were having such a wonderful time, she didn’t want to ruin it by asking him to clarify what he’d meant by horses being “in her blood.”
She shivered minutes later when a breeze whipped past them and snow flurries batted against her exposed skin. Nick slid his arm behind her back and pulled her against his side, still holding the reins with his left hand. She cuddled against him, her cheek pressed against his jacket, mesmerized by the sound of Maybelle’s trotting hooves and the feeling of Nick next to her. The lake stretched next to them like a swath of ruffled steel-blue fabric. Her nose felt cold, but her belly was warm from the hot chocolate. She couldn’t recall ever feeling such a strange combination of contentment and anticipation in her life.
They paused a while later when they came to the terminus of the road. Deidre pointed out the enormous sand dunes lining the lake in the distance.
“Have you ever dune dived?” she asked Nick.
He grimaced. “At the risk of knocking myself down a few notches in your estimation, I’ll admit I’m not much of a swimmer or diver.”
She gave him an assessing glance. “You’re an athlete. I could teach you,” she teased, repeating what he’d told her about horseback riding.
He laughed under his breath. “I doubt it. Teaching a cowboy how to swim is like teaching a fish to walk.” His gaze narrowed on the massive, tall dunes. “Don’t tell me you actually dived into Lake Michigan from those things.”
“Sure.”
His gaze ran over her face admiringly. “That’s something I’d like to see,” he admitted quietly.
“We’ll have to come back in July.”
Something flickered across his stark features that made her mirth fade. She studied her gloved hands on top of the dark red wool blanket, silently railing at herself for her impulsive words.
“Yeah,” he said before he flicked his wrist and chirruped to Maybelle and the taut moment had passed.
* * *
Mrs. Addy McGraw possessed the kind of face that was easy to like—open, weathered and nearly always smiling. Her girth was wide, but Addy appeared to be in robust health from her regular labor in the stables.
Addy met them in the turnabout near the stables when they returned late that afternoon. She wore boots, a parka and a beat-up old brown suede cowboy hat on her short gray hair. Addy directed Nick into the designated area of a large red barn, where they descended from the wagon. She started to greet Deidre, but became distracted when she noticed Nick starting to unharness Maybelle.
“Now, you’re a paying guest here, you leave that to Evan and I,” she scolded Nick. “You two run on inside to the kitchen. I’ve got some hot buttered rum on the stove for you. Evan and I will be there in a jiff, and we’ll have ourselves a nice early dinner,” she said, beaming at Deidre.
The kitchen of the handsome, white-shingled farmhouse was comfortably old-fashioned, with Formica countertops, a colorful tablecloth and dozens of interesting appliances that appeared to be manufactured anywhere from the 1950s to the 1970s. A divine aroma of chicken and vegetables emanated from the oven. Nick and Deidre sat at the kitchen table and sipped the delicious hot buttered rum and tried to guess at the purpose of some of the more unusual-looking appliances.
He looked so appealing to her sitting there, his hair windblown, his casual clothing perfectly fitting the farmhouse kitchen.
“I find it hard to believe you’re a CEO of a huge company when you look so comfortable here.”
He blinked and glanced around. “In a kitchen?”
“No,” she said laughing. “In a country setting. I remember thinking the same when I used to see you on the grounds at The Pines or in Lincoln’s stables.”
“I do miss the country when I’m in the city. But being comfortable in the country doesn’t mean you can’t also be a good businessman. There’s a lot in common between working with horses, for example, and being a
She shivered minutes later when a breeze whipped past them and snow flurries batted against her exposed skin. Nick slid his arm behind her back and pulled her against his side, still holding the reins with his left hand. She cuddled against him, her cheek pressed against his jacket, mesmerized by the sound of Maybelle’s trotting hooves and the feeling of Nick next to her. The lake stretched next to them like a swath of ruffled steel-blue fabric. Her nose felt cold, but her belly was warm from the hot chocolate. She couldn’t recall ever feeling such a strange combination of contentment and anticipation in her life.
They paused a while later when they came to the terminus of the road. Deidre pointed out the enormous sand dunes lining the lake in the distance.
“Have you ever dune dived?” she asked Nick.
He grimaced. “At the risk of knocking myself down a few notches in your estimation, I’ll admit I’m not much of a swimmer or diver.”
She gave him an assessing glance. “You’re an athlete. I could teach you,” she teased, repeating what he’d told her about horseback riding.
He laughed under his breath. “I doubt it. Teaching a cowboy how to swim is like teaching a fish to walk.” His gaze narrowed on the massive, tall dunes. “Don’t tell me you actually dived into Lake Michigan from those things.”
“Sure.”
His gaze ran over her face admiringly. “That’s something I’d like to see,” he admitted quietly.
“We’ll have to come back in July.”
Something flickered across his stark features that made her mirth fade. She studied her gloved hands on top of the dark red wool blanket, silently railing at herself for her impulsive words.
“Yeah,” he said before he flicked his wrist and chirruped to Maybelle and the taut moment had passed.
* * *
Mrs. Addy McGraw possessed the kind of face that was easy to like—open, weathered and nearly always smiling. Her girth was wide, but Addy appeared to be in robust health from her regular labor in the stables.
Addy met them in the turnabout near the stables when they returned late that afternoon. She wore boots, a parka and a beat-up old brown suede cowboy hat on her short gray hair. Addy directed Nick into the designated area of a large red barn, where they descended from the wagon. She started to greet Deidre, but became distracted when she noticed Nick starting to unharness Maybelle.
“Now, you’re a paying guest here, you leave that to Evan and I,” she scolded Nick. “You two run on inside to the kitchen. I’ve got some hot buttered rum on the stove for you. Evan and I will be there in a jiff, and we’ll have ourselves a nice early dinner,” she said, beaming at Deidre.
The kitchen of the handsome, white-shingled farmhouse was comfortably old-fashioned, with Formica countertops, a colorful tablecloth and dozens of interesting appliances that appeared to be manufactured anywhere from the 1950s to the 1970s. A divine aroma of chicken and vegetables emanated from the oven. Nick and Deidre sat at the kitchen table and sipped the delicious hot buttered rum and tried to guess at the purpose of some of the more unusual-looking appliances.
He looked so appealing to her sitting there, his hair windblown, his casual clothing perfectly fitting the farmhouse kitchen.
“I find it hard to believe you’re a CEO of a huge company when you look so comfortable here.”
He blinked and glanced around. “In a kitchen?”
“No,” she said laughing. “In a country setting. I remember thinking the same when I used to see you on the grounds at The Pines or in Lincoln’s stables.”
“I do miss the country when I’m in the city. But being comfortable in the country doesn’t mean you can’t also be a good businessman. There’s a lot in common between working with horses, for example, and being a
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