Page 62 of Chasing Home

“The basic things. Kind of like what I’m doing for the Steeles. Budget planning, advise on large purchases.”

I hum. “Did you enjoy it?”

“Enough that I worked there for six years.”

“Would you have stayed there if you hadn’t come here?”

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

Sensing that I’m approaching one of her walls, I switch topics. “Are you close with your mom?”

“Do I get to ask you any questions, or do you just get to ask me them?”

I flash her a smile. “You can ask me anything you want.”

“What are your mothers’ names? Eliza mentioned that you have two.”

“Goin’ right for my heart, I see,” I tease while we pass the ranch house. “Jennifer and Rachel. They’re two of the best people you’ll ever meet.”

“How do they feel about having so many daughters and only one son? You’re a bit outnumbered,” she says with a soft curl of her mouth.

“A bit outnumbered? Try a lot. I know more about periods and acrylic nails than I do cattle.”

“So, does that mean you aren’t one of those guys that gets sent to the store to buy tampons and has to send a thousand pictures of the different kinds for approval before finally grabbing one?”

I glance across the dash and wink at her. When I look ahead again, we’re approaching the Steele Ranch gate. “Nah, gorgeous. You send me out, and I’ll come back with all the top-of-the-line products, plus everything else you’ll need. No picture sending necessary.”

“That’s a big promise,” she muses.

“And one I can fulfill.”

“We’ll see.”

My stomach tries to shoot up through my throat at her answer. It takes all my focus to turn out of the ranch onto the second gravel road leading to the highway.

“You say that as if I’ll get a chance to prove it to you.”

Her smirk is coy and makes my cock stiffen in my jeans. I shift in my seat and attempt to subtly adjust my hard-on.

“We’ve only been on one date,” she points out.

“And your porch is nowhere near finished.”

“Exactly.”

I laugh, feeling it deep in my gut. “Let me take you out properly, Rory.”

“I don’t need to be taken out. I liked being at home.”

“You deserve to be wined and dined.”

She snorts, the noise drawing my attention. I cock a brow when she rolls her eyes at me. “I’m a homebody. In case you haven’t noticed, people aren’t really my specialty. It’s easier to feel like myself at home.”

“Okay, do you have anything in mind, then?”

“Surprise me.”

Two words have never sounded so exciting. “That’s a dangerous request to make of a guy like me.”