“No, I dated her to protect her from Willy.”
“He hates being called that,” she said with a smile. “Which is why I call him that all the time.”
Nick chuckled. “Me too.”
Nick finished getting Crash ready for the ride and then helped her get back on James before they set out across the field.
She figured he would want to stick close to the house, and sure enough they made a large circle around the property. While they rode, they talked about Willy and everything he’d done over the years to get back at Nick.
“It’s like he has a playbook and is going through different moves to see what works,” Nick said with a chuckle.
“I wish he’d give up trying with me,” she admitted with a sigh.
“Is he still bothering you?” Nick asked with a frown.
“No, not for a while, but that won’t stop him from trying again. He usually forgets about me for chunks at a time. Then something will set him off and, boom, he’s knocking on my door again.” She rolled her eyes.
Nick was frowning so much now that she decided to change the subject to the animals that he was training. By the time they returned to the barn, they were both laughing again as the snow started falling. The sky had turned gray and there was a bite to the wind now.
She started to tie James up outside so she could help Nick put Crash away, but he stopped her by taking her hand in his.
“No, I’ve got this. You should go home before it gets too bad out here.” Nick rubbed her ungloved hands in his. “I already kept you out in the cold too long.”
“You didn’t keep me,” she pointed out.
“Here.” He stepped inside the barn and came back with a pair of warm riding gloves. “You shouldn’t go out riding without a pair.”
“Thanks.” She held onto them, wishing he’d hold her hands again instead.
“Tomorrow night. I’ll pick you up around six,” he said, leaning back against the barn door.
“I could—” she started, but he shook his head.
“I’ll pick you up,” he said with a smile. Then he walked over to her and pulled her close again. “So it will be an official date,” he said quietly. Her entire body warmed next to his. “Go home, Kara.” He brushed his lips across hers, then helped her back into the saddle. She wanted to argue with him, but she slid on the gloves and turned James towards home.
ChapterEight
Nick watched Kara and James disappear through the falling snow. He waited until they were just dots going into the barn across the field before he took Crash’s saddle off and brushed the horse down.
When he stepped into the house, his father was lying on the sofa, fast asleep. His snoring could wake the dead, but Nick sat on the recliner next to him and enjoyed every moment of it.
The following morning, his father’s health took a turn. Nick wanted to call the doctor, but his father refused.
Nick finally convinced the old man to stay in bed and served him both breakfast and lunch there. His father hardly ate a bite.
For dinner, Nick had planned on serving Kara some grilled steaks. There was a large freezer in the work room off the back of the house that held all of their meat. Each and every bit was from their own cattle, pigs, and chickens.
The storeroom held some of the vegetable crops from their land and some of the canned apples and pears from the small orchard. One of the first things his mother had taught him was how to can fruits and vegetables. The room also held many jars of homemade jelly.
“You’ll need this skill someday when you take over the ranch,” she had told him so many times. Each year since her death, he’d canned as much as he could. One year, he’d gotten it in his brain to try making homemade ketchup. Since then, he’d never bought it and even planted more tomatoes the following year to keep up with the demand from him and his father through the winter months.
What would he do next season when his father wasn’t around? In the past few years, ever since his dad’s first battle with cancer, he hadn’t helped out all that much. Still, his old man took care of most of the finances—making sure the taxes were paid on time, paying the employees.
Even after Nick had transferred the accounting to an online application, his father still sat at the computer once a month and ran over the figures. Nick was the one signing the checks now, since his father’s handwriting was too shaky to read.
What was he going to do without the old man around? He glanced around the kitchen. The place was going to seem so lonely.
When his phone alarm went off, he rushed up the stairs to shower and get dressed for his date. After poking his head into his father’s room, he headed out to pick up Kara.