The Rancher and the Event Planner - By Cheryl Gorman Page 0,30
over the lake. A hawk rode the thermals overhead. Breathing in the scent of parched grass and dry soil, she glanced at the sky spreading overhead in a hazy arc. Dark thunderheads hovered in the distance and she saw a flash of heat lightening. With a little luck, the storm would stay out on the plain. Rafe lay on his side dressed in black jeans and boots and a white shirt. His hat lay on the blanket beside him and the setting sun’s rays highlighted the side of his face. She swatted at the mosquito but refused to let anything ruin this evening not even the threat of rain.
“Hungry?” she asked Rafe who was sipping a cold beer.
“Yeah, what are we having?”
She’d like nothing better than to have him on a platter but she’d have to settle for what was in the picnic basket. She took out a few containers along with some paper plates and utensils. “Grilled chicken, pasta salad, watermelon slices and brownies for dessert.”
“Sounds good, I’m starved,” he said sitting up. She couldn’t help but admire the way his muscles flexed beneath his shirt. They opened the food and helped themselves.
“Did you do all the cooking?” Rafe asked before taking a bite of chicken.
“Linc helped, but I did make the brownies.”
“I look forward to tasting them.”
The way he was looking at her made her think he was talking about more than just brownies. Could he be beginning to see that they were right for each other? Good food was the way to a man’s heart, right?
“You look really nice tonight.”
His compliment made heat rise in her chest and she suddenly felt self-conscious. “Thanks.”
Thunder rumbled, the storm closer now. “How about some music?”
JC went to her car, rolled down the windows and turned on the radio. A country rock song blasted from the speakers. She walked back to Rafe and held out her hand. “May I have this dance?”
He put down his plate, patted his mouth with the napkin and stood. He was so tall it made her heart go pitter-patter like a young girl experiencing her first crush. Only her feelings had grown past a crush and into something more mature, something that a woman would feel. The feelings weren’t love yet, she still had a barrier up, a safety measure to keep her poor heart from getting broken until she was sure of how Rafe felt about her. At this point, she knew he thought she was attractive but being attractive to another person didn’t mean those feelings would turn into love.
“I’m a really good dancer,” Rafe said.
“Good to know but I’m not so bad myself. You gonna let me be the leader?”
“It’s tradition for the man to lead.”
“But the date was my idea.”
“Fair enough. I can stand it if you can.”
She faced him with one hand on his shoulder and the other holding his hand and they started to move, two quick steps followed by two slower ones. They moved with ease over the ground while the music thrummed in the early evening air. He kept his gaze pinned to hers with a slight smile on his lips. The breeze lifted a lock of his hair and her fingers itched to run her fingers through it. He was so strong and in that moment she had never felt safer in her life. The man could take on the world on those wide shoulders. The song ended then a slow, easy love song about loss and daring to give love another try came on the radio. As if it were the most natural thing in the world, Rafe pulled her close to his body and his arm moved around her, his big palm settling on the small of her back. She looked up into his eyes, eyes that seemed to grow a deeper blue and were filled with heat. They moved slowly in the field as the wind picked up and with it the scent of rain, but she couldn’t take her eyes from his face. What would it be like to lie with him in this field, skin to skin? He lowered his head but his eyes stayed on hers. Just as his mouth touched hers the first fat drops of rain started to fall. Lightening cracked followed by thunder. He gave her one quick soft kiss then pulled back. “We’d better get in the car.”
Just as they reached the blanket, the heavens opened up and a driving sheet of rain plummeted. In an instant,