Not even ten minutes later, she walked toward the main house with the biggest smile on her face. She spotted me and her eyes widened. “Lola, is trying to fly. And I am almost sure I taught Moody how to sit on command.”
Lola was a chicken, she’d been named on day one. I had no idea who Moody was though. “Who?”
“I told you Lola’s a chicken. Moody is the black and white cat. He sits when I tell him to.”
I let out a big sigh. Of course, she had named the animals. “Are you giving the barn cats treats?”
“Only bits of bread and stuff.” She rested her hands on her hips, where her thick sweater was knotted. “They’re beingreally good, Grouchy. Are you keeping the goats to milk them someday? Because you have a whole herd of cows for that.”
I shook my head, not able to ignore her. “Not how a cattle farm works, City.”
Even though I knew she was raised on a breeding farm and she had more than shown me she could hold her own on my ranch, the nickname had stuck. Much the same way she called me Grouchy. Though, I probably deserved the name.
“I’m just going to clean up real quick, then I’ll be in the office for the rest of the day.” She headed toward the door, but I stepped in front of her. The flowery smell of her shampoo or shower gel hit me and I took a step back.
I took a moment to get my bearings. “Not today, City.” I cocked my head toward my truck. “Today you’re coming with me to run some errands. Get feed for your chickens and so on. Get your purse, you may want to grab a few things too.”
“Cool.” She said and headed inside. Less than two minutes later she jogged back outside and headed straight for the passenger door.
It was locked, and I wasn’t there to help her get in, which was usually the case. “Na-ah. This side, Rory.”
“What?” Her eyes widened but she made no attempt to move around the vehicle. “You cannot be serious.”
My brows lifted as I stared at her. “As a heart attack, in fact. Come, keys are already in the ignition waiting for you. You do know how to drive, right?”
“Yes.” She nodded with exaggeration. “And before you ask, yes, I know how to drive a stick shift.”
“Good. Then there’s no problem.”
Slowly, like a kitten testing whether he can test out the predators around him, she walked to the driver’s side. I opened the door and once again my hands found her waist as I boosted her inside. She was tiny behind the wheel and I needed to resistthe very strong urge to change my mind. “Are you sure about this?”
“If you want to live on the High Road, then you need to drive on the High Road.” I made my way around to the passenger’s side. “Start her up, and don’t grind the gears. She’s older than you are.”
She turned the key and my truck started up. Was I nervous I handed my truck over to a virtual stranger who I had never driven with before? Of course. The only other person who had driven my truck was Calvin. But the man could handle the truck better than me.
As we drove down the path and onto the road that led off the ranch, Rory’s nerves kicked in. At least, I thought it was her nerves. She rambled on about the animals and the buildings around the ranch.
“Mimi, the small black female barn cat is pregnant, I think. I’ll keep an eye on her.” She carried on as if everything was one long thought. “And the roof of the bunk house needs fixing. I think if you leave it for too much longer the rain will be its undoing.”
It took me a moment to understand what she had said. “City, when the fuck were you on the roof?”
“This morning.” She kept her focus on the road, not moving her gaze for even a moment. “There’s an extra-length ladder in the barn. I checked the barn that houses the coop and the goats. And then the bunk house too. I’ll check the rest tomorrow. It was getting hot. Does it usually get this hot this late in the year?”
I took a deep breath not wanting to think of her up on the roof. Not the bunk house or any of the fucking barns. My hands gripped the seat, my nails digging into the upholstery as the thought of her climbing up there with no harness hit me. “Firstly, there will be no more roof hopping. We have safety equipment. You could’ve been killed.”
“Relax, Grouchy. Jeez. Dramatic much.”
Oh, she could mock me all she wanted, but I would keep her safe. Even if she scared me to death in the process.
She white-knuckled the steering wheel and it became obvious all the chatter was meant to be a distraction. “Now, breathe. This road is still fine and the sun has taken away all the slipperiness. Just relax.”
Her shoulders eased a fraction but her knuckles remained nearly translucent as she gripped the steering wheel. We drove away from the ranch and passed her cabin. The longer we drove, the more her pleasant disposition disappeared. I should’ve been happy her cheerfulness had dampened. But I hated being the person who took the smile off her face. I kept my voice even as we drove off the property and headed for the highway. “I want you to slow down a little. We’re coming to a sharp turn. Keep your eyes on the road, do not look at the ocean.”
She nodded, not saying a word. Her foot had eased off the accelerator quite a bit and she drove slow enough for me to start getting impatient, but I wouldn’t let it show. If she needed to do this slowly, then we’d move at a snail’s pace, it wasn’t like either of us were in a rush. The section we were approaching was not just a road. It was like a shelf carved into the rock. No guard rails, and no signs. All we had was history and experience.
Rory started to take the corner, she turned her head and the car swerved a little too wide. Immediately, I pulled on the steering wheel, tugging it back to where she needed it. Gravel kicked up, and if I bothered to check, I would see it falling down into the abyss.
“Don’t look at the water. The ocean pulls everyone.” My hand was still on the wheel. “Look at me.”
