Page 99 of Wilde Hearts

A small kitchen sat on the other side of the room. As I walked that way, Ensley made a quick dash into the bedroom. Thirty seconds later, I heard her call out my name.

“Colt! Get in here!”

Laughing, I headed that way. She was standing in the large bathroom, staring out the window at yet another amazing view.

“I want to take a bath tonight and stare out this window at the stars.”

I wrapped my arms around her, and she leaned against me. “That sounds nice.”

Turning her head, she gazed at me over her shoulder. “Will you join me?”

“Oh no…remember what you said?”

Spinning around to face me, she asked, “What did I say?”

“No sex on our second first date.”

Laughing slightly, she blushed. “That’s right. I did say that.”

“I wasn’t sure how you’d be feeling after the flight, and what you might be up for, so I planned a light day for the rest of today.”

Smiling, she leaned against the marble countertop. “What’s the plan?”

“Well, I figured we could take a drive around, see the area. If you’d like to see the ranch I worked on today, we’ve been invited for dinner there this evening.”

“That sounds wonderful.”

Nodding, I said, “Perfect. Dress comfortable and make sure you bring your gloves, hat, and scarf. You never know about the weather around here, so I’d like to be prepared.”

Saluting me with her right hand, she said, “Sir, yes, sir!”

“This place is heaven. I forgot how beautiful it was here,” Ensley said, as we drove along the river that followed the road. “I love River Falls, but I can see why you stayed here as long as you did. There’s something very peaceful about Banff.”

“There is.”

“The snow-covered mountains are gorgeous. I mean, when you stand and look down the main street and see that stunning peak just jutting up? Breathtaking! Why do you think they look so different here than back home?”

Smiling, I replied, “I think it’s the jagged edges. Plus, they’re taller.”

We drove for a few minutes in silence before Ensley said, “I’ve really enjoyed today. The Big Bear Trading Company reminded me of my father’s store back home.”

“Yeah, it really does.”

“I think my favorite activity, though, was stopping by the craft beer festival. Gatlin would have loved that. I’ll have to tell him about it.”

The ranch was coming up on the left, so I slowed and put my turn signal on. “We’re here.”

“Wow! This is out in the middle of nowhere,” Ensley said with a laugh.

I pulled into the driveway and stopped as Ensley leaned forward and looked out the window.

“Holy shit.”

I nodded. It was a very impressive entrance, with two large rock pillars flanking the double gates. Each gate was made of intricately carved black steel. The landscaping around the entrance was amazing, as well, even in the winter. The ranch name, the Lazy T, stretched across the top of the gates, and in the middle was the name Murray.

“Pretty amazing, isn’t it?”

“Caden would love to see this. I’ve never seen such a fancy entrance to a cattle ranch before.”