Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 66518 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66518 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Two more horses were making their way over to us, and Ryder asked, “Want to give them apples, too?”
I wiped my hand on my thigh and muttered, “You go ahead. I wouldn’t want to hog all the fun.”
I ended up following Ryder around for the next hour, and even though I repeatedly offered to help, he kept politely declining. Finally, I asked, “Do you keep turning down my offers because you hate to delegate, or because you think I’ll screw something up?”
“You’re on vacation. You didn’t come here to work.”
“I came here to spend time with you, not to sit around like a sloth.”
He gave in and let me help… kind of. After he scrubbed out a big, metal trough, he assigned me the task of sitting on a folding chair and holding the hose while it filled up. In the time it took me to do that, he went off and completed several more tasks. I was pretty sure that if I wasn’t here, he would have just hooked the hose to the edge of the tub and let it fill up on its own.
He was all smiles once I finished and he put the hose away. “That’s it for now,” he said. “I have the next several hours free. Later on, I’ll have to do my evening routine, which mostly involves getting all the animals where they need to be for the night. But that doesn’t take nearly as long as my morning chores.”
“You must be hungry,” I said, as we returned to the house with all the dogs and Jeff following us. “Want me to make some sandwiches or something while you get cleaned up?”
“Actually, I have something special planned for lunch. I’m going to need maybe half an hour to shower, change, and get everything set up. If you want, you can hang out on the porch with some lemonade while I do that.”
I chose to hang out in the living room instead. I had a project to work on, and there was a donkey, a goat, and two chickens on the porch. I didn’t want any of them involved in what I was doing.
When Ryder joined me sometime later, he was a different brand of sexy. He wore a white, button-down shirt, untucked with the sleeves rolled back, along with faded Levis and sneakers. He sat down beside me and took a look at the pink satin gown in my hands. I’d been adding a delicate floral pattern made of iridescent seed beads to the bodice, and he said, “This is beautiful. Is it for school?”
“No. It’s one of the prom dresses I’m donating to the teens at the LGBTQ community center this year. I bought it at a thrift shop for five bucks, but by the time I get done with it, it’ll look very high-end.”
“That beadwork seems pretty time-consuming.”
“It is, but I find this type of work relaxing. And I wanted these donations to be extra special, because I don’t know how busy I’ll be this time next year. Once I land a job in my field, I may not have the time to do custom details like this.”
“It’s wild to think about that,” Ryder said, as I carefully packed up my project. “Your whole life will probably be completely different a year from now. Mine will be exactly the same.”
“There’s a lot to be said for consistency.” I got up and held my arms out, to show him my outfit. “I don’t know where we’re going or what we’re doing, but am I dressed appropriately?” I’d gotten cleaned up and traded my dusty outfit for an off-the-shoulder white top, denim shorts, and sandals. “If you’re making me hike, I’ll change my shoes. I’ll also lock myself in the bedroom, because I hate hiking.”
That made him smile. “We’re going on a picnic. There’s a five-minute stroll involved. As long as those sandals are comfortable, your outfit is perfect. It’s also extremely sexy.”
“I’m glad you like it. Can I do anything to help you get ready for our picnic?”
“Nope, it’s all set. Just come with me.”
The dogs had been keeping me company, and they got up and followed us. We stopped off in the kitchen to pick up a cute, wicker picnic basket, which Ryder draped over his arm. To my surprise, he then led me to the back of the house, instead of the front door.
We cut through a screened-in sun porch and stepped out onto a brick patio. Before us was the most incredible view. The land dipped down to reveal green, rolling hills, lots of trees, and wide swaths of blue wildflowers.
I murmured, “It’s beautiful. I had no idea this was back here.”
“I’m so glad you’re here for bluebonnet season. I really wanted you to see them, because to me, that right there’s Texas.”