it, and expected her to take projects home. She was trying to do less of it now, especially since Thad had started spending the night.
“They won’t think I’m good enough for you, will they?” He looked worried and upset when he said it. “I never finished high school and never went to college.” She knew he had gotten his GED certificate and had taken college classes online for a few years, even if he didn’t have a degree. And he was intelligent and read a great deal about anything that related to their work on the ranch. He was essentially self-educated, which Kate admired, but he was sure her sisters wouldn’t, particularly Caroline and Peter, who were highly educated, with graduate degrees.
“Gemma didn’t go to college either. And I was a lousy student. The only brain in the family is Caroline, and my father thought her going to college was a waste of time.” She smiled as she said it. “She writes juvenile books, she’s not a nuclear physicist.”
“I’m just a ranch hand, though,” he said, in a funk about her sisters, and Kate knelt in front of him where he sat on the couch and looked him in the eye.
“You’re an extraordinary person, Thad. You run this ranch like a well-oiled machine. The employees, the livestock, our breeding operation. My father respected you more than anyone else, and relied on you, and so do I. You’re up to date on all the modern technology. I’m lucky to have you in my life, and luckier still that you love me. You’re more than ‘good enough’ for me, and my sisters will think so too. I just don’t want to get them all wound up about us yet. I like having time to get used to each other before the whole world knows and has an opinion, even if it’s a good opinion. Right now our future belongs to us. This happened very fast, like lightning. I want to get comfortable with it before we share it. I’ve never been this serious about anyone before. It’s all new to me.”
“You look pretty comfortable to me, Ms. Tucker,” he teased her, slid a hand into her blouse and a moment later, took it off, and her bra, and pulled her up the stairs with him to her bedroom, where he took off all her clothes and his own. She forgot about her sisters for the rest of the night, until she had dinner in town with them the following night.
“Was that Thad I saw walking toward your house last night around midnight?” Caroline asked with a blank expression, after they ordered pizza with the kids.
“I don’t think so. If it was, maybe he was just out walking, or checking on something. I think he checks things at night.” Caroline smiled as Kate said it, and then glanced at Gemma, who raised an eyebrow.
“Are we dallying with our foreman?” Gemma teased her, and Kate paid no attention to her.
“Of course not.”
“Why not? He’s a mighty handsome hunk of man. I’ve thought of it a few times myself.” That was an interesting tidbit Kate didn’t react to either. “I just figured Dad would have a fit, so I didn’t mess with it. But Dad’s not here now,” she reminded them. “Are we hot on the trail of something here?” She pressed her and Kate didn’t take the bait. She wanted to protect her relationship with Thad for as long as she could, for both their sakes. It was no one’s business.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Kate said, and chatted with Morgan to avoid them, but the following night, Gemma visited Kate and there were a pair of Thad’s cowboy boots in the front hall. Gemma took one look at them, broke into a grin and looked at her sister.
“When are you going to level with us?”
“About what?” Kate feigned innocence and Gemma pointed to the boots.
“Either your feet have grown dramatically, or your foreman left here barefoot. For chrissake, Kate, we’re your sisters. We’ve all known him since we were kids. He’s a great guy and we love him, and if you’re in love with him, I think it would be the best thing that could happen to you and he loves this place as much as you do.” Kate looked like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
“It’s just embarrassing to have you guys know everything I do, and we weren’t sure how you’d react,” she finally admitted. They couldn’t