Carter (Remington Ranch Book 3) (9 page)

“Do you want to leave?” asked Carter.

“I don’t. I want to sit here with you and enjoy the rest of my coffee. They don’t mean any harm, I’m sure they’re just curious.”

“Okay. Whatever you want. But we can go if they make you uncomfortable.”

“I’m fine.” She had a feeling Carter was more uncomfortable than she was.

“What do you want to do next?” he asked.

“Do I get you for the whole day?”

He nodded. “If you want me.”

She couldn’t help laughing. “You know I do. But apparently we’re not allowed to go there—yet!”

He laughed with her. “You know what I mean.”

“And you know what I mean, too. Do you think we should go back and check on momma and her kittens before we do anything else?”

“Yeah. I’d like to.”

“Let’s do that then.”

“Okay, and then how about I take you out to the ranch? If we go have a quick look around now, you’ll be better able to decide if you want to spend any time there this weekend. I’d hate for you to feel you’re stuck there for hours if you don’t like it.”

She smiled. He was so sweet. “I’d love to go see, but I’m not worried about not liking it. I’m sure I’ll love it. I used to ride growing up. I love horses and being around them.”

He smiled at that. “Okay then, let’s get out of here.” He caught Jean’s attention, which wasn’t hard to do, since she seemed to have been hovering unobtrusively the whole time. Once he’d paid they made their way to the door. Summer was acutely aware of the couple seated by the windows watching them. She nodded and gave a friendly smile as they passed. They smiled back and that was it. What a relief!

Chapter Nine

Carter brought the truck to a stop outside the barn. He’d called ahead to let Mason know that he was bringing Summer down for a look around.

She jumped out before he had chance to go around and get her door for her. He crammed his hat on his head and went around to stand beside her.

“Oh, Carter, I love it! This place is amazing.”

“I’m glad you think so. I’m kind of partial to it myself.”

“I can see why. How lucky were you that you got to grow up here!”

He nodded. He did consider himself lucky. He looked around, trying to see the place through new eyes. Through Summer’s eyes. How must it look? He had to admit the ranch was pretty impressive. They’d come down the long driveway from the road, past the big house, which stood on a little rise. It was a two story with a wraparound porch. He was pretty sure his mom had popped out onto the porch for a second when they’d passed, too. They’d stopped here in front of the barn which was pretty impressive in its own right. On the other side of the driveway was the entrance to Shane’s guest ranch. The lodge was hidden from sight, but the first few cabins were in view. As he looked over at them, Carter realized that for the first time, he felt no pain. He’d lived in the end cabin—it had been the only cabin in those days—with Trisha when they got married. He’d come home to that cabin to find her in bed with one of the hands. Every time he’d seen the place in the years since that day, he’d felt a mixture of pain and shame. He was ashamed that he hadn’t been enough for her. Ashamed that he’d been too stupid to know what was going on. Ashamed that his heartbreak had been so public. It was odd to him that today, for the first time, he felt nothing.

Summer put a hand on his arm and smiled up at him.

Was she the reason? And was she going to be the cause of even more pain?

“Are you going to show me around?” she asked.

“Yeah. Come on. Let’s start in the barn.”

Mason met them at the doors. He slapped Carter’s shoulder. “Good to see you.” He tipped his hat to Summer. “And you. How are you settling back in?”

Summer smiled. “Wonderfully, thank you.” She shot a look at Carter. “Though that’s mostly to do with your brother, here.”

Carter felt the color in his cheeks. Damn. He wished he could somehow make himself stop doing that. He didn’t feel too bad though. It made him happy that Summer was open about liking him. It made him happy that she was interested in seeing his life. He wasn’t going to let himself worry about how he’d feel when she’d gone. If he was smart, he might not want to let her into every part of his life—but then no one had ever accused him of being smart.

Mason grinned at them both. “Well, if you guys are busy this weekend, don’t worry about me, Carter. I can take care of the McClellan horses no problem.”

Carter was tempted to say, great. But he couldn’t bring himself to leave Mason in the lurch. Summer took the decision away from him, anyway.

“I’m excited to come watch,” she said. “If I’m not going to be in the way.”

“Not at all,” said Mason. He looked up and grinned when he saw their mom approaching. Carter pursed his lips. Would it be too much to ask that he should be able to take Summer to meet her when he was ready? Apparently it would. His mom reached them and smiled at Summer.

“Well, hello. How lovely to see you out here. I hope my boys are taking good care of you?”

Summer nodded. “They are thank you, Mrs. Remington. It’s so nice to meet you.”

Carter watched as his mom leaned in to hug her. She winked at him over Summer’s shoulder. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you, too. I won’t keep you though. I just wanted to catch Mason here.”

Mason shot Carter a look. They both knew she’d have called him if she just wanted to talk to him. “I guess I’ll see you guys tomorrow then,” said Mason. He jerked his head toward the barn. “Go say hi, if you like. The McClellan horses are out the back, but Jake and Lola are in there.”

Carter nodded.

Mason took his mom’s arm and started steering her back up to the house. She looked back over her shoulder at Summer. “So nice to meet you, my dear. I’ll see you soon.”

“I hope so,” called Summer.

Carter led her into the barn.

“Who are Jake and Lola?” she asked.

Carter stopped in front of one of the stalls and smiled at his old friend. “This…” he held his hand out and the big gray gelding came to nuzzle his fingers “…is my best friend, Jake.”

Summer stood on tiptoe to peer over the stall door. “Oh, he’s gorgeous!”

Carter laughed. “I guess that puts me in my place; you said the same thing about me!”

She laughed and pushed at his arm. “In a different way.”

Jake came toward her and nibbled her hair. “Hello, handsome.” She rubbed his nose. “It’s nice to meet you. Is he yours?” she asked Carter.

He nodded. “We’ve been together since I was a kid. I took him with me when I moved up to town, but he hated it. He belongs down here on the ranch. I need to get out to see him more.”

“Do you still ride him?”

“Not as often as I’d like to, but yeah. I take him out when I can.”

Summer’s eyes shone as she looked up at him. “Do you think I could go out with you sometime?”

“I’d love that. I think that’s why Mason mentioned Lola. Come on, you should meet her.”

He walked a few stalls further down and stopped. “How you doing, old girl?”

Lola came and leaned her head over the door and nickered gently. Summer rubbed her nose. “She’s beautiful!”

Carter chuckled. “You’re not doing my ego much good, you know. I thought it was just me, but you seem to fall in love with
every
animal you meet.”

Summer’s eyes widened as she stared at him.

Damn! He hadn’t meant
fall in love
! He’d just meant that she thought they were all good looking, that her compliments to him were only the same as she paid to the horses. He stared back at her, stuck for words.

She smiled. “Your ego should be flattered. I just know good-looking when I see it, no matter what form it takes.”

Carter watched gratefully as she patted Lola’s cheek. “And this lady is a real looker. Aren’t you, beautiful?”

She really was a good looking mare. She was a palomino, with a long silky mane, and huge, soft brown eyes.

“She’s as sweet and gentle as she is beautiful, too,” said Carter. Thinking as he did that she and Summer were a perfect match. “If you really do want to come out, you can ride her. She’ll take great care of you.”

“I’d love to. Thank you.”

He looked up at the sound of footsteps entering the barn. A little girl came running toward them, startling him.

“Summer Breese!” she cried, then flung herself at Summer.

She was obviously more used to this than Carter was. She scooped the little thing up and gave her a hug. “That’s me. And who might you be, young lady?”

“I’m Ruby. Will you sing for me?”

Carter had to smile. The kid was maybe five or six years old, all blonde curls and big blue eyes. She was kitted out in a checkered shirt, denims and cute little cowboy boots. He had to wonder where the hell she’d come from.

A couple came hurrying in after her. “Ruby!” called the woman.

Carter recognized them as the couple who’d been at Pine Creek this morning. He hoped to hell they hadn’t followed Summer out here.

The guy shot them an apologetic look and the woman reached her arms out to the little girl. The kid wrapped her arms tightly around Summer’s neck and shook her head.

“Ruby!”

“I’m so sorry about this,” said the guy.

“It’s okay,” said Summer. “Ruby and I are just making friends.”

“And Summer Breese is going to sing a song for me!”

“No, Ruby. I’m not. I can’t at the moment. I have to rest my voice.”

“Oh. Are you all right?”

Carter loved the way Summer smiled at the kid as she put her back down on the ground. “I’m fine, thank you, but I’ve done a lot of singing for a long time, and my voice needs a rest.”

The woman took hold of the little girl’s hand. “I’m so sorry.”

Carter relaxed a little. It wasn’t as though they’d come here to harass Summer. But still, he had to wonder. “What are you doing out here?” he asked.

“We’re staying at the ranch,” replied the guy.

The kid nodded. “Aunt Carly and Uncle James brought me to see the horses.” She looked at Summer. “My mommy needs a rest, too. She doesn’t sing though. She just has to work a lot.”

Carter smiled. The kid was cute as a button.

“We’ll leave you in peace,” said the guy. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” said Summer. “It was nice to meet you, Ruby.”

“Are you staying here, too?”

“No. I just came out to see the horses.”

“Will I see you again?”

Summer smiled. “Maybe.”

“Come on, Ruby. We have to go.”

“Bye!”

Carter had to chuckle as he watched them walk away. The kid kept looking back over her shoulder and waving. “Sorry about that,” he said when they were out of earshot.

She shrugged. “It’s hardly your fault, is it? And besides, as far as meeting fans out in public goes, that was one of my easier encounters.”

Carter hated to think what some of the more difficult ones might be like. “Do you want to ride this afternoon?”

She shook her head. “I did, but I think I’d rather go home now.”

His heart sank.

“If you want to hang out?” she added with a smile.

“I do. Let’s get out of here.”

~ ~ ~

Once they got back to Summer’s place they sat out on the deck. “What would you normally do on a Friday afternoon?” she asked. Seeing him out at the barn, learning he still had a horse that he rode, and that he helped out at the ranch, she’d realized that she knew very little about his life. In fact other than his landscaping business and the fact that he spent a lot of time at the gym, she knew very little
about
him at all—even though she felt she knew
him
very well.

“Normally I’d be working.”

“And then what?”

He shrugged. “I’d hit the gym. Go home. Have dinner. Read.” He gave her a wry smile. “Hang out with the cats. I don’t exactly lead a very exciting life.” 

“It sounds wonderful to me.”

“Why, what would you normally do on a Friday afternoon and evening?”

“It depends. Sometimes I have to show up at places, you know, be seen out on the town in Nashville. If I’m on the road, then I’d be getting ready to go on stage. If I get my own way—which doesn’t happen very often—I’d be curled up on the sofa at home in my PJs, reading a book, or eating ice cream and watching a sappy movie.”

He laughed. “And here was I thinking you’d be out clubbing and partying till dawn.”

She shook her head. “That’s not me. I don’t enjoy it. And besides, I turn back into a pumpkin at midnight. That’s my absolute limit. I start yawning around eleven.”

“I’m taking notes here. So no keeping you out late?”

“No,” she waggled her eyebrows at him. “You have to get me home to bed early.”

The heated look he gave her told her she might be wearing down his resolve. Well, good! She wasn’t one to rush into bed with a guy, but they’d known each other for quite a while now. They were going somewhere together. Wherever that might be, she didn’t see any reason to keep on waiting. 

“Do you have any sappy movies here?”

She nodded. “There’s a whole collection of them in the entertainment center. Beau has this place well stocked with everything, right down to movies to watch on a rainy day.”

Carter looked out the window. It had indeed started to rain. “So how about we do that? Just curl up watch movies and have some down time. After all, you
are
supposed to be here to rest.”

Summer couldn’t think of anything she’d rather do than spend the evening curled up with him. “That sounds perfect. How about you choose a movie and I’ll go get the ice cream?”

He chuckled. “You can’t watch a movie without ice cream?”

She shook her head. “I could. But it wouldn’t be nearly as enjoyable.”

“Fair enough. What kind of movie do you want?”

“Surprise me.” She was curious to know what he might choose.

When she came back into the living room, he was sitting on one end of the sofa. She plonked herself down beside him and handed him a bowl of ice cream.

He took it with a smile. “Thanks. I picked out a comedy, is that okay?”

“That’s great.” It would be good to laugh with him.

They sat side by side, eating their ice cream. It felt so natural, so comfortable. Summer was hoping to snuggle against him once the ice cream was gone. But even this, sitting here in companionable silence, watching the movie, felt wonderful. It just seemed so right. Carter was such a big, solid, reassuring presence. They didn’t need to talk. With him, just being was enjoyable in itself.