into it when it’s done. My brothers plan on doing the same, eventually.”
“How was it growing up as one of five kids in a family?” she asked. “Was it noisy? Did you get into fights?”
Dillon chuckled. “There was never a dull moment, that’s for sure. We learned to ride practically before we learned to walk. Once we were proficient in the saddle, there was no stopping us. We’ve been all over the ranch at least a thousand times. It’s a great place to grow up. What about you? Siblings?”
She shook her head. “None. My folks were older when they married, and I was their only child. I think I grew up before I was ever a kid. My mother taught me how to ride a bicycle, but there weren’t any horses in my neighborhood, and my folks kept me close to home.”
“Sounds…” he searched for the right word.
“Boring?” She nodded. “It would have been, but I lived all sorts of adventures.”
“You did?” He glanced her way.
She stared out the window, a small smile curling her lips.
Dillon was mesmerized by her. The faraway look in her eyes and the way her auburn hair framed her face made him want to reach out and touch her cheek.
Ariana lifted her chin. “I did have adventures, through the books I read. I escaped to faraway lands, even planets, fought battles and won and fell in love at least a thousand times.” She gave him a shy smile. “To me, books were far more interesting than my life.”
“That’s kind of sad,” he said.
“I didn’t think so. I had a very dear friend who liked to read as much as I did. We shared a love of fantasy and science fiction from grade school through college.” She stared out the window at the road ahead as if she had gone back to a different time. A sad time.
“This friend…” he said quietly, “was it your husband?”
She nodded. “I married my best friend. And as I mentioned, he died of pancreatic cancer.”
“That must have been hard. You were together for a long time.”
She nodded. “Half my life. Losing him left a huge hole. I had to learn who I was all over again. So, you see, an online dating service was a big step.”
“And the service didn’t get it right, matching you and me.” He shook his head. “The last book I read was nonfiction. I think it was how to rebuild a tractor engine or maybe the training manual for a computer-aided design program. I haven’t read fiction since grade school.”
“You should give it a try again. It’s very relaxing,” she said. “Well, if you’re not in a battle scene about to be run through with a sword.” She winked. “No, I didn’t grow up with siblings to play with, but I wasn’t lonely, and I learned a lot through reading.”
Ariana’s sad face made Dillon want to cheer her up. He couldn’t bring back her dead husband, but he could look for ways to make her smile. Because when she smiled, the air around her seemed to light up. He liked that. A lot.
As they drove out to the ranch, Dillon told Ariana some of the trouble he and his brothers and sister had gotten into living on the ranch.
By the time they arrived, she was laughing and smiling again.
When he pulled up in front of the ranch house, Ace came out on the porch. Colton rounded the side of the building and Brand pushed to his feet from his seat in a rocking chair.
“Sorry, I didn’t expect you’d have to run the gauntlet of my brothers,” Dillon said, shifting into park. “I thought they’d be out working still.”
“It’s okay. I’d like to meet them. I feel like I know them already.”
“Oh,” he leaned toward her, “about that story I told you about skinny dipping in the creek…?” He shook his head. “Don’t tell them that was me who hid their clothes. They still don’t know who did it.”
She pressed her lips together. “Your secret is safe with me.”
He got out of the truck and came around to help her down. He’d always gone out with taller women, but he found that he liked how petite she was. It gave him an excuse to put his hands around her waist to help her down. Which he did.
When her feet touched the ground, he found he didn’t want to let go.
“Dillon, who’ve you got with you?” Ace asked.
He held out his hand to Ariana. “Come on, I’ll