Page 30 of The Cowboy's Christmas
“Go start the tractor,” Savannah agreed. “I’m waiting on my coffee.” The pot was still dripping. “Can I bring you some?”
“That would be great,” he said. “Thanks.” He smiled at the girls. “Enjoy your mice.”
“If you come back later, you can hear a story,” Sophie suggested. “Uncle Deke can tell you about the monster in the attic.”
Savannah gave Deke a sharp look, but he pretended not to notice.
“Sounds like fun,” Quinn said. He gave the girls a nod, then disappeared out the door. Savannah went to the mudroom to bundle up for a cold morning, only glancing out the window once to watch him walk to the tractor, hands in his pockets, chin tucked low against the cold. He was easy on the eyes. That was a fact. One she was going to have to live with—the rather obvious culmination of a night spent ruminating about the guy and her reaction to him.
Admitting the obvious made her feel better. He was handsome. She was attracted, because that was the way handsome worked, but it didn’t need to be threatening. She could approach the situation with curiosity and humor, rather than the feeling that attraction would snowball into…whatever.
Today she’d carry on like a normal person would. One who hadn’t sequestered herself, with the exception of those two classmate/old friend dates, on a ranch for almost two years.
She sucked in a breath of cold air as she stepped out of the warm kitchen onto the porch, a travel mug of coffee in each hand. She managed to pull the door shut, then headed down the walk toward the front gate and the man standing just outside the barn’s bay door, escaping the fumes while Betsy chugged away.
“Your nieces are cute,” Quinn said when she handed him the cup of coffee. “I admire their salon skills.”
Savannah smiled before lifting her cup to her lips. So far so good on the normal person thing. “That’s the beauty of rarely going to town. No one sees my hands except family.”
“I had blue nails once.”
Her eyebrows shot up and he laughed. “Not for long—an hour maybe. My boss has young grandkids living on the ranch and I’ve put in some babysitting hours.” He grinned. “I did anything I could to keep them entertained.”
She loved the mental picture of this tough cowboy allowing his nails to be painted. “Don’t tell Deke that you have babysitting experience, or you’ll be in the house, and he’ll be on the tractor.”
Quinn smiled, then shaded his eyes against the sun, which was just peeking about the treetops, brightening the gray morning. “I see you loaded the trailer.”
“I figured if I didn’t, then Deke would sneak out and do it.”
“I’ll reload today before I leave.”
“All right.” Their gazes met then held for an electric moment. The litmus test. And yes, it was there. That jolt of…something. Which was a normal reaction to an attractive guy. She was not in danger. She was simply starting to feel alive again, and that was a good thing.
*
After they’d finishedthe day’s feeding and had delivered salt and mineral supplements to the cattle and horses, it was obvious that Savannah fully expected Quinn to get into the flatbed and head back to town. Instead, he lingered near the grain room in the barn while she stowed the buckets and scoops.
“I’m going to fix your tractor,” he said simply.
“Did you discuss it with Deke?” She wiped her hands down the side of her coat, brushing the particles of granulated mineral off her gloves.
“It won’t take long. There’s a few other things I could do, too.”
She regarded him silently, making him think that she was going to hear him out before sending him back to town to hide in his room or get mistaken for his brother. He could handle both, but if he didn’t have to, then why?
“I got a call this morning.” She knew that, because he’d waved her to a stop while they’d been feeding. “My radiator has been delayed, and you have things you need done here.”
“I’d have to pay you for extra hours.”
“I thought we discussed the payment thing.”
“This is above and beyond.”
“Beyond what? It isn’t like I have much to do anywhere else.”
“Spend time with your brothers?”
He wasn’t touching that one. “I like to keep busy. I don’t need money. I’ve never been on a ranch that didn’t have stuff that needed done.”
