by Jillian Hart
Not that she was thinking that far ahead yet. She'd learned not to rush headlong, acting on a surge of feelings. That had been one of her mistakes with Skip, her very ex-boyfriend.
But her hopes returned, and she relaxed back into her seat. "Because as much as I was looking forward to seeing you, right now I wish I had my keyboard."
"Because you'd be more comfortable typing to me. I know just how you feel." He studied her as if she were the only woman in the world who could ever really interest him.
Well, how about that? Wasn't that a nice change? He didn't glance out the window at another car driving by, look around, check the time on his phone. He watched her.
Only her.
His lopsided grin was endearing. "If I was at my computer right now, I'd be typing away asking you all kinds of things."
"Like what?"
"Like how your morning went? Did you get those cookies baked for your Sunday school class? Have you taken one look at me and tossed me strictly in the what-an-idiot category?" His slow spreading, laid back grin did remarkable things to his face. It softened the sharp lines of cheekbones and jaw, turning him from handsome to stunning.
What his smile did to her was even more amazing. Little sweet sparkles popped to life deep in her soul, something she'd never felt before.
"My morning was a flurry," she answered. "My mom stopped by. Again. She worries way too much about me. I've become her latest project. As for your other questions, yes, I baked cookies last night and no, I wouldn't use 'idiot' as a word to describe you."
"Then things are looking up."
"How about you? How was your morning? Did you help with feeding the cattle before you left? How's Kate's paw?" She could almost imagine herself typing those questions onto her screen, awaiting his reply a little breathlessly.
But she liked asking him in person much better. She took in the little things about him, like the way he tilted his head when he thought. The little frown in the left corner of his mouth before he answered. The little puff of a chuckle that preceded his words.
"My morning started early. I was up at four to help load the trucks, but Alex insisted on doing the rest of the work. Kate's paw is better. I leave the tv on for her. She enjoys game shows and soaps and action adventure movies."
"That's sounds like fun for her." She loved hearing about his life, trying to imagine the grassy fields, cattle and horses grazing and Kate keeping him company. It was easy to picture Cord and his dog out in the sunny meadows together. He was a big man, impressive and strong. Her heart gave a small jump of admiration.
"I had to admit I was in a sweat driving to the airport to catch my flight." His confession was good-natured, and the bashful shrug of his iron shoulders was breath-stealing. He didn't seem to know how attractive he was. "Talking about coming here and actually doing it, are two different things. Guess you know by now I'm sweet on you."
"You have to know I'm a little sweet on you." That spark of connection she'd felt online with him returned like a blazing comet lighting up the sky.
But her pulse rattled with wariness because her heart was still pretty battered from Skip, but she couldn't turn down this chance with Cord. It felt God given.
Men like him didn't come around often in a woman's life. If he was half as good as he seemed, then she couldn't ask for more.
"That's good to hear." He blew out a breath as if he'd been holding it, worried about her answer. As if any woman wouldn't fall for him. Why had he been worrying about her liking him? Perhaps one of the biggest attractions about the man was he didn't seem to know how cool he was.
He opened the door, went to tip his hat to her again and chuckled at himself when he found it wasn't there. His self-deprecating humor hooked her heart every time.
"Guess I should get checked in and settled." He unfolded his muscled frame and stood, impressive in the sunlight. "Our plans are still on?"
"I'll be back in an hour," she promised. "Hope you're hungry."
"Starving. I was too nervous to eat breakfast."
"Me too." She laughed now, feeling the sun on her face and the hope rising in her heart. Not too fast, she told that hope, reaching down to pop the trunk lid lever. Would this work out?
She didn't know, but things definitely looked promising.
She watched him in the rearview as he closed the trunk lid. There was something country strong about him, an essence she couldn't define. Maybe it was in his movements, slow and sure, as if he had all the time in the world, as if he owned all the confidence there was. A man comfortable with himself and his abilities.
That totally got to her, too. His gray tee rippled slightly in the wind, emphasizing his strength and manliness. She wasn't the only one who noticed. A pair of women walked by, watching him in obvious appreciation.
To his credit, he didn't notice. His eyes caught hers in the mirror, as powerful as a touch. One nod, that's all it took for her to understand. He would miss her and he'd be waiting when she returned.
She put the car in gear and motored away, doing her best to keep her eyes ahead of her where she was going and not drifting to the mirror to the man watching her go.
Please let this work out, Lord. She feared if it didn't, she would never be the same. Cord Armstrong had the potential to break her heart for good.
3
"This is amazing." He leaned against the ferry's rails, the wind tousling his dark hair, standing so tall and strong with the glistening blue waters in the background. It was like gazing up at a dream.
Emily tamped down the wish rising up, unbidden from her heart. It was best to take this slow, right? So, why weren't her emotions listening?
It was a mystery. Maybe it was impossible.
Enjoying the moment, she felt the summer breeze trip across her skin, fan her bangs and tousle her hair, making her feel exhilarated standing at his side. Hard to believe this was actually happening, they were really here together. Summer glittered all around them, as if heaven approved.
"Do I know how to sightsee or what?" she asked.
"Absolutely. I'm lucky to have such a great tour guide." He lightly shoulder-bumped her. "And to be here."
"Right. Me too." Little tingles popped to life in her stomach, part nerves and part hope. "Maybe it's a new way to spend my summers. Guiding tourists around?"
"Maybe."
"Good to know if the executive thing doesn't work out, I have a job to fall back on."
"Exactly." With a grin, he gazed out at the great expanse of water. The disappearing Seattle skyline where skyscrapers winked in the sun stood proudly against a background of emerald green hillsides and stunning mountain peaks. "What do you usually do with your summers?"
"Basically, they are the same as the rest of the year." She laughed at that idea. "I work indoors all day, long days and most Saturdays. There have been weeks at a time where I didn't even really realize it was summer."
"Not at all like being a rancher."
"Exactly."
They smiled together.
"I'm outdoors all the time. I can't escape it. In summer we're good, the cattle and horses graze, we supplement with grain and let them enjoy their peaceful meadows. They get all kinds of attention."
"I can imagine. How fun."
"I have a lot of fun on the ranch. Mostly, I get haying done and it's a good life out in the sunshine. The winters are cold. I mean, snow and wind and a blizzard or two. Right now, I prefer this. I love summer."
Right now, she did too.
The ferry chugged across the glassy waters where a few pleasure boats bobbed on lapping waves. The warm sun glossed everything with a summery sparkle.
Caring filtered through her, as glittery as the sunshine on the water. She had this opportunity to get to know Cord. She thanked God for it. She liked his shyness, his quiet strength and his humor. Affection lifted her up, and she laid her hand on the rail next to his, full of hope.
"I spend my entire vacation every summer just resting up. Usually I take it a
fter my summer convention trip, which is coming up pretty soon."
"Oh, yeah? Is it a work thing?"
"Yes. This year it's in Atlanta."
"You must travel a lot."
"Depends." She kept it light, glad her heart felt as if it were opening more, becoming deeper than it had ever been. "Sometimes I take a trip somewhere with my family. Last trip we took was to Hawaii, and that is always fun. My mom and sister had to drag me everywhere because I would rather read on the pool deck than go shopping. But the sightseeing was fun."
"Did you see a volcano? I liked that the best."
"Oh, you get away from the ranch now and again?"
"Now and again. I loved the helicopter tour of the island. I paid my respects at Pearl Harbor."
"I did, too. Very much so." She fell silent, remembering the memorial. Now, she gazed out at the water and thought of all the blessings she had. And thought of those who made it possible.
Cord fell silent. Likely he did, too. Then he cleared his throat. "I spend my off time reading. Sometimes I don't wait. I've been known to haul out my paperback, these days my electronic reader, and sit wherever I am. That's when a book really has me."
"You read wherever you are, huh?"
"In the barn, in the field, in the tractor. If the cattle are around or the horses, they come over to investigate. What is that thing I'm holding and is it edible? I've lost many a good paperback that way. Broke one of my readers when Bullet stole it from me and tossed it. It landed in the water trough, after bouncing off the side of the stable. He thought it was hilarious, my brother laughed until he busted a rib. It was cartoon quality funny. I had to buy another kindle."
"I've got nothing that can compare to that. I just sit quietly and read a book. Nothing happens. Once I dropped it and that was all. It landed on the carpet. Once, the huge pile of books stacked on my dining room table fell over when I bumped the edge of the table vacuuming."
"You live an exciting life, Emily."
"It's a thrill a minute."
His hand moved an inch on the rail to cover hers. The connection felt like a blaze of comfort. And like something that was meant to be.
Hard to think past the twist of her heart. His touch jolted through her, so sweet and right, she'd never known anything like it.
How could one man's touch be so different? Feel so life-changing?
And what had they been talking about? Oh, right. Her summers. She cleared her throat, trying to sound unaffected, just a calm, cool chick beside a handsome dude watching the water go by.
They enjoyed the peace together as a seagull flew by. The emerald rise of an island grew closer as the ferry trudged along. Seattle lay behind them, a sparkling jewel of grays and steels hugging the shoreline, of green patches and sapphire sky.
"It's beautiful here. You must love living here."
"It's stunning scenery, isn't it? I spend most of my time in my office where I can't see it." She laughed. "What about you? Did you always want to be a rancher?"
"Since before I could walk. I wanted to grow up just like my dad and granddad." Cord's deep emotion lingered in his voice, like notes in a song, and he fell quiet.
It was easy to feel the true colors of him. The truth of who he was.
"We haven't had much of a chance to talk about family much," she ventured.
Another shrug. "We have all the time in the world."
"True."
"I grew up near Gresham, Oregon," she added, remembering the tiny bit he'd told her about his growing up years. "I, too, grew up where I had room to run in fields full of daisies. I got to grow up slow, in a sweet place where family watched over me."
"Me too. Nine months out of the year I'd walk to the county road, not too far, with my brother and we'd wait for the school bus to chug along. I'd come back late in the day packing homework to do, library books to read and dreams of going to a big city. I used to dream big."
"And you chose to ranch instead?"
"I liked the life I had in California, after I got my degree. But Dad got hurt, so I went back home to help out. That's when I decided to stay for good. I hadn't realized that in pursing one dream, I'd given up another. One I didn't even notice at the time."
"You love the ranch and the animals."
"I do. I love the land. I love my family. It's all connected. I got the restlessness out of me, I accomplished my own thing. But what I'd left behind was still there, and the time came to go back to my life in Sacramento and I figured hey, what I really wanted was family."
"I know how that feels. I was lucky that my parents moved to Seattle eventually. They loved this area, and all the visits when I was at the university here ended up in a permanent move for them when I got into grad school."
"Those ties, that's what matters."
Her hand, small and delicate beneath his much larger one, much tougher one, remained. He didn't move away. She didn't.
"True," she said. "I am blessed to have the family I do."
Her caring spirit was the loveliest part of her. An adorable little crinkle furrowed across her forehead. "But don't tell my sister that. She can be a pain, at least that's what I tell her to keep her in line."
"I do the same to my brother."
"They need to stay humble. It's our job to do it." Her quip came gently and made him smile.
She did something to his heart that had never been done before. It was all he could to do keep from drawing her into his arms. He swallowed hard to clear away the emotion, but it remained, a mix of gratitude and wish. Emily was everything he'd prayed she would be. Beautiful, kind, compassionate. Too good to be true. "Tell me about your parents."
"Mom is all over my life, she just won't stay out of it, and I like it that way. My dad is an executive, about ready to retire, so that will be a change for both of them. He's one of those hard-working, honest and committed to his family types." Her hand shifted beneath his, not moving away, but opening up.
Cord slipped his fingers between hers, entwining them. "He sounds like you've always been able to count on him."
"Yes. He's there for us, even if he works long hours. Summers, when we were little, my sister and I would surprise him with lunch at his office. We brought either drive-through hamburgers and fries or a picnic basket from home."
"Sounds like fun. Good memories?"
"The best. We had a lot of picnics on the floor of his office. No matter what he was doing, he would put it on hold to give us hugs and his time. In the end, he always worked so hard because he wanted to provide us with a good life and as many advantages as he could. Now, we're trying to encourage them to travel. They always put that off when we were growing up and then in college. We're planning a world tour for them. Cruises, traveling through Europe, and then driving across America to see all the great national parks. We may go with them for part of that."
"Sounds good. They deserve all the fun they can have." Anyone could see the good job they did in raising Emily. Anyone could see just by looking at her she would make a good wife one day.
His chest twisted hard thinking so far ahead. He was over thirty. He'd grown up praying every night that when he was a man, he would have a happy family of his own, as great as his was. That was his dream.
The trouble was, he'd never been able to win the right lady. Seeing how wonderful Emily was only made that fear come to the surface. She was amazing, but was she too good to be true? For all he knew, she might have a dozen other 'friends' on line, men she also corresponded with. He always lost when it came to competing for a lady's heart.
Not this time, Lord. Please, not this time. Emily seemed so right for him, just perfect.
Affection swept through him, shimmering as purely as the blue waters spreading around them.
"Yes, my folks deserve their retirement very much. They both have worked so hard to raise us, that Mom just can't give up." She laughed and tipped back her head, scattering silken locks again, drawing his gaze.
He'd never seen anyone lovelier.
>
"Lately she'd been driving me crazy. Change is hard, but she's holding on with a chokehold. Not that I'm complaining because I am blessed to have her, but, still." She rolled her eyes. Cute. "Mom and me? We're too alike."
"You two must be really close."
"Really close." She laughed. Such a pretty sight. She stared out at the water and not at him, making him wonder if her heartbeat skipped a beat, too. Was she as hopeful as he was that this would work out?
Maybe she saw it, too. Logistics were the problem. He loved his life in Montana. She loved her life here. Yet, he watched emotion turn her eyes solemn.
He met her gaze and stood there, eye to eye, just feeling, just seeing. Lost in her. And he felt hope as bright as sunlight. Emotion filled him up until he couldn't breathe.
"Looks like we're closer to docking." Finally, Emily spoke.
He blinked, not sure how long he'd been gazing into her eyes, into her, but the evergreen island loomed close. Windows of houses winked with the sun's reflection amid dark green trees. Around them folks were heading downstairs to get in their vehicles or toward the front to off load.
"We'd better go get in the car." He kept her hand in his, blown away by the bond between them that grew stronger with every breath he took.
* * *
Lunch consumed and dessert imminent, Cord handed her an ice cream cone. The instant the sugary goodness landed on her tongue, sheer contentment filled her. Already the day had been so perfect.
Back when she'd stared at his question on her computer screen, asking to meet, her heart had screeched to a stop. They'd gotten along so well writing to each other, it felt too good to believe, as if there had to be a catch now. She hadn't imagined staring at those words, that agreeing to meet Cord Armstrong, would be the best decision she'd ever made.
"This is good stuff." He moseyed along beside her, adjusting his long-legged stride to match hers. He was a gentleman that way, holding every door for her, showing her courtesy and respect. "You come here often?"
"Whenever I feel the need to get away." She caught a chocolate drip with her tongue. "It's only a short ferry ride. My grandparents don't live far from here. Isn't it beautiful? I love all the trees."