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“So, you’ve had a good time then?” he managed, feeling a little guilty for his original gruffness. In truth, his bad mood had less to do with Rainy than his own family. No use taking his troubles out on her.
Rainy’s sweet-as-honey smile was his answer. “The best. A field trip of this kind is beneficial. They’ve loved it. Thank you so very much for allowing us to come. I can’t even express how special the afternoon has been.”
Rainy Jernagen was as nice as she was pretty. And he was a certified jerk.
He displayed his teeth, praying the action resembled a real smile.
“Great.” His head bobbed. “Glad you enjoyed yourselves.” And when are you leaving? If she kept staring at him with that sweet smile, he might start having crazy ideas about inviting her again.
And that was not about to happen. No way, Jose.
“So,” Pop said, clapping his hands together. “Why don’t we all adjourn to the kitchen? I got some banana bread in there somebody needs to eat. Maybe a glass of milk. Whatd’ya say, Will? Could you use a little sustenance?”
Will grinned but didn’t say anything. The rest of the group chorused their approval, so Nate had little choice except to fall into step. Yo-Yo, the traitor, didn’t even bother to say hello. He was too busy making a fool of himself over the children.
“Katie went all afternoon without screaming,” Rainy said to him.
“Good thing. That Hollywood scream might cause a stampede.”
Rainy stopped in mid-step, eyes wide. “Really?”
Her reaction tickled him. “No. Not really. You are a greenhorn.”
“Am not,” she said amicably, and Nate wanted to tease her again. He liked teasing her. Liked her gullible reaction. He looked ahead where four children pranced around his grandpa, yapping like pups. He was glad they were up there with Pop and Rainy was back here with him. And no, he wasn’t going to examine that thought too closely.
“Bet you wouldn’t know a stirrup from a saddle horn,” he said, baiting her.
“Guess I’m going to find out, Mr. Smartie.”
Something in the way she sparkled with energy gave him pause. “What do you mean?”
“Your grandpa invited us back next weekend.”
Nate battled back a cry of protest and more than a little panic. He shot a look at his grandfather’s flannel-clad back. “He did?”
“Sure did.” Rainy tapped his arm with one finger. “To go horseback riding.”
Like a punctured balloon, all the air seeped out of Nate.
Without upsetting everyone—including his grandfather, who would never let him hear the end of it—Nate couldn’t refuse. He wasn’t that much of a jerk.
Uneasiness crawled over his skin like an invisible spider.
Of all the dangerous ideas, Grandpop would have to come up with this one. Horseback riding. Small children on the backs of very large animals with minds of their own.
A recipe for disaster.
He sneaked a glance at Rainy Jernagen’s upturned face. His belly dipped.
From the moment she’d opened that red front door looking like a combination of mother earth and the bride of Frankenstein, he’d known she was trouble.
He should have run while he had the chance.
Chapter Four
Nate faced Saturday afternoon with a mixture of dread and anticipation. Long before Rainy’s minivan zoomed down his driveway, he worked the horses on a lunge line, rode every single one of them to get rid of any pent-up energy that might cause an issue with inexperienced riders and checked all the tack for wear. But any cowboy worth his boots knew there was only so much he could do to prepare. The rest was up to the riders and the horses.
He shut the door to the horse barn and leaned there a moment to whisper a prayer that none of the visitors would get hurt. A cool, meadow-scented breeze dried the sheen of sweat from his forehead.
“Quit your frettin’, boy, and come on. They’re here.” Pop came around the end of the barn from the direction of the calving shed.
Spring was calving time, and they’d gathered the expectant heifers into the lot for close observation. The old cows did fine birthing on their own most times, but the first calving heifers sometimes required attention. This crop of calves in particular was important to his expansion plans. He’d spent a fat sum of money on artificial insemination from one of the premiere Angus bulls. Sale of the calf crop would go a long way toward the purchase of the Pierson land next to his.
“We have better things to do today than entertain visitors,” he groused.
“You been saying that all week.”
“But you haven’t been listening.”
“Nope. Sure haven’t.” Pop clapped him on the shoulder. “Little relaxation won’t hurt you none. Don’t tell me a good-looking feller like you hadn’t noticed how pretty Miss Rainy Jernagen is.”
Nate kept quiet. Anything he said at this point would be used against him. Of course, he’d noticed. That was the trouble. But he didn’t want to be attracted to a woman whose entire life revolved around children.
“I like them,” Pop said.
Still Nate remained silent. Pop had decided to befriend Rainy and her pack of foster kids and nothing would stop him.
“Place needs a little noise. Even old Yo-Yo is tickled.” Sure enough, Yo-Yo had dashed away, furry tail in high gear, at the approach of a car engine.
“They’re your company,” Nate grumbled, refusing to be mollified. “Not mine.”
“Then I’m a lucky man.” Pop rubbed his weathered hands together. “Here they come.”
Sure enough, like a mama duck Rainy led her charges across the wide front yard. As soon as the kids spotted him and Pop they broke into a run, leaving Rainy to saunter alone.