to be happy and contented now. She only wished that her and Dillon’s future was as settled as Laramie’s and that once they left this ranch they would have a decent home waiting for them.
“It’s nice that you feel so deeply about this ranch. Everyone needs a place where they feel like they belong,” she said quietly.
He turned his head slightly to look at her, and this time she could see that his features had softened.
“Maybe you and Dillon belong here, too.”
His subtle suggestion set her heart to pounding, and she purposely turned her gaze away from him and out to the passing landscape.
“Only for a while,” she murmured and wondered why those words put an ache in her heart.
* * *
For the next ten minutes Laramie drove the truck on a westerly dirt track that took them away from the ranch yard and close to the river’s edge. Along the way, Laramie remained quiet and preoccupied and Leyla got the impression that he was disappointed in her for some reason.
Maybe he’d not appreciated her question about him leaving the Chaparral to build a ranch of his own. Or maybe he’d expected her to say more about her future plans. She didn’t know what the man was thinking and she tried to tell herself it didn’t matter. But that would be a lie. Laramie was beginning to matter to her. Very much.
“Cow, Mommy! Cow!”
Dillon’s excited shouts pulled Leyla out of her thoughts and turned her gaze toward the windshield. Her son had spotted a large herd of red cattle with white faces.
“Yes, I see. The cows are eating grass.” She responded to her son, then glanced at Laramie. “I’ve only seen black cows at the ranch yard. These are different.”
“They’re Herefords. Normally we only run Angus, but we decided to invest in a couple hundred of these just to see how they play out on the cattle market. After we eat, I’ll take Dillon for a closer look,” he told her.”
“I’m sure he’ll like that,” she murmured.
A short distance on down the road, the hard-packed dirt track split in two directions. Laramie took the one that climbed a short distance up a foothill covered with juniper and piñon pine. When they reached the top of the incline, Leyla let out a gasp of delight.
“Oh, how beautiful!”
Below them, the river valley stretched for miles. To their right a ridge of tall pine-covered mountains stood sentinel over the herds of grazing cattle.
“I thought you and Dillon might enjoy eating here,” Laramie spoke up. “It’s a pretty view and there’s plenty of open space here for Dillon to safely explore.”
“It’s great, Laramie,” she said. His thoughtfulness left her feeling somewhat awkward. She’d never had anyone go to this much trouble to give her and her son an enjoyable outing, and she could only wonder if he was expecting something from her in return.
No, she mentally argued. He wasn’t the sort of man who expected payment for doing a thoughtful deed. She needed to quit worrying about his motives and simply focus on enjoying this special time with Laramie and Dillon.
After parking the truck, Laramie lifted the chest with their lunch out of the back of the truck and carried it over to a flat area sheltered on one side by a stand of juniper. Two fallen logs had created a natural L shape perfect for seating.
“Looks like someone has built fires up here before,” Leyla commented as she spotted a ring of blackened rocks.
“Me and a few of the guys stop here sometimes and brew a pot of coffee. It’s a nice place to rest before we finish the ride to the ranch yard.”
The ranch yard was a good five or six miles away from this spot, she calculated. She couldn’t imagine herself staying in the saddle for that long, but when she looked at Laramie’s tough, sinewy body, it was clear he had the stamina to keep going far beyond a normal person’s endurance.
To Leyla’s utter surprise, the bunkhouse cook had gone to the trouble of cooking them a meal of fried chicken and
“It’s nice that you feel so deeply about this ranch. Everyone needs a place where they feel like they belong,” she said quietly.
He turned his head slightly to look at her, and this time she could see that his features had softened.
“Maybe you and Dillon belong here, too.”
His subtle suggestion set her heart to pounding, and she purposely turned her gaze away from him and out to the passing landscape.
“Only for a while,” she murmured and wondered why those words put an ache in her heart.
* * *
For the next ten minutes Laramie drove the truck on a westerly dirt track that took them away from the ranch yard and close to the river’s edge. Along the way, Laramie remained quiet and preoccupied and Leyla got the impression that he was disappointed in her for some reason.
Maybe he’d not appreciated her question about him leaving the Chaparral to build a ranch of his own. Or maybe he’d expected her to say more about her future plans. She didn’t know what the man was thinking and she tried to tell herself it didn’t matter. But that would be a lie. Laramie was beginning to matter to her. Very much.
“Cow, Mommy! Cow!”
Dillon’s excited shouts pulled Leyla out of her thoughts and turned her gaze toward the windshield. Her son had spotted a large herd of red cattle with white faces.
“Yes, I see. The cows are eating grass.” She responded to her son, then glanced at Laramie. “I’ve only seen black cows at the ranch yard. These are different.”
“They’re Herefords. Normally we only run Angus, but we decided to invest in a couple hundred of these just to see how they play out on the cattle market. After we eat, I’ll take Dillon for a closer look,” he told her.”
“I’m sure he’ll like that,” she murmured.
A short distance on down the road, the hard-packed dirt track split in two directions. Laramie took the one that climbed a short distance up a foothill covered with juniper and piñon pine. When they reached the top of the incline, Leyla let out a gasp of delight.
“Oh, how beautiful!”
Below them, the river valley stretched for miles. To their right a ridge of tall pine-covered mountains stood sentinel over the herds of grazing cattle.
“I thought you and Dillon might enjoy eating here,” Laramie spoke up. “It’s a pretty view and there’s plenty of open space here for Dillon to safely explore.”
“It’s great, Laramie,” she said. His thoughtfulness left her feeling somewhat awkward. She’d never had anyone go to this much trouble to give her and her son an enjoyable outing, and she could only wonder if he was expecting something from her in return.
No, she mentally argued. He wasn’t the sort of man who expected payment for doing a thoughtful deed. She needed to quit worrying about his motives and simply focus on enjoying this special time with Laramie and Dillon.
After parking the truck, Laramie lifted the chest with their lunch out of the back of the truck and carried it over to a flat area sheltered on one side by a stand of juniper. Two fallen logs had created a natural L shape perfect for seating.
“Looks like someone has built fires up here before,” Leyla commented as she spotted a ring of blackened rocks.
“Me and a few of the guys stop here sometimes and brew a pot of coffee. It’s a nice place to rest before we finish the ride to the ranch yard.”
The ranch yard was a good five or six miles away from this spot, she calculated. She couldn’t imagine herself staying in the saddle for that long, but when she looked at Laramie’s tough, sinewy body, it was clear he had the stamina to keep going far beyond a normal person’s endurance.
To Leyla’s utter surprise, the bunkhouse cook had gone to the trouble of cooking them a meal of fried chicken and
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