“Oh, I didn’t mean to steal it.”
“It’s fine. I’m sure there’s another copy or two lying around the house.”
“Sorry I got such a late start.”
“Nothing to be sorry about. Though I’m impressed you managed to sleep through all of the chaos.”
“I usually sleep with earplugs,” she said, gesturing to her ears. “Hotel rooms have thin walls, so I just got in the habit.”
“Getting all of the kids out of here in the morning takes forever.”
“They’re all old enough for school?” she asked, taking her coffee cup to the sink and rinsing it out.
“The ones that live here. My Uncle Chris and his partner Luis have a three-year-old and a six-month-old.”
“Where do they live?”
“St. Louis. They’re both architects.”
“I love St. Louis,” Hope said. “It’s got such great food and music.”
“I haven’t been there since the baby was born. I need to go for a long weekend or something.”
She finished rinsing the mug and put it in the dish rack to dry. “So what are you doing today? I can just hang out here and stay out of everyone’s way.”
“Right, I’m going to bring you out here and let you just sit around all day while I go out and work on the ranch.” Josh rolled his eyes at her and poked her arm gently. “I did think of something that might be fun, if you’re willing to give it a try.”
“Of course. What is it?”
“I thought I’d keep it a secret for now.” His eyes sparkled, like a gleeful child with a secret.
“It better not involve...” She scrambled to find something suitably ominous. “Bugs. Or snakes. Or rock climbing.”
“No rock climbing?”
“Not without warning.”
“Got it,” he said. “No spontaneous rock climbing. Luckily not what I had in mind.”
“Then I’m up for it, whatever it is.”
He stretched out his hand to her. “Everything’s in the truck and ready to go. Come with me?”
In response, she took his hand and let him lead her out the door, into the sunshine.
***
They drove for fifteen minutes or so until they reached the open field that Josh had in mind. It was a perfect day for the expedition—not a cloud in the sky, and a good wind coming out of the north. When the truck came to a halt, he got out quickly and moved around the other side to open Hope’s door.
“A picnic?” she guessed, sliding out of the seat.
“No.” He gave into temptation and kissed the tip of her nose, loving the way her eyes scrunched up as he leaned in. “But that’s a great idea. We should do it sometime.”
She looked around to survey the area. “Lying in the grass and falling asleep?”
“Sounds fun. But we’d get sunburned.”
“I’m running out of guesses.”