"How do you want your steak, sweet thang?" Ford grinned at his date. He was actually on a date and having a damn good time. It still felt like he was living somebody else's life.
"Medium well," she leaned closer to the grill, closer to him.
He shook his head. City girls. "You want me to burn it?" he teased just to hear her giggle. "If I cook this past medium-rare, it'd be a crime. They'll throw me out of the Cattleman's."
"Well, I wouldn't want to cause you to lose your membership. I just prefer it not to still be mooing."
For some ridiculous reason that he had no hope of figuring out, Ford made a low bellowed noise, precisely like cattle, when he turned the steaks on the grill. He did make certain only she could hear him. He hoped. When she doubled over laughing and clutching at her chest, he decided being an idiot was worth it if he could keep her laughing like that. Honest to god, he couldn't recall the last time he'd just been stupid with someone. He loved the intimacy of it. If he'd done something like that with his ex, she would've called him a dumbass and told him to stop embarrassing her. But Callie's hearty laughter surged life's blood through his veins. She laughed hard enough to draw laughter from him as well.
"You have a great laugh," he informed her.
Her eyes all but disappeared again as she gave him a megawatt grin. "You have a great moo."
He'd laughed more in the last five minutes than he had in the last five years. "I do have a fair amount of experience listening to it."
"I'm really excited about taking pictures on the ranch if you're still okay with that. I'd like to add them to my portfolio before I..." she clamped her mouth shut.
"Before you what, baby?"
"Nothing."
Ford didn't care for that at all. He'd lived too many lies, kept too many things locked tight behind his jaw. "I thought we were going to be honest with each other."
A bolt of pain flashed in those eyes of hers. "Sorry. I was going to say before I send the second installation to Nina Morales. But...something about that felt weird to say."
Did that mean she was rethinking New York? He couldn't possibly allow her to do that. Christ, not because of him. And that one lie he was still living resurfaced in his head. The one that had kept him sane for the past few days. They barely knew each other. But that really wasn't true. How the hell did he feel so close to her? "Uh," he forced a nod, "I can help you get some good shots. Tell you where to stand and all of that. I want to help you, like I said."
"That would be great."
"Do you want to get started tomorrow morning?"
"I'd love to, but I can't stay with you tonight. Nana would...well you probably know what she'd say and how she'd worry."
"We're taking this slowly, remember? Let me at least get Nana to like me a little before I go and blow it by keeping you tied to my bed." Once again, he lamented his choice of words. Where did things like that keep coming from? His lips parted on an apology, but the intrigue in her eyes kept him from verbalizing it.
"That sounds very interesting," she whispered before she took another slow sip of her Old Fashioned and glanced away from him. Heat climbed from between her lush breasts to her cheeks in seductive swirls. Whether it was the alcohol or embarrassment at what she'd just said, he wasn't certain, but he intended to find out.
He cleared his throat and began plating their food. "I can come pick you up in the morning."
"What time?"
"I need to be on horseback by five thirty."
"You mean like five thirty in the morning? But...I'm not even sure my coffee maker works that early. The sun isn't even up then."
His grin expanded further. "The sun not being out is what makes it great. It's cooler out, and like I said there's not a prettier sunrise anywhere than on horseback on Holder Ranch."
"Oh, I have no idea how to ride a horse. I'd just slow you down." Fear perforated her excuses.
He set her plate in front of her and then took the seat beside her. He lifted her chin with his hand until she had nowhere to look but in his eyes. "I'm about to do that thing where I say something that could be considered kind of crude."
Her cheeks slipped along the calluses of his fingertips as she smiled. "Say it anyway."
"I'll teach you how to ride, baby. Whenever you're ready. And I won't let you fall."
She managed to nod against his palm. He slowly returned his hand to his own lap as she asked, "Is it okay if it's not tomorrow? Learning to ride a horse while taking pictures seems like a lot to manage."
"Of course. I'd never force you to do anything you don't want to do. I'll get my brothers to pick up my slack, and I'll take you out in the truck."
"I don't want your brothers not to like me," slipped from her mouth as she speared a piece of steak with her fork.
"They'll be fine. Don't worry about it." He'd catch hell for loading them with more work, but she was worth it. The absence of her skin from his hand stung. Without thought he returned his touch to her thigh under the lace of that dress. Her breath gave a slight hitch. Her reactions to his every touch continued to shred his resolve to take this slowly. He was clinging to a cliff with one hand.
A waitress carrying a water pitcher interrupted their moment. "Can I get you something else from the bar or refill your waters?"
Ford turned and offered Tammy Decker a nod. Her family lived on the outskirts of Holder County. He wondered how long she'd been working out here. "I'll just take some more water." He lifted his eyebrows to Callie in question.
"Me too. Just some water please."
Tammy refilled their glasses and then set the water pitcher down. "You know, Ford, I just have to tell you I think it's great that you've moved on from Meritt so fast...even if she is awfully young."
Before he could come up with any kind of appropriate response to that, not that there was one, Tammy whisked away to refill more glasses.