That went for the phone that even now he kept checking, as if he were expecting some sort of earthshaking notification to come across its screen.
Dillon swung himself into his saddle without bothering to even put his foot into the stirrup. As he leaned over to pick up his horse’s reins, Hailey couldn’t help thinking that he looked nothing short of magnificent astride the stallion like that. The only thing that could have improved the image he cut, Hailey mused, was if his dapple gray had been a midnight black stallion instead of the color it was.
But even so, she couldn’t help thinking, Dillon really was nothing short of magnificent.
And, she thought, as they exited the stable, for the next few hours or so, Dillon Fortune was all hers.
“Ready?” he asked one last time, his entire body poised for the ride.
“Ready,” Hailey declared, anticipating the ride ahead of them.
“Then let’s go!” Dillon said, kicking his heels into Rawhide’s flanks.
Horse and rider took off.
Hailey followed suit, doing exactly as Dillon just had. Within seconds, she happily went flying, right alongside of Dillon.
Chapter Thirteen
Hailey found that the next two and a half hours were absolutely exhilarating. The truth of it was she hadn’t been on a horse for at least six months—probably longer—and she was a little nervous about being up to it at the outset. But she had always been naturally agile and happily, the whole thing came back to her within a few minutes.
When she glanced toward Dillon, he didn’t look as if he thought anything was amiss about her riding. As with the house, he was involved with acting as her tour guide, showing her the acreage of the entire ranch. That included pointing out the two guesthouses as well as the various stretches of empty land in the vicinity that were just begging for something to be built on them.
Hailey made no secret of the fact that she was duly impressed by all of it. But what interested her the most was Dillon’s role here and just what his plans were for the future.
“Given all this empty space, does that mean that you plan to build your own place here someday?” she wanted to know.
They were looking down on a particularly lush and coincidentally isolated area of the ranch that looked as if it was just perfect for a ranch house, one that wasn’t ripe for the label mansion but a place where regular people—people like her, she couldn’t help thinking—could live.
Dillon appeared surprised by her question. “No, I’m not planning on staying here,” Dillon answered matter-of-factly.
Hailey told herself that his response shouldn’t have made her feel as if she’d been squarely hit by a Mack truck—but there was no getting away from the fact that it did.
Doing her best to sound nonchalant, Hailey asked, “Oh? You’re not?”
“No.” He had always thought of his move here as being just temporary because of what he had left behind in Florida. “Once our construction projects here are finalized, I’m going to be moving back to Fort Lauderdale.”
The question rose to her lips before she could think to stop herself. “What’s in Fort Lauderdale?”
Dillon glanced at her. He’d already said too much, he thought. Consequently, his answer was evasive. “It’s my home.”
His home. He lived there. That should have been the end of it for her. But Hailey was nothing if not stubborn and she wasn’t ready to just let the subject go. “Maybe you’ll change your mind.”
Dillon didn’t want to encourage Hailey, especially since what he had just said was essentially his game plan. He just wanted to finish up here, however long it took, and then move back to Florida. But then, on the other hand, it didn’t seem right to flatly rule out the possibility, however minutely slim, that he’d be staying on here in Rambling Rose indefinitely.
Technically, indefinitely was different from permanently, right? he reasoned, slanting another look at the woman beside him.
So he shrugged and said, “Anything is possible.”
The smile she flashed him made his wavering definitely feel worth it. Heaven help him, but looking at her made him feel as if the sun had suddenly lit up all his insides.
When he and Hailey finally turned their horses back toward the stable another hour later, Dillon had to admit that he was impressed by Hailey’s stamina. She had kept up with him the entire time and she never once made any noises about going back or being too tired to go on. He, on the other hand, had begun to feel himself flagging. He blamed it on the fast pace he’d been keeping up, but whatever the reason, it did bother him a little that he was the one who decided to call an end to their horseback-riding adventure instead of Hailey.
“You might have a little trouble walking when we bring the horses back to the stable,” Dillon warned her.
Hailey looked at him, confused. “Trouble walking? What do you mean by trouble?”
“Well, you made it sound like you don’t go riding very often and you did just spend almost three hours in the saddle. All I’m saying is it’s all right if, when you get off and you find everything aching, you want to complain about it,” he told her.
“I don’t believe in complaining,” she answered truthfully. “Complaining about something is nonproductive. Better to put that energy into something useful. Something that could make the situation better.”
Dillon looked at her uncertainly. “Are you usually this utilitarian?”
She laughed softly. “No, you caught me on a good day. Most of the time I’m just being annoyingly upbeat—or so I’ve been accused by grumpy people.”
Her answer amused him. “I’d say that compared to you, most people would seem to come across as grumpy,” he speculated.
Maybe it was the way the sun was lighting up the area, but Dillon could have sworn her eyes were literally sparkling as she told him, “You’d be surprised. And, just in case you’re right about my legs being shaky, why
