That was hard to argue with.
He returned to the clearing for the damp towels and ensured everything was secure before taking off.
A few minutes later, he stopped the ATV again, almost in the exact spot he had earlier.This time, maybe because she was exhausted, Loopy merely lifted her head then dropped it back on her paws, content to have a snooze.
Cade went to the rear of the vehicle, opened a box then returned with the unfinished bottle of wine and a couple of plastic cups.
“Very thoughtful,” she said as he poured.
They touched the rims together.
The sun set in slow measures and the moment seemed frozen.A fraction of a second at a time the massive orb descended, as if being swallowed by a giant chasm in the earth.
“I’m not sure the last time I did something like this,” she admitted.“Do you do it a lot?”
“Not nearly often enough.A lot of times, I’m still working.I’ll notice it, but mostly because I’m trying to figure out how much work I can get done before I’ve burned through all the daylight.I’ve often wondered, if the sun set only once a year, would we gather around and watch it?Because it’s every day, do we take it for granted?”
“I’m guilty,” she admitted.
She gathered their trash into a plastic bag and shoved it beneath a seat before climbing in beside him.
He turned on the headlights and headed back.The sky darkened to an inky-velvet color, and the first star appeared.She’d never been one to make fanciful wishes, but tonight, she did.Instead of asking for something specific, she decided she wanted to hold on to the feeling she had right now.
“You’re quiet,” he observed.
She glanced over at him.Because of the hat and the dim light, he appeared slightly dangerous.In the distance a coyote howled and another answered, making her wrap her arms around herself.“Sometimes you scare me a little.”
“Yeah?”He stopped the vehicle in front of a bump gate and faced her.“You scare me a little, too.”
The admission stunned her and she wasn’t quite sure what to say.
He accelerated forward to hit the metal with the ATV’s brush guard.
When they reached the main gate, he keyed in a code.“It’s nine-zero-nine-nine,” he informed her.“In case you arrive and I’m not around to let you in.”
Which meant that he hoped she would come back again, something she wasn’t sure was a good idea.She was already starting to care for Cade Donovan.Perhaps a little too much.That self-preservation urge gnawed at her again.If she spent a lot of time here, she’d get even more attached to him, the land and the oversized happy mutt.
The thought of being back in her apartment, all alone, instead of snuggled in bed with him disheartened her.He’d been quite clear that he had a barrier between himself and any relationship.After what she’d learned about him, she couldn’t blame him.But where did that leave her?
“Go ahead and take a shower,” he told her when he parked the ATV behind the house.“I’ll be in after I give Loopy a bath.”
“That could take a while,” she sympathized.
“Help yourself to another shirt.”
“Am I supposed to be grateful you let me wear anything at all?”
“Rope would be fine.”
“You’re—”
“Serious.”
Time stopped.How did he manage to keep doing that to her?She should have been accustomed to his outrageous comments, but each one had the ability to unnerve her.
“You might want to show your gratitude for the fact I allow you to wear anything when we’re in the house.”
The reminder that he was all Dom made blood race through her.Though she never entirely forgot it, there were times he seemed almost tender, then he would say something that would tip her world again.
