Page 10 of Rancher's Heart

“I’ve been trying to get you into eat since we started working together, and now the time has come.” A man walked up to our table and Griff slid out of the booth and hugged him.

“Well, I think I told you I needed someone special to bring first. Nick, I’d like you to meet Elle Greggory.” He reached over the table, and I held my hand out to him.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for getting this guy to my restaurant. You clean up all right.” Nick said looking back to my date, laughing and slapping him on the back. “I won’t keep you, but I just wanted to say hello and meet your someone special. We’ll talk next week. I’m going to need more beef and discuss the other ranches that are sniffing around looking for business.” He moved closer to Griff when he said the last part.

“Sounds good. I can come back later in the week if that works for you.” Griff also lowered his tone, and I ran my finger around the rim of the paper-thin crystal wine glass.

“See you then, my friend. Your meal is on the house tonight, I’ve already spoken to your waitress.” He smiled at us both and walked away before Griff could argue.

“He seems like a nice man.” I said when Griff took his seat again.

“Yeah, he is. When this place was getting ready to open, his beef supplier backed out so he called as many ranchers as he could find contacts for and got turned down with every call. Because we’re so large and haven’t ever hidden our information he drove right onto the ranch and asked for a meeting. He knew what he wanted, and he figured out a way to get it.” Griff reached for his glass and took a sip. I’d never given much thought to a big, burly rancher drinking wine out of a dainty glass, but there he was right in front of me, and I liked what I was seeing.

“Are you worried about what these other ranchers will do to undercut you?” I asked shifting in the horseshoe-shaped booth so I could sit closer to him.

“No, we have an exclusivity clause with him, but I am concerned that this discussion had floated into talking about business. Is that really all you want to know about me?” He reached out his hand and dragged his finger along my arm.

“I find aspects of this business fascinating, but no, I don’t want to talk about this all night.” Griff slid along the bench and put his arm over the back of the seat so that his fingers could glide over my shoulder.

“Tell me about Parker.” He said quietly.

“He’s amazing.” I beamed. “He’s a wonderful student, so easy to get along with. He has handled the divorce with more grace than I have, that’s for sure. He’s been used to his dad being on the road so it’s not a lot different now, just that we don’t sharea house anymore. Parker is with Troy half the time, so he might even see him more now.” I let my voice trail off. What could be worse during a first date than one person talking about their ex-husband.

“I want to know it all, Elle, not just the pretty stuff,” Griff said, quietly shifting his arm and wrapping it around me.

“He struggled when we moved here. Parker’s deaf, and there’s little to no help for him at the school.” I watched Griff’s face closely to gauge his unspoken reaction, but he didn’t even flinch, “The cochlear implants have been a godsend; he settled in and is thriving there now. We moved into town when we first got here, which was hard. His life revolves around his video games and the horses, so when one of those things was taken away, he had a rough time. That’s why renting the Hays place was so good for us. Not that I like living there. It’s kind of a mess.”

“Kind of?” Griff interrupted.

“Fine, it’s a disaster, but it brought my boy back to me. If I can’t find anywhere, I’d decided I was going to talk to Jake Gordon and see if I can board the horses at his place. It seems like the easiest thing since he’s not too far from town, and Parker could ride home with Jake’s girls after school.” I didn’t miss the flash of irritation that crossed Griff’s face at the mention of Jake’s name.

“You won’t need to do that. The ranch has more than enough room for a few extras and even if I don’t convince you to move in with me, we have a few empty home sites that you can have a look at.” He reached for his wine again and I shifted in the seat.

“Are you jealous of Jake?” I smirked, waiting for his answer.

“Not at all. Jake’s a good friend, but if anyone’s helping you out, it’s me. Understand?” There it was again, the quiet dominance I hadn’t expected, the part of him that is so sure of himself, and it melted me a little more.

I nodded, and we spent the rest of the evening in quiet discussion about everything from life to horses. Sitting here listening to this man talk so passionately about the wild horses and his desire to keep them free endeared me to him even more. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d ever had such a wonderful date.

“We should go,” he said quietly and motioned for our waitress to come back to the table.

“Your meal is on the house, I don’t have a bill for you.” The poor girls eyes were wide and she looked terrified.

“That’s fine, but this is for you, and this is for the back of the house.” Griff slid cash across the table, and the poor girl paled at the sight.

“Nick said he’d fire me if I took your money.”

“He’ll do no such thing, and if he does, we’ll sue him for wrongful termination. The service and meal were exceptional tonight. Please thank the chef, and I’m serious. If Nick gives you any trouble, tell him to call me.”

“Yes sir. Thank you.” She grabbed the two piles of money off the table and scurried away.

“You better not have gotten that poor girl fired.” I frowned at him.

“I know a good lawyer in town. She’d own the business once I was done with him.” Griff grinned, and I couldn’t help but smile up at him as he offered me his arm.

“You’ve got an answer for everything, cowboy.”

“Usually.” He tightened his grip on my arm as we walked out of the restaurant.

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