Page 13 of A Rancher's Love
Her mother’s voice rang in her head, even after all these years.Do the next thing, sweetie. Sometime the path won’t make sense until you do the next thing.
Ginny grabbed her backpack and went into the bedroom to get dressed. When she came out, Tucker was waiting, his hair damp and freshly combed into place.
“Bathroom’s yours.” He turned his back and began rearranging things in his gym bag.
She washed up quickly, which meant it was only a couple of minutes later and they were outside on the wintry Christmas Day.
The walk to Luke’s house from where the trailer sat on the far side of the barns took them in a wide sweep around the main arena. The morning was cold and clear, and Ginny took a deep breath, enjoying the crisp wintry air settling in her lungs.
“There are a few more changes this time,” Tucker noted. He lifted a hand to a brand-new barn with a training yard attached. “Sweet.”
Ginny agreed. It was good to see Silver Stone continue to make strides forward. The horses were a huge part of that, but raising them or training them wasn’t an area where she had ever contributed much.
She glanced toward the oversized greenhouse tucked to the west of the main ranch home and promised herself she’d take a thorough look later that day. For now, there was so much else she wanted to hear about.
“What about you?” she asked. “What about your changes? Last I heard you were working with the thoroughbred auction house in Winnipeg.”
He clicked his tongue. “Ginny, that’s at least three updates ago. Now I’m working at one of the stables on the outskirts of town. Gives me some different experience, and they’re a very reputable operation.”
“You’re helping take care of horses for people who stable them there?”
“And I give lessons. A few times we’ve gotten to do some serious training with animals who need a little extra attention before they make good rides.” He kept staring around as they walked. “Every place I’ve worked is like a tiny jigsaw piece of this place.”
“You really should work here,” Ginny said. “I don’t know why you never applied.”
His expression grew solemn. He shook his head. “Timing doesn’t always work the way we want.” They walked in silence for the final distance, then Tucker gestured her ahead of him up the steps onto the wooden porch outside Luke’s house. “Ladies first.”
“You just want to watch my ass,” she murmured softly as she passed him.
The sputter that escaped him was a reward all in itself.
3
Tucker was in dangerous territory and hated it with everything in him. Not only did he need to be careful because Ginny seemed primed and ready for mischief, but he had to admit, he was worried.
Like he’d confessed to Ginny earlier, part of him was twelve years old again. uncertain of how he fit in at Silver Stone. The sensation was made worse because he knew exactly how hewantedreality to be.
Entering into the warm comfort of the sprawling ranch house gave him another of thosetorn between the past and the futuresensations. The scent of coffee and something sweet and spicy drifted on the air.
He automatically helped Ginny take off her coat, hanging it on one of the hooks by the door.
Then he paused because she was staring, her expression somewhere between amusement and an all-out smirk. “What?”
She gave a quick little curtsy. “Thank you for being a gentleman.”
It would’ve made her happy if he’d rolled his eyes, so instead he caught her by the shoulders and pushed her into the main part of the house. “Coffee first. You’re too hard to interpret when I’m low on caffeine.”
“Poor baby,” she crooned. “Tell you what. I’ll get the coffee, you raid the fridge. Luke won’t get as cranky if you’re the one rooting around in there.”
“Deal.”
Their entrance into the house had finally been noted. Luke and his wife Kelli were seated on an oversized but ancient looking couch. Across from them on a slightly newer, but equally enormous couch, was a smartly dressed and very attractive couple.
“Tucker.” Luke rose to his feet and gestured him over. “Come meet everyone.”
The dark-skinned man on the couch rose as well, extending a hand. “Merry Christmas. I’m Jack Emment. This is my wife, Diane Jakarta.”
“Merry Christmas to you both. I’ve heard good things,” Tucker said, shaking Jack’s hand then reaching over to do the same with Diane. The beautiful Black woman had a mass of tight curls that were braided in an intricate pattern then gathered in a huge cascade over her right shoulder. “You must have an extraordinary sense of humour if you’ve been hanging out with this guy for any length of time and still like him.” He jerked a thumb toward Luke.
