Page 56 of Forever Enough
He nodded. “It is. So far the weather looks good, I don’t think we’ll have any surprise storms. That request you made has been done, as well.”
“Thanks so much, Will. I owe you one.”
Will tipped his hat at me and started for the ranch truck.
Taking the reins, I looked at Mackenzie. “Feel comfortable? Do we need to adjust the stirrups or anything?”
“Nope,” she said with a smile and shake of her head. “Feels great.”
“Let’s head off. I’ve got a surprise for you.”
Her eyes lit up, and I couldn’t help but smile. So, my girl liked surprises, did she? I’d have to keep that in the front of my mind for the future.
Chapter Eleven
MACKENZIE
I wasn’t sure if my heart was beating so hard from what Bradly had whispered to me in the barn, or from the surrounding beauty. Someone had come out and cleared the trail, so the horses weren’t having to walk in deep snow. I was guessing it was done at Bradly’s request, since he’d asked Will if the trail had been cleared.
Glancing around, I couldn’t help but sigh. Pure white snow covered the open pastures. We passed a few horses and cattle, and when they lifted their heads to watch us walk by, I laughed.
“They’re covered in snow! Sweet babies.”
Chief, Bradly’s horse, had a much heavier coat than Barkley did, since she was used to being in a barn at night, and Chief was clearly out to pasture at night by the looks of that coat.
“How long have you had Chief?” I asked.
“Six years now. He’s a great horse. I miss him when I’m gone, but Will takes good care of him for me.”
“You and Will seem to know one another well.”
Bradly smiled. “Yeah, we went to high school together. Our first job was working on the cattle ranch together. Dad hired me, Will, and our other friend, Duke, when we were fourteen. Will and Duke loved working with the cattle so much, they’ve stayed on as ranch hands. They’re my best friends, and I know there isn’t anything they wouldn’t do for my dad. My mom and Uncle Michael as well.”
I nodded. “Duke has helped on the farm a lot. Well, he has since I’ve been working there. Lou said his sudden interest in the farm is surprising.”
Bradly frowned. “Duke’s been helping on the farm? Doing what?”
Shrugging, I said, “This past fall, he helped Michael harvest the corn. He’s also planning on helping him in the spring with the planting.”
When Bradly didn’t say anything, I looked at him. “Is he not supposed to be helping on the farm?”
“His job is on the cattle ranch, with his own responsibilities. So he’s either passing them off to someone else—like Will—or he’s damn good at time management.”
“I’m not sure. He seems very interested in how things grow and asks a lot of questions.”
“Really?” Bradly said. Even I could hear the disbelief in his voice.
Tilting my head, I asked, “You don’t think he’s interested in farming?”
“I mean, I guess he could be. He hasn’t ever mentioned it to me before.”
We rode along in silence before Bradly asked, “Is he coming around more than what he should be? I mean, he doesn’t work for the farm.”
Turning to look at him, I let out a disbelieving laugh. “You’re not suggesting he’s only doing it because of me, are you?”
“Yeah, I am.”
“That’s crazy, Bradly.”