Chapter Eleven – Mackenzie
MACKENZIE
I wasn’t sure if my heart was beating so hard from what Bradly had whispered to me in the barn, or from the surrounding beauty. Someone had come out and cleared the trail, so the horses weren’t having to walk in deep snow. I was guessing it was done at Bradly’s request, since he’d asked Will if the trail had been cleared.
Glancing around, I couldn’t help but sigh. Pure white snow covered the open pastures. We passed a few horses and cattle, and when they lifted their heads to watch us walk by, I laughed.
“They’re covered in snow! Sweet babies.”
Chief, Bradly’s horse, had a much heavier coat than Barkley did, since she was used to being in a barn at night, and Chief was clearly out to pasture at night by the looks of that coat.
“How long have you had Chief?” I asked.
“Six years now. He’s a great horse. I miss him when I’m gone, but Will takes good care of him for me.”
“You and Will seem to know one another well.”
Bradly smiled. “Yeah, we went to high school together. Our first job was working on the cattle ranch together. Dad hired me, Will, and our other friend, Duke, when we were fourteen. Will and Duke loved working with the cattle so much, they’ve stayed on as ranch hands. They’re my best friends, and I know there isn’t anything they wouldn’t do for my dad. My mom and Uncle Michael as well.”
I nodded. “Duke has helped on the farm a lot. Well, he has since I’ve been working there. Lou said his sudden interest in the farm is surprising.”
Bradly frowned. “Duke’s been helping on the farm? Doing what?”
Shrugging, I said, “This past fall, he helped Michael harvest the corn. He’s also planning on helping him in the spring with the planting.”
When Bradly didn’t say anything, I looked at him. “Is he not supposed to be helping on the farm?”
“His job is on the cattle ranch, with his own responsibilities. So he’s either passing them off to someone else—like Will—or he’s damn good at time management.”
“I’m not sure. He seems very interested in how things grow and asks a lot of questions.”
“Really?” Bradly said. Even I could hear the disbelief in his voice.
Tilting my head, I asked, “You don’t think he’s interested in farming?”
“I mean, I guess he could be. He hasn’t ever mentioned it to me before.”
We rode along in silence before Bradly asked, “Is he coming around more than what he should be? I mean, he doesn’t work for the farm.”
Turning to look at him, I let out a disbelieving laugh. “You’re not suggesting he’s only doing it because of me, are you?”
“Yeah, I am.”
“That’s crazy, Bradly.”
“Is it?”
“Yes!” I said with another chuckle.
The horses kept a steady pace, and we continued our ride in comfortable silence. It was nice to simply hear the sounds of nature. The crunch of the horses’ hooves in the snow, the wind blowing through the snow-covered trees. There were even a few calls from other horses in the distance that made Chief and Barkley turn their ears in that direction. And once a light snow started to fall, I swore I could hear it hit the ground. No loud horns or traffic. No sirens or people yelling. Just beautiful silence.
No, not silence. The music of nature.
When I peeked over at Bradly, he seemed lost in thought, and my mind drifted to the conversation about Duke. I thought about the times his friend had come to the farm and helped. It hadn’t been Michael or Lou he’d posed his questions to…it was me. Well, the majority of the time. Duke had also stopped by the greenhouse just this morning to make sure we didn’t need anything, despite knowing we weren’t scheduled to work. He’d even asked me if I was good on firewood for my apartment.
And when Lou had mentioned I was going on a date with Bradly, his whole demeanor changed.
“I think you’re right.”
“About?” he asked as he caught my gaze. The way his cheeks were a soft pink made my veins throb throughout my entire body.
“Duke. Now that I think about it, I think you’re right. He stopped by the greenhouse earlier and asked me if I needed any firewood. For my place.”
Bradly frowned again.
“Lou told him I was going on a date with you later today, and he seemed to go from happy to…not so happy.”
A muscle in Bradly’s jaw ticked, and he looked straight ahead. “I’ll have to let him know we’re dating. He, of course, is probably going to tell you it’s a bad idea to date a guy like me.”
I quirked a brow. “A guy like you?”
“Gone all the time, buckle bunnies, the money, the fame…he’ll tell you it’ll all go to my head, and I’ll get tired of you eventually.”
“No,” I said with a shake of my head. “He’s your best friend. Why in the world would he say any of that? I’d think he’d be happy for you.”
A bark of laughter slipped from those soft lips. “We’re friends, yes. But we’ve also always been in competition for different things over the years.”
“Does he bull ride?” I asked, surprised. He hadn’t struck me as that type of guy.
“He tried it a time or two and didn’t enjoy being thrown.”
Confused, I asked, “If he doesn’t ride, what in the world were you in competition for?”
Bradly brought his horse to a stop, and Barkley followed Chief’s lead. “Let’s see—who could ride a horse better. Who could bull ride better. Who was a better ranch hand. Who knew more about cattle. Who had the most girls.”
“Wait,” I said with my hand up. “Who had the most girls? Do you mean, as in, who slept with the most girls?”
“Not necessarily. More like, who could attract more girls. Like if we went to a bar, he used to count how many women approached me and how many approached him. I never cared about that, and to be honest, I was shy and didn’t really talk that much. He and Will ended up leaving me behind at the bar plenty of times while they left with women.”
It was my turn to let out a roar of laughter “Oh, and sweet, innocent Bradly stayed behind and what? Talked to the poor girls who got left behind too?”
He winked. “Yep. Sometimes the girls appreciated the guy who stayed behind to make sure they all got home okay.”
“You scoundrel!”
“Scoundrel? I was no such thing. I just happened to be smarter.”
I shook my head in disbelief and let Barkley follow Chief again.
“It didn’t happen as many times as you think. Most of the time it was me leaving early and very much alone. I’ve never been the type for one-night stands. I honestly would rather be at home with my family or reading a book.”
Tilting my head, I regarded him. “Seriously? You expect me to believe that you would rather be home with your family or reading than out with a woman?”
“Why is that so hard to believe? I’m not saying I’m a virgin. Far from it. But I don’t sleep with a woman simply because I can.”
I brought my horse to a stop and Bradly did the same, turning Chief to face me and Barkley. “What’s wrong?”
“I’ve never in my life met anyone like you. You’re so honest, and real, and so damn sexy.”
He waggled his brows. “That’s twice you’ve said I’m sexy.”
I smiled. “You know you are. You have a mirror; you can see how handsome you are. I just have one question. Why me?”
Bradly’s smile faded and he frowned yet again. “Why not you?”
Shrugging, I replied, “I don’t know. I’m just…me. Normal, nothing special. I think I’m cute, but I would imagine you have beautiful women throwing themselves at you all the time.”
He stared at me with a dumbfounded look on his face. “From the first moment I saw you dancing and singing in the barn, I knew you were special. I walked out of that barn knowing I had to get to know you. You’re beyond beautiful, Kenzie. You have a smile that makes my heart feel like it’s beating so fast, it can’t keep up with itself. I’m already addicted to the sound of your laugh. You’re smart. You’re kind. God, everything about you is special.”
I felt my heart racing in my chest and had to fight the urge to rub at it. “You know all that already?”
“I knew it the moment you threatened to beat my ass with the broom you were using as a makeshift microphone.”
Laughing, I looked away for a moment before focusing back on him. “I’m so glad you came to the barn Christmas night.”
With his dimples on full display, Bradly nodded. “So am I, Kenzie. So am I.”
We headed back down the trail and I asked him where we were heading.
“I told you, I have a surprise for you.”
“Will you give me a hint?”
“No! If I gave you a hint, you’d guess.”
“How do you know I’d guess?”
He shrugged. “Because I’m terrible at keeping secrets, and I’d give you a hint that would basically tell you what we were doing. So, no hints. Besides, it’s right around this corner.”
It took everything I had not to squeeze Barkley and get her to start trotting. Turns out I wasn’t going to have to wait long because he wasn’t lying. When we rounded the next bend, I saw a darling log cabin sitting in the middle of a pasture. It was enclosed by a three-plank fence.
“What is this place?” I asked as we walked the horses up to a small barn.
“This is the original cabin that was built here on the ranch. I asked my parents if I could have it remodeled to live here.”
My mouth dropped open as I stared at the cabin. It was adorable. The log home wasn’t big, but it wasn’t small either.
“My great-grandfather’s father-in-law built this cabin. It was his ranch. When he married my great-grandmother, he took over running the cattle. He was best friends with the Shaw family. They pretty much settled here around the same time.”
“How amazing,” I said as I slipped off Barkley and followed Bradly into the barn.
“The barn is new. I had it built this year, since I figured I’d be spending more and more time here at the cabin. This is the first time I’ve been back since everything was finished.”
We put each of the horses in a stall, gave them water and some oats. The barn was heated and had a small office next to the tack room.
“I figured one day I’d be living here on the ranch, helping my father run it. I wanted to have a place of my own, not that I don’t love staying with my parents. I’m staying with them now, but that’s only because I’ve been gone for so long and was headed to New York so soon.” He chuckled, and I smiled.
Bradly took my hand, and we headed out of the barn and to the cabin. It looked to be a two-story. Smoke was coming from the chimney, and a part of me couldn’t wait to sit by the fireplace and warm up. It was colder out than I’d thought.
We stepped inside, and I gasped at the sight before me. It wasn’t a huge room, but there was a sofa and a love seat set up in an L-pattern. A big chair sat closer to the large stone fireplace, with a cozy-looking blanket draped over the back. A fire was going in the fireplace but it needed more wood.
“Looks like they haven’t been gone too long,” Bradly said as he took off his coat and hung it up. I did the same and watched as he added more wood to the fire.
“They?” I asked.
When he stood, he looked back at me and grinned. “Some friends of mine who helped set this up. Want a tour?”
“Yes!” I said with excitement. I loved everything and anything old, and even though you could tell the cabin had been updated, it still held its old rustic charm.
He spread his arms open. “This is the living room. In here is the kitchen.”
We made our way through an open doorway and into a decent-size kitchen.
“Oh my gosh. That stove!”
Bradly laughed. “I like to cook.”
I turned and let out a quick laugh of my own. “That is the coolest stove I’ve ever seen. How old is it?”
“Early nineteen hundreds.”
“It’s so neat. I love it! Do you have the kitchen stocked with things?”
He shook his head. “Not yet. I figure I’ll slowly start buying things to fill it up. I’ll split my time between here and your place.”
I felt my cheeks heat. “I’d like that. But this place is so…cozy. I wouldn’t mind staying here a night or two.”
Bradly laughed. “I’m glad you like it. Let me show you the rest of the place.”
We headed out of the kitchen, and I noticed a basket sitting on the small table in the little eating area. “What’s that?”
“That’s our lunch.” My stomach took that moment to let us know it was hungry. Bradly raised a brow and smirked. “Should we eat or finish the tour?”
“Let’s finish the tour.”
He took my hand in his and led us across the cabin to the bedroom. “This bedroom has a queen bed and a bathroom.”
Stepping into the room, I couldn’t help but smile. The room was incredibly quaint. A vintage bed sat in the middle of the back wall, flanked by two windows. The bed covering was a red and white plaid with matching pillow shams. A large cream-colored blanket was laid across the bottom of the bed. The bathroom had a shower, a rustic cabinet that housed two copper sink bowls. Ivory towels hung on the racks, and a small bowl on the cabinet housed things that anyone who visited might use…a brush, hand lotion, Tylenol, a disposable toothbrush, among another things. On the floor, cream-colored rugs matched the towels.
“Did you decorate?”
Bradly laughed. “Heck no. My cousin Rose came in and did all the decorating. The painting above the fireplace is one she painted.”
“I hadn’t noticed. I’ll look when we head back out there.”
When we made our way back into the living room, I studied the stunning painting hanging over the fireplace. I hadn’t noticed it because the fireplace had captured my eyes first. But the painting was truly beautiful. It was a river meandering down from the mountains during the winter, and if I hadn’t known better, I would have thought I was looking out a window to the very scene in the painting.
“That painting is gorgeous. She’s so talented.”
“She really is,” Bradly said as he looked at it with clear pride on his face. “The paintings we saw at Cassens Fine Art, in Hamilton, were just the tip of the iceberg. Rose is incredible.”
I nodded and made a mental note to go back to admire her paintings more closely the next time I was in town.
“Upstairs is a larger bedroom that holds a king bed. The bathroom is bigger up there as well.”
We walked up the steps and right into the bedroom. A huge bed with a wooden frame took up most of the room. A chair was tucked in next to the large picture window that overlooked the backyard.
“Is that a lake?” I asked as I stared out the window.
Bradly came and stood next to me. I could feel his warmth, and a part of me wanted to lean into him.
“It’s a small lake, yes. Dad keeps it stocked with fish. We used to fish there when we were kids. It’s part of the reason I loved this old cabin so much. We’d sometimes pack up for a sleepover and fish during the day, then stay in the cabin at night. My mother had it set up so we could sit on the porch and pull down a screen so we would watch movies. I loved that as a child and hope to do the same with my own kids someday.”
He smiled as if reliving the fond memories.
“I can see why you would love this place so much. It’s beautiful.”
“Come see the bathroom. It’s the only thing I had added on to the cabin.”
When I stepped inside, I nearly gasped. Everything in the entire cabin had an antique feel, except for the upstairs bathroom. It looked like we had stepped into a fancy spa you’d find in Aspen or some ski resort town. The only old thing about it was the vintage claw-foot tub, and it had been painted a beautiful light blue.
“Oh my goodness, this bathroom is amazing.”
Bradly walked in, and I swore his chest puffed up.
I stepped farther into the room and let my gaze take it all in. The floor was covered in black hexagon-pattern tiles. The double sinks were on a floating cabinet made from a beautiful wood that was stained black. The large walk-in shower was next to the tub, enclosed by glass with a black border. The white subway tiles had a black grout, and tied everything together beautifully. The towels that hung up on the rack, which also looked to be heated, were the same color blue as the bathtub.
“I want to live in this bathroom.”
“It’s pretty nice, isn’t it? I had them put in heated floors. The towel rack is heated also, but it’s all turned off right now.”
Spinning around in a circle, I laughed. “Nice? Nice doesn’t even begin to describe it. It’s stunning. Makes you feel like you’re in a fancy spa somewhere.”
“That’s the feeling I was going for.”
“Is that an antique tub?”
Bradly walked over to it and grinned. “No. I wanted a large tub that I could soak in. The antique ones are rather small.”
“It’s big enough for two people.”
I felt him come up behind me, and I melted into his body when he wrapped his arms around my waist.
“Should we test it out?”
Turning in his arms, I looked up at him in mock surprise. “Are you suggesting we bathe together?”
“Scandalous, I know.”
“Well, I did say you were a scoundrel and all.”
His dark eyes turned impossibly darker. “Let me show you how much of a scoundrel I can be.”