Page 7 of A Cowboy Holiday

I almost spit out my wine. The cute brunet with freckles and a shy smile wasn’t the type to offer X-rated suggestions, and I honestly didn’t know what to say.

“I…uh.” I wiped my mouth and blinked like an owl. “You want us to…have…sex?”

Rich winced, slouching in his chair. “Nope. Never mind. That was embarrassing.”

“No, no. It’s—I’m just surprised,” I fumbled.

“I know. Sorry. Let’s drop it.” He lifted the menu to hide his face.

“Rich…” I waited for him to lower the menu to continue. “We can’t do that.”

“Are you seeing someone?”

“No, that’s not it.” I ran my thumb through the condensation on my water glass and hoped I wouldn’t get this wrong. “I think…I think we made the right choice.”

He bit his lip so hard, his jaw trembled. “Really? ’Cause I think I blew it. I wish I hadn’t pushed you or made demands or?—”

“Hey. Don’t do that.” I reached across the table and squeezed Rich’s hand. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Then think about it,” he said, pulling away, his gaze glued to the menu. “Did you see that our Pinot is listed as the pick of the week? They’ve even included pairing suggestions. ‘Goes well with the tenderloin, filet mignon, and…’ ”

I tuned him out, my mind reeling.

And a few days later, I was still spinning.

I was restless, too. My brain wandered to places it had no business going, and I couldn’t refocus. But I wasn’t thinking about Rich. At least not in terms of rekindling a physical relationship.

No…I was thinking about Axel, and the job I’d planned to offer him, wondering if I’d developed a strange habit of shitting where I ate.

Look, I should never have gotten involved with an employee in the first place. Sure, Rich and I’d known each other in college, but once we’d become romantically involved, I should have been better about boundaries. I supposed I’d gotten caught up in a vision of recreating what my parents had once had. Unfortunately, the spark had been lacking or our timing had been off or…something.

Rich had pointed it out, and somehow thought the solution was marriage. I’d disagreed and we’d parted ways. A year had passed, and I’d thought we’d navigated the breakup as well as could be expected. But now…it felt as if we were back at square one.

Or…

Could it really be just sex?

No.

No way. It was never “just sex.”

And jerking off to naughty thoughts about an ornery stranger I’d probably never see again was equally futile.

I was an idiot, and no doubt my friends would agree. Not that I’d tell anyone.

I saved my philosophical musing for the goats.

The barn echoed with the sound of bleating goats climbing bales of hay or butting horns. I homed in on the newborn kids huddled near their watchful mama while Steve the potbellied pig lurked in the corner, half-asleep and seemingly lost.

Nelly caught my gaze from her straw bed and wordlessly beckoned me with the slightest bend of her neck. I loved animals, but goats ranked in my top three for sure. They were smart, playful, and funny enough, they were excellent communicators. And they were bossy, too.

Not that I minded. Nel and I had something like a symbiotic relationship. She’d taken a shine to me from the day she was born. She used to follow me home and wander around the kitchen, begging for food scraps. Occasionally, she’d hop onto a chair and yap away like a child riding a wicked sugar high.

These days, Nelly had bigger concerns. She was the proud new mama of twins, a boy and a girl. The kids were a week old now, and they were doing well. Thankfully, the birth had gone without a hitch. Hudson and I had handled it while Jax, Waylen, and our staff had dealt with the new herd. I probably should have helped with the cattle, but Nelly was my girl, and my partners and our team were more than qualified to welcome the new animals.

Don’t get me wrong. It had still been a fuckton of work. Each cow had to be processed, and records had to be created. It wasn’t difficult, but it was arduous and we’d needed every hand on deck. In an amusing twist, we’d recruited a few people fromthe winery and two waiters from the restaurant at the lodge with farming experience to help.

Yes, Oak Ridge Ranch had a wineryanda lodge with spa service, elegant dining, and five-star accommodations. We were also a working dairy and agricultural farm. Pretty sweet, huh?