She cracks open one eye and looks at me. “Because I have this horrible condition where if someone tells me I don’t want to do something, then I have to prove them wrong.”
I nudge her foot with mine. “And how’s that working out for you?”
“Great. I’ve never felt better. Come check on me in three days and see if I can walk by then.”
She flings an arm across her eyes, and I just grin. She really is something. And I have to admit the truth—I like her.
A dog barking catches my attention, and I watch as Max and both of his dogs start down the dirt road, trailing after fourteen more pairs.
Magnolia lifts her head and stares at the group coming down the hill. “I’m going to have to move, aren’t I?”
I bend down and grab both of her hands, pulling her up to a sitting position. She reaches up and wraps her arms around my neck.
“Help me,” she groans. “Nothing is working the way it should.”
I scoop an arm under her legs and lift her into my arms.
She laughs. “I meant help me stand, not that you had to carry me.”
“With how fast those cattle are coming down the hill, I know we don’t have an hour to hobble out of the way,” I tease.
“Hey, I’m a very fast turtle, I’ll have you know.”
“A very cute one too.”
She blushes at that and tries hard to scowl at me.
“Careful. Your face might get stuck that way.” I carry her to the side of the barn where there’s a good bit of shade and set her down there.
“How are you not stiff like me?”
I shrug. “I’ll be sore tomorrow, but I come up here regularly to help with different projects, like moving cattle, weaning, and marking calves. Anything that requires an extra person, I’m here to help Max.”
“I never realized. I didn’t even know you had a ranch until Alexander said something. And he said something about wanting to live here?”
“It’s not like we’ve known each other long,” I remind her. “I did live here until Grandpa’s health declined. I plan on coming back. My whole life is here. Heck, I even left my truck here. I’ve been borrowing Grandpa’s car while I’m in town.”
She nods once. “That is strange. So much we don’t know about each other. A lot has happened in a short time. We are about to get married, after all.”
“I guess we should talk about how many kids we want to have before we tie the knot.”
“At least two and a half.”
“Well, I was thinking more like three whole children,” I murmur quietly as I step back into the shade.
Max is coming closer with those pairs, and he won’t need our help walking them in—the dogs will do that.
“What are we going to name our hypothetical children?”
“Molly, Polly, and Dolly.”
“Of course. Three unique names that won’t confuseanyone.” She glares at me like this is serious business. “I can see I’ll have to be the one to name them.”
“Have you always wanted children?” I ask as Max climbs off his horse, shutting the gate behind the cattle.
Magnolia stands slowly, pressing a hand against the side of the barn to steady herself. “I have. Honestly, someday, I could see myself having a lot of kids.”
“How many kids are in your family? Your mom listed so many names it was hard to tell,” I admit with a laugh. The day I met her mom on the video call will be a core memory for years to come. Magnolia was so annoyed and her mom thought it was so funny.
