He laughed. “About thirty minutes further into the boonies. My place. I want you to see where I live and work.” Clasping her hand, he rested it on the console between them.
Smiling, she leaned back and sighed. “Cool. A real cattle ranch. Now I’ll be able to picture what you’re talking about when we’re on the phone. I’m glad we started early so it won’t be dark.”
True to his word, a half-hour later they pulled in under the sign of the Rocking P Ranch.
Cash drove through to the barn and parked. “I’ll show you around here before the sun goes down.” After opening Dallas’s door, he clasped her hand and walked her inside. He motioned to the nearest stalls. “These two are first-time heifers, due to calf in the next day or two, I guess. I’m keeping an eye on them in case they have problems.” They continued down the barn alley. “The other three are from the barn pasture where I keep my granny cows. They calved in the last day or two and need some TLC. I make sure the cow gets extra feed and that the calf is eating good before I turn them out with the others.”
Dallas was fascinated with his descriptions. The animals were so calm, chewing their hay and watching everything she and Cash did. “I guess you fed before you came to pick me up?”
“Yep. Believe me, you’d hear hollering if I hadn’t. They let you know if they miss a feeding.” He continued the tour through the corrals and then showed her some steel hog traps, explaining that wild hogs came around the barn at night, getting into the cows’ feed and tearing up the round bale stacks.
Cash led her to a green Kawasaki Mule. “Climb in. I’ll show you the home pasture. I’ve got about fifty head there and a couple of nice bulls.”
After he stopped, got out, and opened the first gate, she offered to be the gate man and close it.
Cash grinned. “Girl, you just made my day. Opening gates makes a rancher’s life hell. I’ll warn you, once you start, it’s a hard job to get shed of.”
She laughed. “I don’t mind. I need the exercise. I sit all day at a computer.” The Mule surprised her, reaching speeds of thirty-plus miles an hour on the dirt roads of the pasture. The wind in her face and Cash’s nearness had her pulse pounding.
He knew all the right hangouts so they were able to find almost all of the cattle, including one he was most proud of, a Black Angus herd bull.
Pulling up at one of the ponds, he turned off the engine. “Just look at that big bast—ah, bull. I paid quite a bit for him, but he’s been worth it. He throws small calves so he’s a great heifer bull. His conformation is perfect. He’s not mean either. I can go in and separate cows or move him into another pen without a problem.”
Cash’s animated face as he described his bull made her smile. It was obvious he enjoyed his work and cared about his animals. She loved getting to know this side of him and figured it was something many people didn’t see. Admiring him, wanting a connection with him, she reached over and clasped his hand. “He’s magnificent.”
Cash grinned and wrapped his arm around her, snugging her up close. “He is, isn’t he? Come on, I’ll take you back and show you the house. I grew up there.”
He explained that the original rock ranch house had been built by his family in 1892. Rambling additions had been added over the years and had all been remodeled at different times. A long, covered porch ran the length of the front of the house.
It was almost dark as they pulled up. Cash said, “Now the house is a monster. Mom and Dad are counting on me to fill it with lots of tiny feet again.”
Dallas laughed. “Oh, so there’s no pressure or anything.”
“Right. Sometimes I think my brother got the better deal.”
Once inside, Cash gave her a quick tour of the main part of the house. They skipped the six bedrooms.
She followed him back into the kitchen. “So, I guess at some point there were a lot of people in this house?”
“Yep, big families were popular back in the day. Dad kind of let Grandpa down with only two kids.”
She grinned. “He went for quality rather than quantity.”
Cash laughed. “I agree. Listen, everything’s ready to make us a steak dinner. It’ll take too long to cook them on the grill, so I’ll make them in a skillet.”
There was something sexy about watching Cash bustle around the large farm kitchen as he cooked for her. Especially when he stopped every few minutes to lean in for a kiss. This was one of the rooms that had been updated. Newish appliances and tons of cabinet space made it a place where a person would be happy to cook for their family.
Cash turned his head and caught her eyes focused on his butt. Grinning, he raised a brow and put the spatula down. “Come here, you.” He pulled her to her feet.
A wave of desire hit her as he devoured her mouth. She slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, hard, wanting him to feel how much she cared about him, wanted him.
With a final cheeky smack on the lips, Cash drew back. “Now that’s what I call a kiss.”
Breathlessly, Dallas sat, grinning. “Um, I concur, and I think I’ll keep my eyes to myself from now on.”
He laughed and returned to the stove.
After dinner, he opened a bottle of wine and poured them each a glass. “We need to be getting back, but not just yet, okay?”
She nodded as he led her into the family room and to the room’s centerpiece, a large leather sofa.
After they settled in next to each other, he
