We take off across the pasture, not in a full gallop, because I know she’s not ready for that yet. She’s loving it, giggling and smiling the entire way. She’s fearless and it’s something I’ve always wanted in a partner.
“Oh wow,” she gasps as I help her down from Misty, trying my damndest not to pull her against me. I release my hands from her waist as we walk up to the edge of the overlook.
“How’d you find this place?”
“Well, this land has been in our family for generations, so I spent a lot of time up here as a boy. My dad used to take Trent and me camping all through these mountains.”
We both stand in silence as we take in the view of the valley below. There are a few clouds in the sky, but it’s a crystal-clear day. I prop one foot up on a rock and lean my elbow down on it. I turn when I hear the camera shutter sound.
“You just take a picture of me?”
“Yeah, you look so at ease up here.” She smiles at me softly and I return the gesture. “It’ll be perfect for the campaign. You in your most natural element, completely candid. Those are always the best shots for catching emotion.”
My smile falters when I realize the photo is just part of the job. I’m about to ask her if she’s ready to head back when she asks me a question.
“So I know we talked about it briefly, but if you had to give one reason for why you chose ranch life over the brewery, what would it be?”
I think about it briefly. “No one answer, really. I’m not good with the politics and ass-kissing it takes to be CEO, and I sure as hell won’t be tied to a desk. Not with views like this.” I nod toward the valley. I don’t know why, but I keep talking. “I like being in nature—it’s my church, I guess. I like working with my hands and being around the animals. It’s hard work but it’s fulfilling and peaceful. Feeds my soul.”
Something about Brooklyn puts me at ease. She asks questions like she’s genuinely interested in me—not just trying to get a story. Silence falls between us and I feel like I’ve revealed too much of myself.
“Besides, this is my office. No corporation can offer me this.”
“I feel you there, although the location of your headquarters provides amazing views out of my office window. Just . . . breathtaking. I know I keep using that word, but I can’t think of how else to describe this place.”
I watch her as the wind whips a few stray hairs around her face. Her green eyes sparkle in the sunlight. I want to grab her and pull her to me—to feel her petite body under my control as I make her fall apart.
“I always wanted to live in downtown Chicago growing up. Well, first New York City, because I grew up watching Friends. I’m from the suburbs and I just thought having a penthouse apartment in the city with views of Lake Michigan and all the buildings would make me happy. Once I had that and my killer dream job, I’d be set.”
“Did it?”
She looks over at me quizzically.
“Make you happy?”
She shakes her head no. “Maybe for a little while. But it was really just a Band-Aid for what my soul actually craved.”
“Which was?”
“Freedom. Just following my heart and what I wanted to do rather than what I should do or what everyone expected me to do. My parents are from Illinois—my entire family is. My older brother Silas is a tax lawyer. He stayed in Illinois and got married and had two kids. He’s a lot older. My parents got pregnant with him at 19 and then waited almost 10 years to have me and then my younger sister, Mallory.”
I lean against a tree as I listen to her. She’s still staring out over the mountains while she talks. I like that I’m getting this private view into her life. Makes me wonder if she opens up to everyone this way.
“She’s a vet—or rather, she’s doing her residency right now and then she hopes to come out here, actually. Her focus is on horses.”
“You miss it?”
“Hmm?” She looks over at me.
“Home.”
“Nah—not yet, at least.” She shrugs as she takes a step toward me, reaching for my hat.
“What are you doing?” I grab her arm, pulling it away.
“I want to feel like a real cowgirl.” My eyes drop to her pink lips that have curled into a seductive smile.
I pull off my hat and hand it to her. “Gonna take a lot more than wearing a hat and riding a horse for that.”