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Hannah
Hannah couldn’t figure out why she was so filled with doubts and questions after the romantic night with Zander. Time with him seemed to be filled with sweetness and promise. Everything he did was centered around her and she couldn’t figure out why.
She had to stop doubting herself. Stefanie was confident and owned what she did and who she was. Hannah needed to be like that. She could be like that.
She didn’t bring up Nate – regarding Zander asking about him. One thing she’d learned over the years, if someone had integrity, they would tell you what they knew or didn’t know when they were ready and not before.
He had to know how much she needed to know if he’d found anything out. She needed to know, even if it was a no. She could handle it. She just had to know.
For all of Zander’s talk about potential and future, and all of that, he hadn’t brought up the most important topic with her and until he did, she’d probably keep him at arm’s reach. She didn’t know if she could trust him or not, except...
Except... over the next ten days he made that extremely difficult. She couldn’t keep an attentive man at any distance when he charmingly worked to get into her heart.
She rolled over the next morning to find a very carefully picked wild rose left on her window ledge. She always kept her windows open a few inches and he’d slipped the flower under the opening to rest on the sill. Of course, it was from Zander. A small white card had sat beside the flower with a simple Z written in black ink.
Drake kept the men busy and avoided the topic of Zander or the ranch hands when he made it to the table for meals. He seemed to be avoiding the fact that he’d embarrassed Hannah in front of multiple people. Hannah didn’t pursue anything with it. She knew to her family she was just the baby, the one who was always there, the steady one, the one who was constant.
She didn’t want to always be there.
Out in the garden a few days later, she picked raspberries while the sun worked on getting up over the mountain range. The streaking orange and pink rays stretched across the sky and Hannah shivered. Early summer was great in Montana except for the chill of the evening lingering until the sun had fully risen in the sky.
She wore a large sweatshirt over her jeans and had tucked her hair up into a half-hearted bun. Getting out there to pick before any real heat came on later in the day was just an excuse.
She couldn’t sleep.
Thoughts of school and what she was going to do kept her awake. Add to that the insistency in Zander’s eyes while he told her of his dreams for a future with someone to come home to and Hannah was too far away from sleep to be worth anything in her room.
The gate creaked, drawing her gaze away from the plants and the consistent pick-drop rhythm she’d fallen into. That early would be Drake, or so she’d thought.
As if her line of thinking had conjured him, Zander strode toward her, unaffected by the clinging difficulties of the gate. He always seemed so comfortable, no matter where he was. His confidence confused her, like he owned the world. But he was only a ranch hand. They didn’t generally own anything and liked to roam because of that.
The more settled a hand was, the less likely he was to work on crews for any great length of time. If Zander was looking to settle down, he was also looking to leave because he couldn’t live there as a ranch hand and be with her. It would never work.
Her doom and gloom thoughts didn’t transfer to her face as she smiled softly at him. The morning was too early to speak loudly, so she didn’t saw a word as he approached her. The man looked like he could be in a magazine for women called “Cowboy Eye Candy”. Was there such a thing? Because she could see it being a hit.
As he got closer, Hannah turned, offering the bucket toward him for a taste.
He stopped two feet from her, just close enough to make her acutely aware of him but not so close she was uncomfortable with his presence. Somehow, he was thought consuming and a distraction from her normal mundane thoughts – but she’d never tell him that.
“Good morning, Hannah.” He ducked his head to meet her gaze and he smiled, reaching up to tuck hair behind her ear. His simple touch sent shivers down to her toes, but she blamed that on the still cool air.
“Good morning.” She glanced down at the bucket she held aloft. “Did you want to try some?”
“Thank you, we’re about to eat breakfast before we leave for the day. I left my things in the bunk house and I need to go grab them. I just couldn’t stop thinking about you.” His finger lingered by her cheek and he leaned in slowly, pressing his lips to the corner of her mouth, not fast and not slow, just as if he had created his own time zone and was going to lock her in it.
He pulled back. “We’re getting closer to our first official kiss.” He winked. “Have a good day.” He turned and left the way he came. He didn’t look back.
Thank goodness, he didn’t. He would have witnessed Hannah staring dumbly after him with her free hand covering her mouth which was open in shock.
The man was getting in her head and she was starting to get attached to him. How long would it take before she liked him so much that his leaving would really affect her?
Drake had the men out longer than one day. It was another three days before she saw any evidence of Zander again. Just knowing he wasn’t even on the land caused an ache in her chest. She wasn’t sure where they’d gone, but when she’d mentioned it to Stefanie she’d said something about picking up more stock for Drake’s bison business.
They raised bison on Bella Acres like a lot of ranches raised cattle. Bison were designed for the rugged landscapes and were easier to keep healthy and a whole lot more active than cow. Not to mention their retail rate was significantly higher, especially with the east coast connections Drake had from his previous life as a financial advisor. Pretty much anything Drake touched turned to gold which was exactly the opposite for Nate. He lost everything he cared about.
Hannah worried the talent for losing was a family trait – one that had skipped over Stefanie.
Grabbing her egg basket, Hannah made her way to the chicken coop, humming and swinging the woven basket at her side.
She had to make up her mind soon about when she was going to go for a tour, but she was honestly holding off for a couple reasons. One reason had the shoulder width of a man who understood hard work and the green eyes of an Irish clan lord.
“Hannah, girl, don’t be stupid.” She muttered to herself as she worked on the lock on the coop door. The stupid thing liked to stick on dew-moistened mornings, sometimes worse than others. “You cannot let a man stop you from chasing your dreams. He hasn’t even been around more than two weeks.” She grunted as the door finally gave and swung open. She couldn’t fall for Zander. Not so soon. He could be a crazy person successfully hiding who he was while working to ensnare her.
Hannah moved into the coop, stepping carefully as she made her way inside. She had to close the door before they tried to get out on their own and she didn’t want to step on any of the hens still sleeping.
The rooster, Goofy, was a Polish breed and his comb was located differently than the rest of the other chickens. Feathers sprouted from the top of his head with the look and feel of hair which often blocked his view. He would stare at the laces on her shoes the entire time she collected eggs, trying to decide if he wanted to eat the laces or attack them.
Usually by the time she left, he still hadn’t decided. One of these mornings, he would decide and Hannah couldn’t wait to see what he came up with.
She stuck her hand into each nesting bucket, pulling out egg after egg. She would sell them to the neighbor down the street at four dollars a dozen. The buckets laid on their sides in a shelving system she’d seen on Pinterest and had Drake put in for her. Normal five-gallon buckets made cleaning a lot easier than wood.
The last bucket on the left held the last egg.
She pulled it out, furrowing her brow at the odd feel and shape to it. A note had been taped to the round curve of the egg, changing the shape to be boxier. Hannah studied the egg, even more hope glowing inside her. She untapped the small white card with a smile lingering on her lips.
“I’m thinking of you. Z”
He’d gone to the trouble to leave her a note. His romantic gestures were turning her head and she was more scared she was going to miss out on any chance with him then she was at missing out on anything else.
She wasn’t so naïve to think men like him came along more than once in a lifetime. How did she tell him she was thinking of him, too? Was it something she was comfortable admitting? Her draw to him? Her attraction to him? Most importantly, her desire to be around him, to talk to him, to share the little things with him?
Hannah had to make up her mind about what she was going to do. She didn’t want to string him along and she didn’t want to run him off.
She stepped out of the coop, relocking the door and then stopping, startled when she turned around. Her thoughts must be magical as he continued popping up when her thoughts focused on him. “Zander.” She clutched the basket to her chest, still gripping his note in her hand.
“Hannah.” He studied her, spying the card in her fingers and smiling knowingly. He offered a questioning glance. “I just wanted to know if you’d be free for dinner tomorrow night? A proper dinner. I’ll even pick you up.”
Hannah tucked her chin. “Really?” Why was she nervous? Probably because she knew the answer to how she felt about him, how her heart was leaning, and she wasn’t sure she was ready to acknowledge it just yet.
“Of course. We’ll take my truck. Is six-thirty okay for you?” He stepped closer, his eyes taking up the majority of Hannah’s view. The subtle aroma of his masculine scent comforted her, convinced her it was okay to follow his lead.
She nodded slowly, more than aware how ridiculous it was that the man continued to strike her dumb with his presence and his sweet affections. Finding her own match didn’t seem so bad.
He seemed to disappear while she was still trying to figure out just what was going on.
Shaking her head, Hannah turned to the house. She started humming no tune in particular, just something she couldn’t get out of her head.
Swinging the basket gently from side to side, she walked into the kitchen. She’d have to clean the eggs and let them set before packing them up to be sold.
The water trickled into the sink and Hannah stared out the window, humming and thinking about Zander.
Stefanie’s laughter broke through Hannah’s thoughts. She turned, facing her sister whose expression bordered on mocking. “What has you so happy? Lately you’ve been mopey. It’s odd seeing you smile.”
Hannah took a deep breath. “Well, if you must know. I have a date.” Let the teasing begin.
Gasping, Stefanie pressed a hand to her chest. “Are you serious? Oh, Hannah, that is terrific.” She arched an eyebrow. “Is it Zander?”
Hannah should’ve been less blurty about telling Stefanie and eased into it. She nodded, scrunching her nose. “Is that bad? Are you okay with me dating one of the ranch hands?” She hadn’t even thought about checking with Drake or Stefanie.
Stefanie shook her head, moving to the fridge and pulling out milk. “Not at all. He’s a hard worker and a genuine gentleman. A man like him is a rare find.” She poured herself a glass and then watched Hannah. “You know, this is a good thing. You can be excited. Even if nothing comes of it, it’s still a great thing to do – dating can be fun. And you don’t do enough of it or any of it.”
Hannah considered Stefanie’s words. Was it okay to get excited? Stefanie seemed to think so. Zander had already proven he was honest. He’d been trustworthy so far and had even said some forthright things that most men wouldn’t say after twenty years of marriage.
He wasn’t going to leave her high and dry.
Could she accept liking him? Could she accept that liking him and caring for him more than she originally wanted to meant she’d have to deal with a filter over her dreams of school and leaving soon? Or was there a way to have both?
Stefanie winked at Hannah and left the kitchen. As soon as Hannah finished up her chore with the eggs she moved to the laptop. She had gotten into the habit of checking her email every morning.
In her inbox was an email from the culinary school in North Dakota. She clenched her jaw when she opened the email and gaped at the words.
She was accepted. All she had to do now was go for the tour and make the final decision on whether or not to go there.
Things just got a whole lot messier.
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