Page 27 of Taming the Billionaire Cowboy
“Sounds like it,” she says, smiling as she hands me a sandwich.
I don’t take it. “I’ll go?—”
“I packed it for you.” She keeps holding the sandwich out.
I stare at her, my chest warm and gooey-feeling. “You didn’t have to do that. I can make my own lunch.”
She shrugs a shoulder and lowers her gaze. “It was nothing.”
But it was. It’s everything.
For a moment, it feels like the whole world fades away. All I can see is her, the sun catching in her hair, the pink fullness of her lips. I think of her in her kitchen, whatever it looks like, laying out bread, selecting sandwich ingredients.
But then the fantasy shatters when I realize that she might not have been alone in that kitchen. For all I know, she’s happily married. Not everyone wears a wedding ring, and if she has one with a stone, it would probably catch on items around the ranch.
Clearing my throat, I unwrap the sandwich. Does it even matter whether or not Carly is taken? She’s my employee, which should make her strictly off limits. Not once in my whole career have I ever crossed a boundary with someone at my company, and it’s something that I pride myself on.
Bradley is talking a mile a minute, mouth full of food, telling me about local wildlife, birds, fish, insects, their habitats and what they eat.
“Please don’t talk with your mouth full.” Carly watches him, an affectionate smile tugging at her lips.
“Blue herons eat so much, they have to fly real slow!” Bradley says, completely ignoring his mother. “Some caterpillars get sick on leaves and then never touch them again! Fish are the fastest, and that’s why they’re hard to catch!”
“Where’d you learn all this?” I ask him, and he thinks about it.
“Books and movies,” he says. “But I know some of it myself.” He’s got a proud look on his face, and I know he’s serious. He’s probably picked up a lot by being on the ranch and watching nature do its thing.
He looks at Carly. “Mom, tell Oliver what I want,” he says, like it’s a secret he wants her to share.
She smiles at me, wiping her hands on her jeans.
“What does he want?” I ask.
“A dog!” Bradley says before she can answer.
“Or a rabbit,” she adds, raising an eyebrow at him.
He laughs and leans against her. “Or a rabbit,” he agrees.
She runs her fingers through his hair. “Or a llama, or a cow, or an ostrich…”
“Not an ostrich,” he says.
“Are you sure?” I ask, giving him a doubtful look. “I thought everyone had an ostrich.”
“No way,” he says, his voice suddenly serious.
“Guess I got that one wrong,” I say.
Carly nudges him gently with her elbow. “You’ll talk me into a rabbit someday, I’m sure.”
“I know,” Bradley says.
I watch the two of them, that bittersweet tugging feeling returning to my chest. It’s been at least a week since I talked to my mom; she left me a message a couple days ago, and I need to get back to her. I know she’s worried about me, which is why I’ve been avoiding her. I don’t want her to think I’m in over my head on this ranch.
“I need to go say hi to Mama Kitty,” Bradley announces, clambering to his feet.
“Mama Kitty?” Carly’s eyebrows rise.
