Cade still held her hand.His gaze was riveted on her, and she realized he was judging her based on her reaction to his dog.He adored the animal, clearly.That he had such affection for an overgrown mutt endeared him to her.“I’m guessing the dog might be your mother’s but you offered to keep her.”
“Might be some truth to that.”
Loopy leaned her head toward him and he dutifully scratched behind one of her ears.
“She likes attention,” she observed.
“Loopy thinks everyone was put on the earth to love her, dog fan or not.”
The land, the connection, the dog, it all mattered to him.Even though she’d been behind the ornate gates only a short amount of time, she felt as if she knew him just a little bit better.
On Saturday night he’d warned her away, but the truth was, she wanted to know him on a deeper level, no matter how ridiculous that urge might prove to be.“Tell the truth,” she said.“Your mom wanted to take the dog, but you wanted to keep her.”
“We have an understanding, Loopy and I.”
“I can tell.”Slowly, she extricated herself from his grip.
“Shall we?”he said, indicating a four-wheeled ATV parked a little farther down the driveway.It resembled a golf cart with a canopy, but with bigger tires that had plenty of traction.A metal brush guard was attached to the front.The tough-looking vehicle was painted white and each side was emblazoned with the Running Wind’s horse logo.
“We’re not walking?”
“You’ll be grateful,” he promised her.
Thunder grumbled and big clouds, mostly white with patches of gray, moved across the sky.
Before getting behind the wheel, Cade handed her into the passenger seat then gave her back her belongings.Loopy bounded up and lay in the small space behind the backseat.
“Hang on,” he said, looking over his shoulder, more at the dog than at her.
He took off so fast that Sofia slid backward.The dog barked excitedly.
“You do that often?”
“Yeah.Loopy loves it.It’s part of our routine.”
“I think there’s a hidden side to you, Mr.Donovan.”
“There is.”
He said the words flatly, acknowledging that there was more to him than he let the rest of the world see.
To distract herself, she readjusted her grip on her belongings.
He braked to a stop and Loopy hopped up onto the backseat and sat with her head hanging out the side to catch the wind.
“You two really could have a comedy act.”
“She’s talking about you, girl.”
Loopy gave a single woof.
Weather stirred up the wind again, made worse by the speed they traveled.She brushed hair back from her face.
“These are guest cottages.”He indicated the buildings she’d passed on the way in.“The first was originally a bunkhouse.”He pointed.“That one is where Maisie and Humphrey lived before the Manor was built.The other was always meant for visitors.According to what my father used to say, Maisie always had room for travelers, workers, anyone stranded by a storm.She had a heart as big as the land, and she even built a one-room schoolhouse on the property to educate the children of her workers.At that time, the Sykes Ranch was like a town within a town.”
“Those are exactly the kind of stories that would make an excellent handout or commemorative book.”
He slid her a glance.“You think?”
