I angled my head back, watching him work a screw into one of the trolleys, tightening it before he handed over his attention.
“We were up late so I figured you might want to sleep in, and there’s no audience, so you don’t look bad.”
“There’s actually an audience of one.” I pointed to Ro and he smiled sexily.
“I’m not judging you, Reece. Just trying to make sure Good Girl and Bad Boy are covered when the temperature drops tonight. News says we’re getting a foot of snow.”
We’re…
“I saw the weather notification. Just didn’t expect you to beat me out here.”
“I’m not surprised. I have a feeling you don’t expect much from anyone.”
I didn’t. My father had taught me to be self-sufficient. I could only ever truly depend on me. There were a handful of people I would even ask for help and that was mostly when I didn’t have any other alternatives.
“That sounds like you’re analyzing me or you feel like you know me, cowboy.”
“A little of both,” he said amusedly as I walked past the ladder he was on, heading toward the entrance of the stables but he stopped me. “Where you going?”
“To feed my horses.”
“I already did. Got them water and layered them with their blankets.”
I turned and threw my head back, squinting up at him. “You fed my horses.”
He nodded but focused on what he was doing instead of me. “I watched you do it yesterday, so I made sure they each got their right blend. I had to take the door back down to get this done, so I turned on the radiant heater and got them in their fleece wraps. The horses are good, Reece, but I need your help getting the door back up.” He pointed to the barn door propped up against the side. I had no idea how he’d managed to get it down all on his own but somehow he had.
“You did all that?”
He nodded, delivering me a cocky grin. “I’m not new to ranch life, now go check on your babies so you can help me with this.I know you won’t trust my word and want to see for yourself. Hurry up though. It’s cold as shit out here and I’m pretty sure you’re going to feed me at some point today.”
“That’s awfully ambitious of you, assuming there’s food involved in the feeding process,” I tossed over my shoulder as I did exactly what he said and went to check on my babies.
As soon as I entered the barn, a smile split my face. Across from their stalls, I found my dad’s old wooden ladder with a string of lights woven through the legs up to the top. Various items from the stable were laced through the lights—gloves, lead ropes, grooming brushes, and old horse shoes. The ladder was open and the A frame made it look like a tree, with lights and the other stuff being the ornaments.
He made a tree for my horses.
I walked to their stalls and they approached the gate, dipping their heads for attention. I ran my gloved hand over their heads and up and down their necks, showing them love.
“What do you think of your Christmas tree?”
Bad Boy tossed his head, demanding more attention while Good Girl moved closer to the wall separating their stalls and dropped her head over the gate, requesting his.
He acknowledged her then they both looked at the ladder tree, or at least it felt like they did.
“I guess that means you approve.” I grinned, glancing at it over my shoulder before I turned back to them. “And what do you think of Ro?”
They both edged closer, demanding my attention, which I gave, brushing one hand over their heads and neck at the same time because they were so close.
“Yeah, me too. I kinda like him.”
After I spent a few more minutes showing them love, feeling satisfied they were good, I went to help get the door up. My bones were already feeling achy from the cold temperature,which meant Ro had to be freezing based on the amount of time he had been out here.
“You made them a tree…”
“Yeah, I can take it down if you don’t like it. My mother used to demand that everyone on the ranch got Christmas, even the horses, so my dad threw together a stable tree that would prevent him from having to go back to the tree farm. He used a ladder and lights and it kinda became a thing. Figured you wouldn’t mind.”
“I don’t. That was sweet and now I think I’m really going to have to feed you…”
