“God, when you say things like that, I...”
“You what?”He bit back a grin when the blush deepened and covered her face.
“You make me feel good,” she said simply.
“I hope so.”
“What’s the gun for?”
“Everyone carries one out here.We have coyotes, wolves, and a pack of wild dogs.I wasn’t going to take a chance with your safety, so I brought it.Does this bother you?”
She shook her head.“No, not at all.I remember what it was like and feel safe with you.”
“You’ll always be safe if you’re with me.I can promise you that.Wait for a second, and I’ll help you up.”
He tied everything back on the horse and then helped her on hers.
They made their way back slowly.He couldn’t take his gaze off her.She was truly the prettiest thing he’d ever seen.He wanted her to see as much of the ranch as possible so she’d fall in love with it and want to stay.
His biggest hope was that she’d fall in love with him if she spent enough time in his presence.
He thought about the different things they could do together.Things he’d thought about for years.
At the moment, he was just going to enjoy this time with her.
They rode up to one of the barns, and he dismounted and walked right to her.His strong hands circled her waist, lifted her from the saddle, and held onto her waist as her legs steadied.
“I hope we didn’t go too far,” he said, worried.
“No, not at all.My legs feel fine.”
“Thanks, guys,” he said over her shoulder as they took the horses away.
“You got it, boss.”
He wrapped an arm around her and led her into the back of the house, where the kitchen was.
“There you are,” Dottie exclaimed.“Did you have a good time?”
Hanna smiled.“It was wonderful.The ranch is stunning.”
“There’s much more to see, honey.He’ll take you to see everything.It will just take time.”
She looked up at him.“Thank you for today.”
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head.“We’ll do a lot more.”
“Dinner will be ready in about an hour,” Dottie told them.
“Good, I’d like to shower,” Hanna said.
“You go ahead, baby.I’ll meet you down here.”
“Okay.”Hanna turned to Dottie.“Thank you for the wonderful picnic.Everything was delicious.”
“You’re welcome.If I know that boy beside you, you’ll have plenty more of them.”
Blake watched her walk off and had the biggest urge to follow her and not let her out of his sight.
