Ladd kissed the back of my hand. “Whenever you’re ready, Viv, I’ll be here.”
“Thank you.”
Ladd held my hand until we reached the gated entrance of River Falls Ranch.
“What happened to driving through town?” I asked.
“I just wanted to get home quickly so I can get out of this car and hold you in my arms.”
My heart fluttered in my chest, and I smiled. “I’m not sure what I ever did to deserve you, but I’m sure glad I did it.”
“I think that should be the other way around.”
He rolled down the window and typed in a code on a keypad. As the huge gate rolled open, I placed a hand over my chest.
“Tell me you’re not nervous? You did the hard part already!”
“Meeting your parents?” I asked.
Laughing, he replied, “Yes.”
“Ladd, I have the rest of your family to meet. Your brothers, grandparents, and who knows who else.”
“Everyone else is going to love you, Viv. Trust me. You’re hardnotto love.”
I blinked back tears and looked out the window as I tried not to think about how the two people whoshouldhave loved me didn’t.
Pushing all thoughts of my parents away, I smiled at the sight before me. “Oh, this is beautiful, Ladd.”
“This is my home.”
The drive was flanked by pastures covered in snow. To my right, I saw a small group of horses, each wearing a blanket and walking in a straight line in the same direction we were driving. On the other side, there was a sprinkling of cattle. Their black coloring stood out against the backdrop of the snow. A few of them lifted their heads to see who was driving down the road before they started walking in the same direction as the horses.
“It’s feeding time, clearly,” Ladd laughed.
Ahead of us was a bridge that went over what I was guessing was the river. It wasn’t as wide as what we had seen earlier.
“This is the same river you asked about. It goes through the ranch and down through town. Hence the name of the town and our ranch.”
“Is there a waterfall close by?”
“There are a few. Even one here on the ranch. Maybe once the snow melts and the temperatures warm up, we can come back and hike up to see it. It’s beautiful.”
“This whole place is beautiful.”
Ladd grinned as he replied, “It is.”
“How do the cows and horses get over the river?” I asked.
“There are spots on the ranch where we have something called Fords. We reinforce the bottom with filtered fabric and gravel to provide a firm footing. They aren’t used often, and only in places where they cross infrequently. We have crossings strategically placed throughout the ranch that are located on straight, narrow sections of the river. The cattle, and horses, can use them without entering the water at all. Trust me, they’re smart. In the winter they’re usually on the other side of the river and placed in fenced pastures, but there are some that are out here as well. I’m guessing this week my father will have us round up the rest of these cattle and bring them closer to the barns.”
“Wow, that is amazing that the animals know where to go to cross.”
He smiled and nodded.
As we drove down the drive, a few side roads sprang off in different directions.
“Where do these roads take you?”
