That was an interesting statement. No doubt a by-product of what she’d been through.
“It was.” Boone had loved being in the military, but he’d been happy to take a job that allowed him to spend some of his down time ranching—even if only on a small scale. “Ranching requires a lot of hard work and dedication. It teaches a lot about responsibility and what it means to have another living creature depending on you. And not just animals. Ranch hands, theirfamilies, hay growers, feed suppliers, all kinds of local businesses depend upon the rancher for their survival.”
“Sounds like a lot of pressure. It must have been difficult for your family.” She was such a sweetheart—she sounded genuinely concerned.
“It was at times, but it’s all worth it.” He loved ranching and was lucky to work for OSI. He could do the two things he loved—work to bring down scumbags and work with the land and with animals.
“Being able to come home to my own place after an especially tough op—there’s nothing like it in the world.” The only thing that would make it better is coming home to someone special.
“Are you planning to get any cows to keep here?” Luna’s brows crunched together, and she looked up at him. “Should I call them cows or cattle?”
She was so damn cute.
“Either one works.” She made him smile, and he thoroughly enjoyed spending time with her. “And, yes, I plan to have a few head of cattle in the near future.”
Her face lit up. She shifted to stand in front of him and stopped dead in her tracks.
“Can I be here when they arrive? Pleeease?” She laced her fingers together like she was praying. “I would love to see them.”
“Sure.” Seeing how excited she was, Boone was tempted to call his dad and have him send out a few right now.
“Oh, yay! I can’t wait.” She bounced on her tippy-toes, then started toward the pavilion again. “When we lived in an apartment, we weren’t allowed to have pets. I look back on that time and have no idea how Dawn did it all. Even with the inheritancewe got from our grandparents, going to medical school, holding down a job, keeping a roof over our heads and food in the fridge had to be tough. On top of all that, she had to deal with me.” She gave a self-deprecating chuckle. “She’s a superhero.”
“If you asked her, I’m sure she would do it all over again.” He couldn’t imagine not having his parents in his life.
“You guys wanna play some cornhole?” Eddie had a beer in one hand and was tossing a beanbag up and catching it in the other hand.
“Sure.” Boone risked taking her hand and was pleased when she tightened her hold. “Let’s go kick their butts.”
She stared up at him with those big eyes of hers, and they stood there, still as stone, staring at each other for who the hell knew how long.
He loved the beautiful pink that flushed her cheeks just before she looked away. But she kept hold of his hand, and they walked in silence, side by side, as they made their way back to where the others waited.
“Can I get you something to drink, Luna?” Hawk lifted the lid on the cooler. “There’s beer, a couple kinds of soda, some white wine, and bottled water.”
“I’d love some white wine.”
“I’ll run inside and grab a wineglass for you.” Boone reluctantly released her hand and started toward the house.
“That’s not necessary.” She stepped over to the table and grabbed a small, clear plastic cup. “This works fine.”
“You sure?” He pointed over his shoulder. “I have some acrylic wineglasses inside that my mom gave me as a housewarming gift.”
She’d told him they were a nice option to have whenever he entertained outside.
“Oh, well, if your mom got them for you, then I’d be happy to use one.”
“Charlotte, would you like one, too?” he asked.
“Sounds fancy,” she said. “Sure, I’d love one.”
Luna followed him across the grass and up the steps. The spring on the screen door screeched when he opened it for her.
“That sound reminds me of the porch door at our house in San Francisco.” Luna glanced back at the door. “For three years, Dawn scrimped and saved every extra penny she had until there was enough for a down payment. We would drive around looking at all of these awesome neighborhoods with nice houses and kids playing outside. My sister spent hours scouring real estate listings and made offers on a few houses that were rejected. Finally, one day, someone accepted our offer.”
She stepped into the kitchen and stopped short. “Oh, my gosh. I love this kitchen so much.”
“Thanks, it’s the first room I renovated.” When he bought the property, he hadn’t given much thought to the old farmhouse. He’d only been interested in the great piece of land that came with it. “This house still needs a lot of work, but I’m in no hurry. My original plan was to tear it down, and—”
