“If you’re bringing the coffee, does that mean I get to see you first thing in the morning?”
I meant it as him visiting The Thirsty Cow for a takeout order, but Rhett licks his lips and swallows like he’s thinking of something else.
“Yeah,” he supplies with no clarity whatsoever on how he’ll see me in the morning. “Listen, I wanted to see you because I thought we could…” He laughs softly. “Promise me you won’t laugh.”
“Well, it depends. If it’s funny, I’m gonna laugh, Rhett.”
He runs a hand down his face, and his lips tilt in the smallest of smiles. “I want you to look at barn layouts with me.”
Of all the things that could have come out of this man’s mouth, that wasn’t one I was expecting.
“Um…like, online or are we driving to the farm supply store and looking at their models?”
“Oh, I didn’t think of that! Do you think the yard is still open for browsing?”
“They have cameras in the yard, so maybe?”
Rhett grabs my arm and pulls me towards the office. “Let’s get Tater and go look quick, just in case. Is that okay? I need to grab food anyway. Have you eaten?”
His sudden switch from quiet and reserved to man-on-a-mission has me struggling to catch up on his new information.
“You brought Tater with you?”
In the office sits a dog crate filled with a fluffy bed, toys, water, and a very excited Tater. Rhett bends down to release the latch, and she flies out, bouncing and licking his face. He murmurs to her and laughs before she scuttles over to me, tail wagging, and she rolls over for a belly rub.
“Oh, Tater, you must be so happy coming to work with your dad every day.”
“I enjoy having her here, too. When I’m not actively working with students, I’ll let her wander with me. She doesn’t take offafter horses or anything. She listens, but I’d rather keep her safe if I’m distracted.”
He has to stop saying shit like that if he doesn’t want me dropping me to my knees. Rhett is far too good for this earth, and I wish I knew why he thinks he’s such a mess and not worthy of someone. So far, I’ve not seen anything bad.
“I’m sure she’d have lots of guardians watching over her if you were busy, but it’s smart to keep her safe.”
“She probably needs to pee, and then we can get going.”
Rhett’s excitement is contagious. I’m not really sure why I’m this excited to go look at model barns on a night when I’m not properly dressed, but something tells me Rhett will make it all feel completely normal, and I’ll be wondering why I’ve never done this before. Perhaps even hoping to again.
After Tater does her business, she hops in the truck and immediately sits in the passenger seat. I raise an eyebrow at her, then Rhett.
“Come on, girl, scooch over and don’t hog the seat.”
Tater immediately presses against his thigh with her head in his lap while I take what’s clearly her spot.
“I feel like the other woman here, taking her spot like this.”
Rhett’s laugh rumbles as we pull out of the parking lot. “She’s just happy to be here with us. Don’t worry about her being mad at you.”
He drives us towards the farm supply store that’s on the other side of town. With one hand on the wheel and the other on Tater’s head, scratching her ears, a contented smile plays on his lips. He’s even more handsome like this than when he was naked and moaning underneath me.
“I’ve been thinking about what you said.” Rhett breaks the silence with a glance my way. “In the video about a barn for Wilbur.”
“Oh? Is that why we’re heading out at 10 P.M. to look at barns on property that may or may not be locked up?”
“Yeah, I want to do it before winter, and I have to get things decided quickly. I thought… well, I want your opinion. You have a vision, and I liked how you sounded when you talked about it.”
“And how did I sound?”
Rhett takes a moment to signal before turning into the lot with model barns and sheds. Once he stops and parks, he turns to me. “Like a man who’s invested in the outcome. Who wanted the best for my horse.” He opens his mouth to say more, then closes it before trying again. “Come on. Let’s see if we can get a look anywhere.”
