He nodded.
“Behave, kids!” my mother called out and then laughed.
I shook my head. “She’s going to forever say she brought us together.”
Truitt chuckled, and then walked over to me. “She did.”
With a roll of my eyes, I groaned. “Yes, but don’t let her know we think that.”
He leaned down and kissed me. “You need to do anything, or should we leave now?”
“I can do the dishes later, they’re not going anywhere. I’m dying to see your house!”
Truitt laughed and looked at Rus. “What about him?”
We both looked down at the dog passed out on the floor. “I think he’s fine. You just took him out, and I gave him a pain pill right before that. I think he’s out for a bit.”
“Then let’s head to my place.”
The drive to Truitt’s house was filled with light conversation and a few laughs. Truitt still hadn’t told me what was weighing on his heart, but I wasn’t going to push him.
“So, you don’t live on your folks’ ranch?” I asked as he pulled up to a large black gate. It wasn’t anything over the top. I loved that he had Christmas decorations on it, though.
“No, I wanted my own place. Something that I earned myself, if that makes sense.”
“Perfect sense,” I replied.
The gate opened and we headed down a winding drive that was flanked with a four-plank fence. It was lined with beautiful oak trees that gave it such a romantic feel.
“Truitt, this is a stunning driveway!” I said.
He smiled. “Thank you.”
I glanced out at the empty pastures as we made our way to the house.
“No cows or horses?”
“I’ve got a few horses, but I had to hire a ranch hand to help out. I’ve been so busy lately I haven’t been able to keep up with it all. Mack, the ranch hand, lives on the property with his wife in a small one-story house that was the original ranch. She teaches riding lessons, so my horses at least get ridden.”
My heart raced at the idea of riding. “I need to get Liliana on horses more often. I want her to learn to ride and soon.”
Truitt reached for my hand and squeezed it. “Y’all can come ride any time you want. I’ve got five horses, for right now. I’d like to eventually get a few more.”
“Five! That sounds like a dream already.”
“Hell, if I knew I could win you over with the horses I would have brought you here sooner.”
I laughed and then fell silent as Truitt pulled up to the house. It wasn’t just any house. It was a large, ranch-style, one-story house. And it was beautiful. The sandstone rock looked like each piece had been hand-cut, and it gave the house a very classic look, yet it was rustic at the same time.
“This is your house?”
“This is my house.”
I slowly got out of his truck. Looking to the right, I saw an equally impressive barn.
“The barn is almost as big as the house!”
Truitt laughed. “Not really, it just looks like it. I’ve got a covered arena, as well, where Mack’s wife gives most of her lessons.”
I turned and faced him. “Marry me. Right now!”
He laughed again and put his arm around my waist. “Come on, let’s head on in.”
The moment we stepped into the house, I fell in love. The space was wide open with a massive, double-sided stone fireplace in the middle of room. The kitchen sat to the right of the fireplace with a living area to the left of it.
“And you really want to stay at my place?” I asked as I walked toward the kitchen.
Rustic white cabinets lined two walls and a beautiful gray stone countertop added to the beauty of the kitchen. A large island sat between the kitchen and the fireplace. A round table with four chairs was off to the side in a nook that was all windows from floor to ceiling. I turned and saw a line of glass doors that led out to the backyard. The doors carried all the way through the living room, letting the outside in.
“Okay, how did I not notice the doors when we walked in?”
Truitt shrugged. “Most people see the fireplace and then get distracted by the kitchen, just like you did.”
He smiled and I shook my head. “Come on,” he said. “I’ll show you around.”
We walked through the kitchen into what looked like a butler’s pantry…and what that led to nearly had me fainting. It was a room filled from floor to ceiling with wine and every kind of liquor you could think of.
“My version of a formal dining room,” Truitt said.
“I like your version. How big is the house?”
His cheeks turned an almost bright red. “It’s big.”
“Tell me!” I said with a slight nudge on his upper shoulder.
“Six thousand, give or take a few hundred.”
“Six. Thousand. Square. Feet?”