“How do I look?” she asks once she has them on.
“Gorgeous,” I respond without thinking, but meaning it one thousand times over.
She blushes, and it does weird things to me.
Thankfully, Samantha intervenes by saying, “Okay, let’s get going.”
We walk to a four-seater side-by-side vehicle, where I allow Zoe to sit in the front seat so she can get the entire view.
“Hold on. It can get a little bumpy,” Samantha says before driving away.
I know I should be watching the land around us, but I can’t take my eyes off of Zoe. Her excitement is infectious and palpable, like a child experiencing magic for the first time. It’s as if she’s truly awakened to life’s beauty and blessings, soaking in every gift God has to offer in our great land and appreciating all He’s given us.
“Look over there.” With the biggest smile on her face, Zoe points to a pond, where two deer are drinking water.
“Have you never seen deer?” Samantha asks in surprise.
Zoe shakes her head. “Nope, not in real life.”
“Well then, I need to take you on the full tour to really knock your socks—or boots—off!” Samantha says and takes a sharp turn, changing her plans on where she was going to take us.
We spend the day driving around where her cows are feeding off the land. We also get to see some elk, a ton of birds, and even two large moose off in the distance.
“Those things are huge!” Zoe points to the moose.
“Yeah, they can get up to fifteen hundred pounds!” Samantha exclaims.
“You think you feel small now. Wait until you stand next to one of those,” I tease.
She brings her hand around to playfully smack my leg, and out of instinct, I grab it, holding on to her for a few seconds before letting her go.
We make our way back to the barn, and Zoe cannot stop grinning.
“This has been the best day ever!” she says with a smile so big that it lights my world as well.
Samantha joins us on the passenger side of the vehicle. “Shall we have lunch now?”
I allow them both to walk ahead of me, needing a moment to get my wits about me and wondering why just seeing Zoe this way is affecting me so much.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Zoe
What a day! Who would have ever thought that driving around a farm all day would be as exciting as it was? I’ve heard of places like this, but I never thought I would actually visit one. It wasn’t just a ranch; it was acres of rolling hills and land so full of beauty that I was in awe the entire day.
After our tour, we were fed a delicious lunch, and then we drove to their manufacturing facility, which was also on their property, just a little ways down the road. Watching how their products were made was fascinating. We learned all about how they processed the tallow and then turned it into all the different products they offered.
Now, as we say our goodbyes, I can’t help wondering how the night will go, with just the two of us again.
It’s only four-thirty, so obviously, we’ll both need to eat. Will we do it together? Should I just order DoorDash to the room? And then what? We just spend the rest of the night in our separate rooms?
So many questions, but I don’t have the nerve to ask him any of them. I’m just thankful I won’t be the one driving so I won’t have to make any decisions. I’ll just go with the flow on whatever he suggests from this point on.
He starts the car, and before he drives away, he turns to me. “So, what’s the plan?”
Fuck. This is exactly what I didn’t want him asking.
“Um …” I glance around like I’ll find the answer out the window in the middle of nowhere.
