Page 46 of A Rancher's Bride
This time he followed, curiosity winning out. She guided him to the deep soaker tub that sat in the corner of the bathroom, stepping into the empty basin so she could sit on the far side and point toward the mountains. “Look.”
It was a little strange, stepping into the empty tub. He leaned over her, and happiness bubbled up from inside as her laughter rang out.
The massive snowfall had been put to good use already this morning. Someone had built a field full of snowmen, with typical branches for arms and carrots for noses. Here and there were hats and scarves.
A herd of deer were foraging on the edge of the tree line. A couple of the does had fawns with them, yearlings by now, but still with a heightened sense of curiosity. Two of the young ones had wandered in amongst the snowmen, sniffing and scratching at the snow near the base of the rounded balls.
One fawn took a great liking to a scarf around a snow woman’s neck, grabbing hold of the end and giving it a tentative nibble. The deer tugged too hard, and the scarf tightened, knocking against the snow woman’s neck and decapitating the poor creature.
The loosened head rolled toward the deer, and chaos ensued.
Tails were lifted, flashes of white warning rang out. Deer jumped back, knocking into other snowmen. Within seconds the herd had trampled the snowy field, and most of the snowman army lay in ruins.
Kelli was laughing so hard she couldn’t breathe. She turned to toward him, catching his arm and dragging him with her into the bottom of the tub where she gasped for air between peals of laughter.
He felt pretty lightheaded himself.
How had he missed seeing this? How had he missed seeing Kelli?
11
By the time they reached the afternoon, Kelli was in dire need of a break. It wasn’t that anything had gone wrong, but between the buffet breakfast, a morning filled with more meet-and-greet, and a lunchtime movie event where they ate burgers and watchedHidalgo, she was done.
She sat patiently though as replays of the previous year’s Kentucky Derby started, plotting her escape, when a soft voice sounded in her ear.
“Ready to sneak away?”
She discovered Diane at her side, the beautiful black woman lifting a finger to her lips then motioning for Kelli to join her.
If she couldn’t have her first choice, which was stealing upstairs to have a nap with Luke, stealing away with Diane sounded like a solid second.
Considering she didn’t know where Luke was, she was very willing to upgrade Diane to first place.
Besides, she had to admit the truth—the possibilities of napping if she had found the man were slim.
Thankfully the noise and chaos in the meeting room allowed them to slip away unseen. Diane linked her arm companionably through Kelli’s as they strolled to the main foyer.
“You having fun?” Kelli asked, before realizing the question might be a little too juvenile.
One delicate brow rose in a perfect arch. “What’s not to love about being immersed in all things equine?”
Okay, Diane might be richer than God, but damn, Kelli liked her. “My point exactly, but there are times my friends seem to think something else exists.”
Diane pulled to a stop, placed a finger against her lips and looked deep in thought. Then she shook her head, curls bouncing enthusiastically. “No. Can’t think of a single thing.”
They were both still laughing as they headed back upstairs, kicking off their boots and getting comfy.
“Jack sent me a text earlier. He picked up some snacks and left them for us in the minifridge.” Diane dropped bags of potato chips, dip and chocolate bars on the coffee table before stretching out on a couch. “Come to think of it, I lied earlier. There is more to enjoy in this world than horses.”
Kelli nabbed a KitKat off the table, sinking her teeth into the chocolate with a happy moan. “Food.”
“The four food groups,” Diane elaborated. “Chips, bacon, chocolate, and more chocolate.”
“He’s a good man, your Jack,” Kelli said, raising a loaded chip in the air in a toast before munching enthusiastically.
Her new friend’s eyes lit up. “There’s another thing to add to the list of enjoyable pastimes. Men. I like your Luke.”
Kelli liked the sound of him being calledhers, even if it was just for a short while. “He’s a good one,” she said honestly.
