted to say that they should just go for it, he’d worked too long and too hard to get his doctorate—and to fix up the ranch—to give up now.
Kaya sighed. “I know. We have ten more days until I leave. Let’s not worry about the future and just enjoy our time here.” Surely he’d realize just how much she mattered to him by then. Either way though, she would give love a chance and savor every moment they had together. Every kiss. Every touch of his hand on hers. She would live the life she wrote about, if only for a short time.
Glen took her hand and brought it to his lips. “I will savor every minute. I wish things were different, but they’re not, so we can’t let ourselves feel too much.” It was too late for him, of course, but hopefully it wasn’t for her.
She laughed wryly at that. “I’m sorry. The moment I saw you in Kelsey’s Kafé was too late for that. I saw you, and I knew.”
He blinked slowly. “You knew what?”
“I knew I’d lost my heart. Love at first sight. I write about it, but I never believed in it. I believed I’d find love, but not the instant blinding kind.” She shrugged, trying to convince him—and herself—that it would all be fine. “Don’t worry about me. I’m tough. I’ll go home and write books, and I’ll be just fine.”
“Are you saying you’re in love with me, Kaya?”
She took a deep breath. “Never in my life have I met a man I felt like I had to get to know better. I’ve never pursued a man. I’ve never really even had a boyfriend. I look at you, and all I can think is that I want to spend forever with you. Yeah, Glen, I’m in love. I’m head over heels, crazy in love with you. But I understand you feel differently, and I’m not going to make things hard for you.”
“I don’t, though.” The words were soft, and she barely heard them.
“You don’t what?”
“I don’t feel differently. I love you. I don’t have time to love you, but God help me, I do.” He set his sandwich down. “I can’t ask you to stay though. We only have two weeks no matter what we feel.”
Kaya nodded, biting her bottom lip. She scooted closer to him on the quilt, her hand taking his and squeezing it. “At least I know my feelings aren’t one-sided.”
“They’re not.”
“We can always keep in touch with emails and through Skype.”
He slowly shook his head. “I can’t handle the distraction right now. As much as I know that’s what I want, I can’t let myself worry about whether you’re in Texas sad because you miss me. No, we get ten more days. That’s all. I’ll call you when my business is up and running, and you can tell me all about being married with two point three kids and a golden retriever.”
“Won’t happen.”
Glen frowned at her, his hand lightly stroking her cheek. “Why are you so sure?”
“You talked to me about Friends the night we met in the café. Well, when I met you, I was reminded of an episode too. You’re my lobster, Glen. And lobsters mate for life.”
He took a deep breath. “Are you saying you’d willingly wait five years for me?”
She nodded. “I would. I’d prefer to have contact during that time, but I’ll just wait if that’s what I need to do.”
He leaned down and brushed his lips across hers. “I’m not going to let you wait for me. You need to go on with your life.”
“So we just have two weeks together and never think of each other again?”
“I don’t have another answer. It’s not fair to ask you to wait. Feelings change over time, and I don’t want you to feel guilty if they do. Let’s not talk of the future again. We have two weeks to spend time together and be in love.”
Kaya forced a smile. “Having two weeks to spend with someone I love is more than I expected to have this month. Sounds good to me. No talk about the future. We live for today.” When she’d told the girls she could do that, she hadn’t realized just how hard it would be. No matter though. She was going to be happy with the man she loved. Never would she shed a tear in his presence. “Kelsi told me Bigfoot lives here. I want to look for signs after we finish eating.”
He stared at her for a moment, disbelief etched across his face. “Seriously? You believe Bigfoot lives here?”
“I didn’t say that. I said that Kelsi believes it, and I promised her I’d look. So, I will. Want to help me?”
Glen was a bit confused by the abrupt subject change, but he grasped it with both hands, because it kept him from thinking about the day in the very near future when she’d travel back to Texas and resume her life there. “I would love to help you find Bigfoot.”
The look she gave him was filled with pure joy, and his heart caught. How was he going to let her go? He should walk away now and save himself the heartache. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he knew he couldn’t. He had to take advantage of every minute he could with her. He had no choice. The memory of her love would have to keep him g
oing for the rest of his life, because like her, he believed in mating for life.
She finished eating and threw all the trash into his sack, before pulling out her phone and looking at the time. “I have an hour that I can spend searching for Bigfoot, and then we need to head back. I have to get my nap if I want to write this evening.”
He nodded solemnly. “Sounds good.” It didn’t though. He wanted to beg her to spend more time with him, but she was there for a reason, and that was to write a book. Not to spend time with a random cowboy she found in the stables.
As she searched the grassy area at the base of the mountain for signs of Bigfoot, following along with a list someone—presumably Kelsi—had handwritten for her, he watched Kaya. The expressions that crossed her face in just one hour amazed him.
She showed him broken leaves, and pulled out her phone to take pictures. She carefully studied their surroundings. When it was almost time, she took out her phone again, and he wondered what she’d seen. Instead she walked to him, and put her arm around his waist, holding the phone out for them. “You push the button.”
He nodded, knowing that he’d want a copy of the photo sent to him. If they were only going to have two weeks together, there needed to be at least one selfie. He would never forget her.
Chapter Five
Kaya remembered to ask Liz that night about the strange cabin she and Glen had passed the day before on their way to the lake. “There was this weird cabin that was surrounded by leprechaun, fairy, and gnome lawn ornaments. And I’m sure I saw six rabbits on a window seat watching me ride past.”
Liz chuckled. “You probably did. That’s Jaclyn Hardy’s cabin. She’s the person who assigns spots for the RV park. Trust me, you’ve never met anyone like her. I’m going to have to find a way to work her into a book someday.”
“Well, other than her questionable taste in decorations and owning six bunnies, what’s weird about her?” Kaya asked. She saw May come into the kitchen out of the corner of her eye. The older woman leaned against the island as she and Kaya watched Liz cook.
“You don’t even know the half of it. I love Jaclyn, but she cracks me up sometimes. She says the fairies talk to her, but she won’t listen to the gnomes. I think they’re mad at her for killing George.” Liz shoved a big pot in the oven. “Casserole will be done in thirty minutes.”
“Wait, though…who’s George?” Kaya asked, following Liz into the living room and sitting down.
“George was one of her lawn gnomes.” Liz shook her head. “She’s a little bit out there, but when I needed someone to talk to about Jack—when I was so confused—she was able to offer me some real insight in a way that no one else was. I mean, I talked to you guys and to Joni, but Jaclyn was amazing.”
Kaya bit her lip. “Maybe I’ll stop by and see her.”
“Trouble in paradise?” May asked, her voice full of understanding instead of the censure Kaya expected.
Kaya shrugged, blinking rapidly to try to keep the tears at bay. She hadn’t cried since she and Glen had their talk, but she’d wanted to. Badly. “He told me he loves me today.”
Liz leaned forward, obviously enthralled with the conversation. “Really? He said he loves you?”
Kaya brushed away a tear, hating herself for not being able to stop them. “We both said it. But then he said that in ten days, he’s going to say goodbye to me, watch me get on a plane and go back to Texas, but he won’t keep in touch. He can’t deal with the distraction right now. He said he’ll call in five years so I can tell him I’m married with two point three kids and a golden retriever.”
May shook her head. “So you’re not going to see him again, right?”
Kaya laughed. “Are you kidding me? I’ve got ten days to spend with the only man I’ve ever loved, and you want me to forgo those days? Not happening!”
May sighed. “I wish you’d count your losses.”
“You really don’t understand, do you? If Bob Bodefeld walked in that door right now, and he asked you to spend the next ten days with him, would you do it? Knowing it would be harder if you couldn’t see him again after that?” Bob Bodefeld was an actor on the show Lazy Love, and May believed with everything inside her that he was the man for her. Not that she’d ever meet him, but that didn’t keep her from believing it.
“Well, no, but I already know I’m going to die heartbroken and alone. You have the potential to meet someone who you could spend the rest of your life with!”
“So do you. Even Liz met someone!”
“Hey! What do you mean, ‘even Liz?’ You’re making it sound like something’s wrong with me,” Liz protested.
“Sorry, Liz.” Kaya sighed heavily. “I’m going to make the most of the time I have with the man I love. No one is going to be able to convince me to do anything else.”
“Then I’m going to stop trying,” May said softly. “I hope you’ll be happy you made that decision when we leave.”
“I will.” Kaya pulled her computer onto her lap. “Oh, and tomorrow evening, I’m going to spend time with Glen. I’m not meeting him for lunch. It’s my turn to cook, so I’ll throw something in the crockpot for you two.”
Liz nodded. “What are you guys doing tomorrow night?”
Kaya shrugged. “He just said he’d be here to pick me up at six, and I should dress up.”
“Dress up?” Liz asked. “Where’s he taking you?”
“Said something about a place called Post Falls. We’re going to eat there, wherever it is.”
“It’s a town a short drive from here. Did you bring something dressy? Or just jeans and shorts?”
“I brought a pair of slacks and a skirt just in case. May told me I was overpacking, but now I’m glad I did.” Kaya made a face at May.
“I never said I was perfect, you know.” May rolled her eyes at Kaya, but Kaya didn’t mind. She knew May loved her as much as she would have loved a little sister if she’d had one.
“You didn’t have to. Everyone else says it for you.” Kaya shrugged. “Everyone wants to be like you, because you’re kind. You find ways to be kind even when other people would be screaming. It’s a quality we all admire.”
May didn’t respond. Kaya knew that being complimented made her feel uncomfortable, so she didn’t press it, instead looking down at her computer. “I have to write seven thousand words before I’m allowed to sleep.”
The timer on the stove went off then, and Liz got to her feet. “We’ll feast on casserole, and then we’ll work.”
Kaya nodded, ready for the distraction of her writing. She’d always thought being in love would make it easier for her to work, but instead, it seemed to be harder. She’d push through though. She didn’t dare do anything else with May beside her.
* * *
Kaya woke to her alarm at three, quite a bit earlier than necessary. After talking to Liz the previous evening, she’d decided to have a talk with Jaclyn, and she wanted to do it before she went out with Glen that evening.
The walk to Jaclyn’s house was leisurely, and she enjoyed herself. She tucked one of her paperbacks under one arm, thinking she could give the book to the woman in exchange for her help. Of course, it was hard to know if the book was actually a good gift. What if she didn’t read romance?
When she arrived, she stood outside the gated yard for a moment, looking at the wild hodgepodge of animals there.
“The fairies told me you’d be coming to visit today. I have fresh snickerdoodles. The fairies said you would prefer milk with your cookies, but I have milk and tea ready, just in case they’re lying to me. Sometimes they’re devious like that!”
Kaya couldn’t help but smile at the old woman, kneeling in the dirt in front of her home. “I’d love some milk if you and the fairies don’t mind. I’m Kaya, by the way.”
“The fairies don’t help pay for milk, so they don’t care a bit. Come into the house while I get the tea, milk, and cookies. You don’t mind rabbits do you?” Jaclyn asked from where she stood at the fro
nt door, holding it open wide.
“Not at all,” Kaya responded, hurrying into the small house. Once she was inside, she realized that six rabbits were nothing on the number that were really there. They seemed to cover every surface. “How do you keep the floor from being covered in rabbit—” She started to say poop, but thought better of it. “Droppings?”
“Oh, they’re all litterbox trained. Rabbits are smart. You teach one to use the box, and they teach the rest of them.” Jaclyn went into the kitchen, waving Kaya away when she made to follow her. “Sit down and then we’ll talk about you and your man.”
“Did the fairies tell you why I was coming?” Kaya asked, understanding now why Liz said she wanted to write about the older woman. She was eccentric, but in a down-to-earth way, and that was something Kaya had never seen before.
She came back with tea in a nice china teapot with little pink flowers around the bottom and a fairy emblazoned on the side, a glass of milk, and a plate full of cookies. “You’ve got love troubles, of course. I’m not sure how I’ve become the person on this ranch to come to for love troubles, but the fairies sure do give me help when I need it.”
“Perhaps that’s why people come to you. You’re the only one the fairies talk to.”
“Oh, the fairies will talk to anyone who listens. Other people just refuse to listen.” Jaclyn’s voice sometimes reminded Kaya of a deep south accent, and sometimes it sounded like it was full of Ireland. “So let’s talk about Glen. He’s a good man.”
Kaya sighed. “The fairies even told you who I came to talk about?”
“They didn’t have to! I have eyes, don’t I? The two of you rode past here together a couple of days ago. I can put one and one together and come up with the right answer, you know.”
“Oh, of course. I forgot we’d come by here,” Kaya fibbed.
“No, you didn’t. You knew as well as I did. Anyway, you’re in love with Glen Johnson, are you?”
Kaya nodded slowly. She’d had no idea his last name was Johnson, but she refused to let on. How had she fallen in love with a man whose last name she didn’t even know? “Yes, I am. I knew from the moment I saw him we were meant to be together.”
Ranch's Retreat (River's End Ranch Book 6) Page 5
