He looked over at her. “Sorry, darlin’. Did you say something?”
“I asked if we needed to check cattle first or turn the horses out.”
We.
Made him a sap but he loved the sound of that.
“We can turn the horses out. I spent all mornin’ doin’ cattle checks so they oughta be good until tomorrow.”
“All right. I don’t know any of this cow stuff, so I hope it doesn’t bother you that I’ll probably ask a lot of questions.”
Cow stuff. He grinned. “I’m lookin’ forward to sharin’ my world with you, sugar pie.”
She dismounted. “Speaking of…we need to talk about our longer betrothal before I bring it up with Doc.”
What the hell? Why was this the first he’d heard of a “longer betrothal”? “I don’t follow.”
“There’s not much to follow. I signed a two-year contract with Doc. I intend to fulfill it. Which means I’ll continue to live and work there as I’d planned. Stay with you when I can. We can be married next spring.”
“No.”
Those piercing blue eyes narrowed on him. “What do you mean no? It’s not your decision. I agreed that you could call me your intended, since you were all fired up to put a name to this, but we never talked about an actual wedding date.”
“You want to live apart for another goddamned year? How am I supposed to—”
“If you say take care of me, Silas McKay, I will hop right back on this horse, right now.” She stormed over. “My word is just as important to me as yours is to you. Doc can’t run his practice on his own with his wife being infirmed. My students need a teacher. Not to mention the money I—”
“Hush.” Silas placed his fingers over her lips. “Not a word about money. You hear me?”
Growling, she tried to nip his fingers. “Don’t you ever hush me.”
“Sorry, sweetheart. Shit. I’m so sorry.” He kissed her. Or he tried to kiss her, but she kept her mouth closed. But he kept coaxing her to accept his apologies and his kisses, murmuring, “Please, forgive me. I don’t know what got into me, I promise it won’t happen again.”
Dinah relented and kissed him back. When they broke apart, she rested her cheek against his chest. “I have a lot to learn in the next year about becoming a ranch wife anyway.”
Don’t ask how she plans to learn it once a week from thirty miles away, don’t do it, man, just smile and nod.
He gave her a quick peck on the forehead. “That you do.” Then he picked up both saddlebags. “I’ll be right back so we can deal with the horses after I put these in the house.”
He showed Dinah where to hang her tack in the barn and where he kept the pitchfork for shoveling hay. Once their horses joined the others in the paddock, he spread out hay while Dinah refilled the water trough.
Then the moment of truth had come. He held out his hand. “Ain’t much to the house tour, but I reckon you’re curious.”
“I am.” She slid her fingers into his. “I wasn’t sure what you had on hand as far as food staples, so I brought a little of everything.”
“How about this: you tell me what we need and I’ll order it at Robinette’s.”
She gasped and held her other hand to her forehead in a mock swoon. “You’d make a special trip into town for it? You must really like me, McKay.”
He laughed at her poking fun at him. “That I do, darlin’ Dinah, that I do.” Long enough to wait a damn year to marry you.
They passed by the immense wood pile and he pointed out the outhouse in case she’d missed it when she visited last Saturday. He paused in front of the door, which he’d left open. He gestured for Dinah to precede him inside.
The cabin stayed pretty dark, even during the brightest part of the day since there were only two small windows that faced east. The rock fireplace was centered on the far wall directly across from the door. Above it hung a huge gilded mirror that’d come with the cabin. Silas had tucked his bed in the right corner, with the footboard facing the door. He’d tacked up a heavy wool blanket behind the headboard.
Dinah’s gaze moved between his bed and the smaller one in the left corner. “Which is yours?”
Ours. “The bigger one. Jonas built in a wardrobe along that wall, so his bed is smaller.” His brother’s wardrobe