Ashley stood in the doorway, not sure whether she should interrupt his conversation.
He looked across the room and waved her inside. “No, mom. We’re okay. Ashley’s only staying for about a week. By the time you get here, she’ll almost be gone.” He took a mug out of the pantry and poured a cup of coffee. “I’ll remember. Love you, too. Bye.”
He left the phone on the counter and handed Ashley the mug of coffee. “That was mom. She’s worried about you.”
“Did you tell her why I’m here?”
“No, but it would have been easier if I had. She thought you were here to spend time with me.”
“What did you tell her?”
“That you’ve been invited to a friend’s birthday party and you didn’t have anywhere else to stay.”
Ashley’s eyebrows rose.
“I know it was a lame reason, but it was the best I could come up with.”
“I wasn’t thinking that. As far as spur-of-the-moment reasons go, it was great. Do you think your mom will stay in Florida?”
“I don’t know. When she gets something into her head, she doesn’t let go until she makes sure everything is okay. How did you know mom and dad are still living in Florida?”
Heat hit Ashley’s cheeks. “I might not keep in contact with all of my friends, but I still know one or two who live here.”
“What else have your friends told you?”
“Nothing you’d want to know.” She grinned at the frown on his face. “Don’t let me keep you from your work. I’m sure you’ve got lots of ranchy things to do.”
“Ranchy? Is that a trendy term New Yorkers are using now?”
“No, it’s my name for whatever you’re about to do.”
“Your memory isn’t that bad. You used to be here most weekends, helping us with our chores.”
“That was a long time ago.” She’d been young and in love and would have done anything to spend more time with him.
Matthew threw a baseball cap in her direction. “You left this in Sean’s truck. If you’re looking for something to do, you could feed the horde of cats we’ve inherited.”
“Cats?”
“From the animal shelter. Sally’s still addicted to finding homes for stray animals. I’ll take you across to the main homestead tonight. Nathan will already be on the ranch, but most mornings, Amy, Catherine, and Toby are at home until eight o’clock.” He looked around the kitchen. “Help yourself to anything you need. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
“Where do you keep the cat grits?”
“They’re in the mudroom. Just watch the cat with one eye and a limp. He likes to eat everyone else’s food.”
“Are you joking?”
Matthew’s smile made her toes curl. “Would I do that?”
“You’ve done worse.”
His smile disappeared. “I’ll let Sean know you’re awake.” He scribbled a number on a piece of paper and handed it to her. “Nathan and I will be out of cell phone range. Call Sean if you need anything.”
And before she could ask if everything was okay, he was gone.
***
The barn door swung open and Ashley sighed. Apart from seeing Matthew, the best part of any visit to the Gray ranch had been spending time with their horses. If she could have ridden and mucked out the stalls each day, she would have moved here permanently.
