Page 7 of A Rancher's Heart
He seemed to do a lot of that. The growling business. She didn’t want to think too hard about what it did to her insides.
She’d opened her mouth to ask some inane question when he beat her to it. “Your truck and trailer. Are they at the lookout?”
“Truck’s at the top of the hill. Trailer’s at the weigh station.”
“My sister told you about the falls, did she?”
Finally, something distracting. Tamara linked her fingers over the saddle horn and held on with a death grip, trying once again to ease their bodies apart the slightest bit. “Dare told me it was pretty, and I figured I had time to check it out before joining you. Is there a reason it’s called Heart Falls? Or is it just named after the town?”
Caleb hesitated before answering. “If you stand on the rocks where I broke your glasses, the waterfall is the center and the lagoon curves apart into two rounds of a heart.”
Tamara resisted making a comment about the anatomical incorrectness of calling anything heart-shaped. That kind of humour was usually lost on the nonmedical community. “Sounds a lot more romantic than what most old-timers would have picked to name a gathering place.”
The horse sidestepped, and Caleb tightened his grip, pushing a touch too hard where he’d kicked her.
A gasp of pain escaped before she could stop it.
“What’s wrong?” he demanded.
“Just a bit of a bruise.”
He didn’t say anything more at the time, which was fine by her, and she took the opportunity to change the subject. “Since I’m here early, I don’t mind getting started right away.”
“I don’t think you’ll be doing much of anything until we find you some glasses,” he pointed out. “We’ll get your truck. I can grab your horse trailer while I’m at it, if you’d like.”
“Would you? I hate to leave Stormy longer than necessary.” Guilt hit Tamara hard. “I didn’t mean to make extra work for you.”
“It’s not a big deal. I’m the one who broke your glasses.”
She sighed. “I’m the one who tried to save you when you didn’t need rescuing. Par for the course, I’m afraid to say.”
An unexpected chuckle escaped him. “Oh? You go jumping into swimming holes all the time?”
“More like jumping to conclusions, and yeah, I do a fair bit of that.” She didn’t mention how she’d vowed to change, because her tiger stripes were still firmly in place. “I’m sorry I messed up your quiet relaxation.”
“You meant well,” he returned easily.
Which made it worse, since that wasexactlywhat she needed to change.
He kept talking, his voice stroking her as they rocked together far too smoothly. “We’ll get you home and I’ll show you your room. There’s a shower in there, and you can get warmed up. Before you’re done, I’ll be back with your stuff. You can meet the girls during supper, but I don’t expect you to officially start until tomorrow. We’ll take it as it comes.”
They were closing in on civilization, the broad shapes of barns and outbuildings becoming visible even with her terrible eyesight. “Thank you.”
He grumbled for a moment. “You heard Emma doesn’t like to talk, right? She’s not mute, just quiet.”
“Dare told me. I can handle that.”
“I don’t want her fixed, or anything. So we’re clear—”
God. “Who the hell did you have for a nanny before?” Tamara demanded. “Or did one of her teachers spout this bullshit?”
Caleb sounded relieved and annoyed at the same time as he answered, “One of the babysitters wouldn’t let her eat until she asked for every item out loud. Sasha came to the barns to get me, pissed off as a wet cat.”
Tamara liked Sasha already. “Good for her.Fixed.” She turned the word into a curse. “Don’t worry about me. I want to help, and I’m not into torturing children.”
He made a low sound that didn’t say much while saying a whole lot. “I didn’t think you were. My sister thinks the world of you, and that carries a lot of weight. But the girls have gone through a ton of changes in the last couple of months. I don’t expect them to be thrilled you’re here at first. Let’s give it time. Hopefully it’ll work out.”
He eased back. The horse responded instantly and came to a stop.
