wicked, wicked man.”
With the house cleaned and straightened up, Tanner headed out to the barn once again to check on Pogo. He had gone earlier in the morning to check on him, but was now going to clear a path for me so I could help him. I insisted on going, especially after he had found some crutches that he’d left behind when he’d stayed here for a few days with a broken ankle. It seemed to me that Tanner really enjoyed being in the log home. I could see why he always thought he’d end up living here. A part of me could see myself living here too, but I wasn’t ready to go that way with my thinking. Not yet, at least.
The front door opened as I wrapped my scarf around my face. “You sure you want to attempt this?” Tanner asked.
“Yep. You can be there in case I slip.”
He rolled his eyes as he held his arm out for me. “And sprain your other ankle. If you fall and hurt yourself more, my mother is going to kill us both.”
I laughed. “Let’s go before your brother gets here.”
Ever so carefully, Tanner and I made our way from the house to the barn. It wasn’t far from the house, so the walk over wasn’t bad. Tanner had shoveled a path for us, but snow was starting to fall once again, making me feel a bit nervous about slipping.
The moment I stepped into the barn, I let out a sigh of relief. Tanner did as well.
“How did he do through the night?” I asked as I hobbled over to Pogo in the stall.
“He’s fine, aren’t you, boy?” Tanner asked while Pogo bobbed his head like he knew exactly what Tanner had asked.
“I swear they understand you,” I stated as I ran my hand down the side of Pogo’s neck. “You’re sure it’ll be safe to ride him back?”
“Yeah, as long as the snow doesn’t come down too much between the time Brock gets here and we get back. I’ll take it slow.”
The sound of a truck honking caused us both to look toward the entrance of the barn. Brock drove by slowly, plowing a path. He then backed up and made another pass until he had the whole area cleared out between the house and the barn.
Then, I saw another truck with a horse trailer. “They brought a horse trailer!” I exclaimed as I turned back to Pogo. “Look at that, boy, you don’t have to worry now.”
Tanner smiled and offered his arm as we slowly made our way out of the barn. I was surprised to see this barn was almost as big as the main barn on the ranch.
“Greetings!” Ty shouted as he got out of his truck. He made his way over and shook Tanner’s hand quickly, then leaned down and kissed me on the cheek. “Did you know Kaylee and I were once stuck together during a snowstorm?”
I shook my head. “I didn’t. Is that when the sparks flew between y’all?”
Tanner and Brock both laughed.
“Please, the fireworks went off the first time the two of them met. They were both just too damn stubborn to admit it,” Tanner said.
I smiled and focused back on Ty.
“Nothing happened between us that night,” he said, “but by the glow on your face and the way my baby brother is grinning from ear to ear, I’m going to guess your night wasn’t so boring.”
“That’s none of your business, Ty,” Tanner quickly said as he wrapped his arm around my waist and tugged me closer to him.
“Jesus, Mama is going to be over the moon when she gets a look at you two. She has a weird way of knowing these things. Just watch out, she’ll be planning weddings and grandbabies if you don’t set her straight right off the bat,” Ty stated.
“She will not,” Tanner said, kissing me on the top of my head. I knew he was worried I’d be spooked by what Ty was saying, but it was the opposite. This whole thing was a far cry from what I thought I wanted only a few months ago.
“Let me help Ty get Pogo loaded up,” Tanner said.
I nodded and turned my attention to Brock. “We need to get you guys back to the house and get Pogo settled while there’s a break,” he said. “Another system is moving down, and you saw yesterday that it can come in faster than expected.”
I grimaced. “I’m so sorry. Y’all wouldn’t