Page 20 of The Fake Fiance's Billionaire Adversary
“Are we starting with the cattle?” Hunter asked.
Bear shook his head. “Naw, they’ve got some good grazing right now.”
They reached the barn, and Hunter was blown away. “Wow, Bear, you’ve really worked on this place.”
The once sad-looking barn now sported brand-new paint, but what wowed Hunter was the inside. Not only was it heated, but the stalls were stained in a rich color, and the solid-surface floor sloped so it could be easily cleaned. It gave new meaning to “state of the art.” No wonder the horses looked so happy.
“Well, once we got the fencing taken care of, I started working on the fields. While that was going, I got a contractor out here to fix up the barn with all the ideas Wyatt came up with last year around this time. Can’t herd cattle without horses or ATVs. And you know Dad…”
“Horses,” they said at the same time.
They laughed, and Bear stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, they don’t run out of gas and leave you stranded in the middle of a field.”
“True.” Hunter drew in a long breath, loving the smell of hay and sweet feed. “You’ve done an incredible job, Bear. You should be really proud of yourself.”
“You could move home and help.”
Shaking his head, Hunter said, “I like it in Georgia.”
Bear eyed him. “I guess Reagan has something to do with that?”
Before this trip, she hadn’t, but spending time with her had already been giving him things to think about. He really liked her. “She’s lived there all her life, and I love being near the beach.” Two total truths.
“Well, you better have a big enough place for Mom and Dad. When you start having kids, you know she’ll be visiting every chance she gets.”
Hardly, since the relationship wasn’t real. He’d need to find a wife before he even considered having children. Although, children with Reagan didn’t sound too bad. “Let’s get these animals fed. I need to get back and check on Reagan. I don’t need her getting grilled by anyone.”
On their way to the feed room, they stopped at the stall that held the mare and her new baby. The momma whinnied as her baby nursed. It sure was a cute little colt with spindly long legs. Bear talked of letting her out to graze, but with it being so chilly that morning, he opted to keep her in until it was warmer.
The chores took longer than Hunter planned, but that’s what he got for being gone so long and underestimating the number of animals they needed to feed. After they were all taken care of, they returned to the house. As they stepped through the back door, voices filtered out of the kitchen. One was unmistakably Reagan’s. Hopefully, she didn’t feel thrown to the wolves.
When they entered the kitchen, Reagan was hunched over a cup of coffee. She wasn’t gagging, so most likely Bandit had fixed it.
Hunter crossed the room and stopped next to her. “I’m sorry. I was helping Bear feed the horses.”
His mom and Bandit were working together on Thanksgiving dinner. Hunter wasn’t sure what to think of that. He loved his mom, but after that coffee, he wasn’t sure he could ever trust her around food again.
“Yep, my fault he wasn’t here,” Bear replied. He grabbed a cup and poured himself some coffee. “See you folks in a bit. I’m gonna go get washed up.” He chugged his drink and left the kitchen.
“Wow, that’s a different way to enjoy coffee,” Reagan said through a laugh.
“I think he pours it directly into his stomach,” Hunter said, slipping onto the stool next to Reagan. “You okay?”
“I’m fine. And good morning to you.” She smiled at him. Man, she was some kind of beautiful of a morning: a cute set of pajamas, no makeup, and her hair a little disheveled as it spilled over her shoulders.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he said without an ounce of hesitation. He pushed her hair back and pressed a kiss to her forehead. It was as natural and normal as breathing. When he leaned back, her wide eyes were locked with his.
A breath later, she touched his cheek and jerked her hand back. “You’re freezing. I’ll get you a cup of coffee. Bandit was busy, so I made it.”
“You don’t have to do that. I can get it.”
“Stay,” she said as she slipped off the stool. “I can get you some. Cream and sugar, right?”
How did she know that? They’d talked about a lot of things, but he couldn’t remember anything about coffee. “Yeah, the sweeter the better.”
“You s-s-still drink it that way?” Bandit asked.
“Yes,” Hunter answered, and moments later, a steaming cup of coffee was slid in front of him. Wrapping his hands around the mug, he let the warmth thaw his fingers. “Oh, smells good.” He took a sip and wilted. “Oh, babe, thisisgood.”
