my ex-brother-in-law. And like your mom, I headed out to do some traveling. I didn’t go to Bali though.”
“Where did you go?”
“Let’s see . . . I started out by going to New York to visit some friends. Hung out for a few months.” He’d had a lot of firsts in New York, including his first experience with a man. “Then I went to Spain a while. England. Italy. I was in Japan for a time. I’d been consulting with an old friend who ranches beef and he invited me to stay with him. Learned a hell of a lot. The quakes happened when I was there. I gotta tell you, I’ve never been quite so freaked out to be on an island. When I left I visited my parents in Oakland for a while. My sister lives in Eugene so I visited her and all my nephews. She’s got five kids, all boys. I don’t know how she makes it through each day.” But he’d loved every minute of the total and utter chaos of his sister’s home. Loved his rough-and-tumble nephews.
“Wow, I’m envious of all that great stuff.”
He clinked his wineglass to hers. “It was great stuff, yes. I met so many wonderful people. Experienced things I’d never imagined before. Hell, before my divorce I’d never been out of the country. I like travel. But I like roots too. So my grandmother passed and my parents and my aunt were trying to get my granddad to move in with one of them and give up the farm. But that’s his home, you know? I came out for the funeral and the wake and he and I had a long talk about his future and the future of the farm. He asked me if I’d be willing to come out and stay on, help him run the place, take over when the time came. I’ve got a lot of ideas, things I’d like to try. The land means a lot to me. Working the farm with my granddad means a lot to me. And then you.” He nodded. “Yes, this is all good too.” He was a blunt man. He didn’t like games or pretending he wasn’t interested when he was. He wanted her to know up front what his expectations were.
She blushed and against the candlelight she looked even more beautiful.
• • •
Though she was dying to know more about the divorce and his ex, she restrained herself from asking. Though they’d known each other as kids, they had a lot of getting to know each other to do. He’d tell her at some point, she figured, and as long as he wasn’t still into his ex, it would be fine.
“Why aren’t you married, Juliet?”
She loved it that he used her full name. It sounded so sexy from his lips.
She shrugged. “No one’s asked. I’ve been busy running a business. I haven’t had a lot of time to do much more than get up early, bake all day and go to sleep. I’m in no hurry.”
“Can’t imagine why any man would let himself be sidetracked by your schedule if he really wanted you. And I can’t imagine any man not wanting you.”
She gulped and resisted the urge to fan herself.
There was an intensity about Gideon. Even with the aw-shucks manners and his laid-back demeanor, he looked at her like he meant it. He spoke to her like he listened to her, with all his attention. It rendered her slightly breathless and giddy. It felt pretty awesome.
“Does this mean you’re not going to get sidetracked by my schedule?” Flirting with him also came very easily. Oh, he was a man, a good-looking one so he would be well versed in bullshit as they tended to be. But he wasn’t phoning it in with her. He meant what he said, which made it all even more delicious.
“Oh no. I don’t let myself get sidetracked by much. Most especially when I want something. I don’t get spooked by getting up at four thirty. Or by successful, intelligent women who are independent. Especially when they’re as beautiful as the one I’m looking at right now.”
“You’re really good at this stuff.”
He grinned and it melted her insides. Cripes.
“I’m good at a lot of things. I can fix broken toilets. I know how to run a cattle ranch. I can ride horses and repair screen
“Where did you go?”
“Let’s see . . . I started out by going to New York to visit some friends. Hung out for a few months.” He’d had a lot of firsts in New York, including his first experience with a man. “Then I went to Spain a while. England. Italy. I was in Japan for a time. I’d been consulting with an old friend who ranches beef and he invited me to stay with him. Learned a hell of a lot. The quakes happened when I was there. I gotta tell you, I’ve never been quite so freaked out to be on an island. When I left I visited my parents in Oakland for a while. My sister lives in Eugene so I visited her and all my nephews. She’s got five kids, all boys. I don’t know how she makes it through each day.” But he’d loved every minute of the total and utter chaos of his sister’s home. Loved his rough-and-tumble nephews.
“Wow, I’m envious of all that great stuff.”
He clinked his wineglass to hers. “It was great stuff, yes. I met so many wonderful people. Experienced things I’d never imagined before. Hell, before my divorce I’d never been out of the country. I like travel. But I like roots too. So my grandmother passed and my parents and my aunt were trying to get my granddad to move in with one of them and give up the farm. But that’s his home, you know? I came out for the funeral and the wake and he and I had a long talk about his future and the future of the farm. He asked me if I’d be willing to come out and stay on, help him run the place, take over when the time came. I’ve got a lot of ideas, things I’d like to try. The land means a lot to me. Working the farm with my granddad means a lot to me. And then you.” He nodded. “Yes, this is all good too.” He was a blunt man. He didn’t like games or pretending he wasn’t interested when he was. He wanted her to know up front what his expectations were.
She blushed and against the candlelight she looked even more beautiful.
• • •
Though she was dying to know more about the divorce and his ex, she restrained herself from asking. Though they’d known each other as kids, they had a lot of getting to know each other to do. He’d tell her at some point, she figured, and as long as he wasn’t still into his ex, it would be fine.
“Why aren’t you married, Juliet?”
She loved it that he used her full name. It sounded so sexy from his lips.
She shrugged. “No one’s asked. I’ve been busy running a business. I haven’t had a lot of time to do much more than get up early, bake all day and go to sleep. I’m in no hurry.”
“Can’t imagine why any man would let himself be sidetracked by your schedule if he really wanted you. And I can’t imagine any man not wanting you.”
She gulped and resisted the urge to fan herself.
There was an intensity about Gideon. Even with the aw-shucks manners and his laid-back demeanor, he looked at her like he meant it. He spoke to her like he listened to her, with all his attention. It rendered her slightly breathless and giddy. It felt pretty awesome.
“Does this mean you’re not going to get sidetracked by my schedule?” Flirting with him also came very easily. Oh, he was a man, a good-looking one so he would be well versed in bullshit as they tended to be. But he wasn’t phoning it in with her. He meant what he said, which made it all even more delicious.
“Oh no. I don’t let myself get sidetracked by much. Most especially when I want something. I don’t get spooked by getting up at four thirty. Or by successful, intelligent women who are independent. Especially when they’re as beautiful as the one I’m looking at right now.”
“You’re really good at this stuff.”
He grinned and it melted her insides. Cripes.
“I’m good at a lot of things. I can fix broken toilets. I know how to run a cattle ranch. I can ride horses and repair screen
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