She’d been trained to follow commands likephone, orpillsinstantly, and she was so, so full of love, giving me back ten times as much as I ever expected of her.
“I had no call putting you on the spot like that, Maisy. I’m an ass.”
She ignored that, and while I worked in the garden, she laid down and let her fur warm up in the sun.
Of course, she still didn’t take her eyes off me.
I weeded and hoed. I made sure the tomatoes were still securely staked and started to plant some of the seeds for the winter: cabbages and kale and several varieties of salad greens. I’d purchased onion sets and it was time to get those into the ground.
I saw Skyler and Tad after they got back from Dents. They geared up and headed for the barn while I was bringing in supplies and flower cuttings for Elena.
Later, Sky rode up to the ranch house wearing ropers, new jeans, a T-shirt, and a straw Resistol. He looked just like a real cowboy, and oh my God, the things the sight of him did to my dumbass heart.
I moved toward him like an iceberg—cut loose from my normal routine by the melting heat of attraction.
“Hey, Sky.” I stepped into the path of Ogre, the black gelding he was riding. “You look good up there.”
He reined in, relaxed—as easy in the saddle as a man who rides every day of his life. “Guess it’s like riding a bike.”
“Guess so.” I grinned up at him, stupidly.
“You grow all that?” He jerked his chin toward the tubs of produce I’d been picking for supper.
“Yeah.” Elena normally gave me a list and some containers. I pick whatever she needs. “That’s all me.”
He smiled, and God, it was weird, not only because the hands didn’t normally pay me any attention, but also because I’m not real used to looking up at any man, smiling or not. But having Sky smile down at me was like being blessed by a particularly handsome, tattooed god—one you couldn’t be sure had your best interest at heart.
And I burned to find out if I could have more than a smile from him.
“You must have a little magic inside you to grow all that,” he said.
“Magic? Nah.” That’s what I said, ’cause I’m just chock full of great comebacks... “I just think like a plant.”
“Really?”
“Sure. Green goes up. Roots need room and water. Add sun. It’s not rocket science.”
“You start all these from seeds?”
“Mostly, yeah. I buy onion sets.”
“Wow.” He looked at me like I was justamazing, and not in the way that some people do—like they’re amazed that I can do anything at all.
Sky looked at me and I looked back at the baskets of tomatoes, the bundles of cilantro and green onions, and all the different colors of chard, and Ifeltamazing.
He tipped his goddamn cowboy hat, just like in the movies. “So I’ll see you around, huh?”
I was not wrong. The interest in his eyes was all for me. “Yeah.”
Oh, good grief,yes. I will see you around. You can count on it.
