Chapter Five
Blake pulled up outside one of his barns and parked. He came around the vehicle to let Hanna out, then yelled for a few of his guys.
“Rick, take someone to get my truck. It’s at the Baptist Cemetery.”
The man looked at Hanna in curiosity and appreciation before barking at another man to help.
Blake took her hand and pulled her into the barn. “I think you’ll like what I’m going to show you.”
She glanced around and tried to keep up with his stride.
They came to a stall. He let go of her hand and opened it to show her the two tiny calves lying in a stack of straw.
“Oh, my.”
He smiled at the look on her face. “They are twins. We lost...” He stopped when he realized what he was about to say and stopped. The last thing she wanted to hear about was the mama cow dying. “Anyway, they need to be bottle-fed now.”
She knelt down in the straw next to one and started to pet it. “Can I help?”
“Yes. This is one of the reasons I brought you here. I thought you’d enjoy this. Let me go get the bottles and be right back.”
He was back within five minutes. His heart jerked in his chest when he caught her sitting against the side of the stall with her shoes off and one of the calves in her lap.
He gritted his teeth at the overwhelming need to hold her at that moment.
He knew he felt strongly for her, but seeing her like this.
.. He’d lost his heart to her a long time ago, but right then, he made her a part of his soul.
How could you not love a beautiful woman in a fancy dress, parked in the straw with a calf in her lap? It just showed him how extraordinary she was and how well they fit each other.
He cleared his throat. “Here we go.” He handed her one of the bottles, sat by the other calf, and started feeding it. He watched the gentle smile that crossed her face when her calf ate hungrily at the bottle she held.
“What do you do?” he asked her.
She glanced at him. “I’m a graphic designer.”
His eyes widened. “Wow. Is that what you went to college for?”
She nodded. “Yes. That and business.”
“You have two degrees?”
“Yes. For the first two years, I crammed every class I could handle and was able to work a little for extra expenses at the same time.”
“Why?”
“Because my scholarship was for four years, I could take as many classes as possible. I got room and board, so I didn’t have to work full-time.”
“I knew you got a scholarship. You were always the smartest person in the class.”
She stared at him in shock. “How would you know that?”
“We had three classes together, remember?”
He gritted his teeth when she paled and glanced away. “I know I was a bastard to you, and I want to apologize.”
She peeked up at him through her lashes. “Why?”
“You might not believe this, but it’s the honest-to-God truth. I wanted you the very first time I saw you.”
She snorted and shook her head.
“No, wait, listen. I really did, but you wouldn’t give me the time of day. I tried to talk to you several times, but you always walked away.”
“I vaguely remember that, but I was so shy, I didn’t know what to say, so I fled.”
“After we graduated and I matured a bit, I realized that. I hate myself for the way I treated you. I was a spoiled brat and always got what I wanted until you came along. It drove me mad to see you every day and be unable to talk to or touch you.”
She looked at him in pure shock. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because it’s been driving me crazy for the last eight years. You know I tried to find you?”
Her eyes widened. “No. When?”
“I didn’t see you at graduation, so I went to your house. Your mom told me you had already left for college.”
“Yes. I wasn’t ever planning on going to the ceremony.”
“Because of me?”
She shrugged. “You weren’t the only one who was mean to me.”
“I blame myself for that, too.”
“Why?”
“Because I was the leader and had everyone following my behavior.”
She looked away and concentrated on the calf finishing the bottle.
“I also tried to find you when you were at college.”
Her head snapped up in disbelief.
“It would have been your last year of college. I wanted to know if you were moving back.”
“The calf is done. What should I do?” she asked.
Blake set his calf down and stood before he reached for the bottle she held. “I’ll be right back.”