She envisioned him propped against the fence as he had been earlier. He was so attractive. So capable. Sometimes she just watched in wonder as he worked a horse in the ring.
In her experience men weren’t the most patient of creatures. Her dad, as good a man as he’d been, had little patience. And Vince could fly off the handle at the smallest things—an annoying rattle in the car, a crying baby in a restaurant.
But Gunner could work for hours with difficult horses and never lose his patience. He had a calming presence. When she was with him, she didn’t worry about her business or anything else. She frowned at the thought. Spending time with Gunner hadn’t factored into the decision to track down her father.
Had it?
No, she hadn’t even thought of Gunner when making her decision. And even if she had, maybe it was just that calming presence she craved. Meeting her biological father was a big deal and a scary prospect—a prime opportunity for rejection. Besides, she spent time with Gunner every day, caring for the horses. She was just being paranoid. Overly cautious because of her attraction.
She was dating Kyle now, wasn’t she? And they were having fun. He’d kissed her good night on their third date. It was pleasant. Sweet. He was careful not to push her, and she appreciated that. Their last date had also ended in a good-night kiss. It was a little better than the first. Not that the first had been bad. If it was a little awkward and maybe teeth were involved, well... practice made perfect.
She pushed away thoughts of Kyle and returned them to her search for her biological father. Tomorrow was Sunday, so the garage would be closed. Maybe Gunner would be free sometime Monday. He’d have to quit work early as the garage closed at five o’clock. But after all, she could arrange for that to happen.
Now that she’d made up her mind, she was eager to get the ball rolling. She grabbed her phone off the nightstand and opened her texting app.
Once she’d located her thread with Gunner, she began writing.I’ve been thinking about what you said earlier. I’m ready to find and meet my father. Would you be available sometime Monday to go with me to the gas station again?
She sent the text and settled back in bed. When he didn’t respond right away, she glanced at the time. She shouldn’t have texted him this late. It was probably unprofessional—never mind that she’d already invited him into a very private area of her life. But tomorrow was his day off and she didn’t want to spring this on him Monday.
They texted pretty regularly, of course. She scrolled up and began reading their thread.
Did you pick up some moreProbios?he’d asked.
It’s in the clear tub by the glucosamine.
Thanks. You might want to put a stable sheet on Dominic tonight. He was a mess this morning.
Will do.
He’d sent a photo of Rogue and Daisy nuzzling in the pasture.Check out these two.
True love.
Except for that last correspondence, their messages had been business only and sent during work hours. She’d just texted himat almost midnight on a Saturday night about an entirely personal matter. Where were her boundaries? Oh well, his phone was probably dead anyway. He had an older model that hardly had the battery life to make it through an entire day.
She poised her fingers with an apology for texting him so late. But just as she began to type out the message, three little dots appeared in the text box.
Twenty-Six
Gunner had just been ready to fall into bed when the text came in. He’d had a fun night at the Trailhead with Wes and Gavin, who’d brought their families this time. Laurel had begged to set him up with Bridgett, the pretty brunette bartender with a direct gaze and an edgy look. He laughed off Laurel’s attempts and promised he was all good in that department.
But the fact was, he couldn’t seem to get a certain auburn-haired rancher off his mind. And another woman, no matter how pretty or interested, wouldn’t change that.
He grabbed his phone off the nightstand where it was charging. Charlotte. She was up awfully late. But then again, so was he. Her message about wanting to locate her father buoyed his spirits. He did want to help her in this quest. But also he craved time alone with her.
Idiot.
He must be a glutton for punishment. He thumbed out a response.Sure, we can go anytime Monday. I’ll work my schedule around it.
He sent the message, then saw she’d sent it almost ten minutes ago. Maybe she’d fallen asleep. He was just settling in bed when another message dinged in.
Thank you. And sorry I texted so late. Hope I didn’t wake you.
No worries. I was just getting in from the Trailhead.
Wild Saturday night?
He grinned.In a manner of speaking. There was a four-year-old involved.
