Carter (Remington Ranch Book 3) by SJ McCoy Page A

“Sorry, I ranted at you, and sorry that I got jealous.”
    His slow smile spread across his face and he relaxed. “No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you jealous.” He pursed his lips and looked away for a moment.
    “What?”
    He looked back at her with a smile. “I kind of like it though.”
    She laughed, relieved.
    He was looking away again. She followed his gaze. The couple who had just come in kept looking over at them. She sighed. She shouldn’t expect to escape from prying eyes completely.
    “Do you want to leave?” asked Carter.
    “I don’t. I want to sit here with you and enjoy the rest of my coffee. They don’t mean any harm, I’m sure they’re just curious.”
    “Okay. Whatever you want. But we can go if they make you uncomfortable.”
    “I’m fine.” She had a feeling Carter was more uncomfortable than she was.
    “What do you want to do next?” he asked.
    “Do I get you for the whole day?”
    He nodded. “If you want me.”
    She couldn’t help laughing. “You know I do. But apparently we’re not allowed to go there—yet!”
    He laughed with her. “You know what I mean.”
    “And you know what I mean, too. Do you think we should go back and check on momma and her kittens before we do anything else?”
    “Yeah. I’d like to.”
    “Let’s do that then.”
    “Okay, and then how about I take you out to the ranch? If we go have a quick look around now, you’ll be better able to decide if you want to spend any time there this weekend. I’d hate for you to feel you’re stuck there for hours if you don’t like it.”
    She smiled. He was so sweet. “I’d love to go see, but I’m not worried about not liking it. I’m sure I’ll love it. I used to ride growing up. I love horses and being around them.”
    He smiled at that. “Okay then, let’s get out of here.” He caught Jean’s attention, which wasn’t hard to do, since she seemed to have been hovering unobtrusively the whole time. Once he’d paid they made their way to the door. Summer was acutely aware of the couple seated by the windows watching them. She nodded and gave a friendly smile as they passed. They smiled back and that was it. What a relief!

Chapter Nine
     
    Carter brought the truck to a stop outside the barn. He’d called ahead to let Mason know that he was bringing Summer down for a look around.
    She jumped out before he had chance to go around and get her door for her. He crammed his hat on his head and went around to stand beside her.
    “Oh, Carter, I love it! This place is amazing.”
    “I’m glad you think so. I’m kind of partial to it myself.”
    “I can see why. How lucky were you that you got to grow up here!”
    He nodded. He did consider himself lucky. He looked around, trying to see the place through new eyes. Through Summer’s eyes. How must it look? He had to admit the ranch was pretty impressive. They’d come down the long driveway from the road, past the big house, which stood on a little rise. It was a two story with a wraparound porch. He was pretty sure his mom had popped out onto the porch for a second when they’d passed, too. They’d stopped here in front of the barn which was pretty impressive in its own right. On the other side of the driveway was the entrance to Shane’s guest ranch. The lodge was hidden from sight, but the first few cabins were in view. As he looked over at them, Carter realized that for the first time, he felt no pain. He’d lived in the end cabin—it had been the only cabin in those days—with Trisha when they got married. He’d come home to that cabin to find her in bed with one of the hands. Every time he’d seen the place in the years since that day, he’d felt a mixture of pain and shame. He was ashamed that he hadn’t been enough for her. Ashamed that he’d been too stupid to know what was going on. Ashamed that his heartbreak had been so public. It was odd to him that today, for the first time, he felt nothing.
    Summer put a hand on his