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“So, this town was established by Willam G. Weston in 1886. He moved out west from Ohio,” Ryker explains, starting to ramble. “He loved the people out here, so he decided to live here. Honestly, everyone in Weston is really nice. It’s a wonderful little town.”
“Will there be a quiz at the end of this? Just want to know if I need to take notes,” I sarcastically ask him.
“Are you going to draw on your notebook our initials with a heart around it? Replace your last name with mine? Zoey Holliday. Practice your signature for when we’re married?” Ryker smiles and laughs. God, he’s so frustrating. “Anyway, before I was so rudely interrupted, Weston was a rancher too. He loved this area so much that he bought land and established the Weston Ranch. Later on, this area became the Weston you know and love.”
He winks at me, making the same clacking noise with his tongue that he did in the restaurant.
“His ranch is not too far from ours, which is about ten minutes from the town. We’re technically neighbors, the Holliday and Weston ranches. The Westons are good people. Our families have been friends for decades. They’re mostly a horse ranch, and we’re a cattle ranch. We have other animals on the ranch, and a few dogs and cats. A couple of times a month, we have a weekend where kids can come and visit with the animals. Go on horse rides, feel some of the others. They enjoy it. I think you’ll like it there.”
“Yeah, it sounds nice.” We fall into a silence. I turn to stare out the window again. As the small buildings turn into open landscapes, my thoughts go to my life I knew before I lost myself.
I remember when I was a little kid, I always had dreams of becoming a teacher. There was something about watching kids learn that made me feel proud, happy even. When I got older, I knew elementary school was where I wanted to be. They were these little personalities that were so interesting to teach and learn from.
Until I had to give it up.
My heart was broken the day Mitch told me I needed to leave my career. I wanted to fight it, but I knew it was useless. I loved him, and he thought it was best. Even after talking with my parents, they agreed with Mitch. There was nothing I could do. So, I left teaching.
I cried for days. I felt like a piece of me was ripped from my heart. Mitch insisted it would get better, but it never did.
As I thought about it, if I worked on the ranch, I could possibly help with teaching the kids about the ranch. Well, I’d have a lot to learn myself at first, but it’s a possibility. Maybe I could feel a little like myself by doing that.
The car turns, and it snaps me from my thoughts. I see a sign on the side of the road as we turn.Holliday Ranch. Looking out the front window, my mouth drops. The ranch is freaking beautiful. Mountains lay far in the distance beneath the blue sky, and the sun illuminates wide, grassy areas full of animals.
“We even have a small little lake at the back of the property near my house.” Ryker turns to me smiling, knowing that I’m already falling in love with what’s around me.
“This is so beautiful.” Sitting up straighter, I try to take in everything. I roll down the window as Ryker slowly drives along the road. The wind whips my hair around, and I look up at the endless mountains. This isn’t a view I’d see in New York.
We continue a little ways down the gravel road before I see a beautiful ranch house come into view.
“That right there’s my parents’ house. That house has been in our family for sixty years. It’s had a lot of work done over the years and expansions and remodels, but it’s still ours,” Ryker says with pride. “Also if you look over there across from the house, you can see our little store. My mom usually works there. Town folk come up and get some fresh food from the ranch every day. It’s not much, but the community loves it.”
As we get closer, I can see the main house in greater detail. The exterior is painted white, and the front door is a stark contrast, being a bright royal blue color. A wrap-around porch holds a cute little swing, and a border collie wags its tail as soon as it spots Ryker’s car.
“That’s Dog under the swing there,” Ryker says as he parks the SUV.
“Aw, I see that. What’s the pup’s name?”
He deadpans. “Dog.”
“Dog? You named your dog, Dog?” My eyebrows shoot up.
“Well, long story short, we all couldn’t agree on a name. And since it took so long to find a name, Dog was used to just being called ‘Dog.’ So, ‘Dog’ it was. The other dog’s name is ‘You’. She’s a golden retriever.” Ryker gives me an incredibly sexy smile that makes my stomach flutter a little.
“Let me guess, couldn’t decide on a name, so ‘Hey You’ stuck?”
“You catch on pretty fast,” he teases.
“So, is your cat named Kitty?”
He shakes his head, growing serious. “No, his name is Bear.”
There’s nothing I can say to that, so I simply shake my head and hop out of the SUV. As I wait for Ryker to make his way over to me, I see a woman coming out of the front door of the house.
“Ryker! My boy!” she yells as she comes running over.
“Hi, Ma.” He hugs his mom and gives her a kiss. He holds her tight for a moment and then lets her go to turn to me.
“Ma, this here is Zoey Krause. Zo, this is my mom, Jennifer Holliday.” Jennifer’s absolutely beautiful. She has chestnut hair and caramel eyes. She’s a little taller than my five-foot-three stature, but we both look miniature standing next to Ryker.