Chapter Eleven
Why Devlin had bothered going to bed last night was beyond him. Ever since Liz had agreed to come to the ranch today, all he could think about was how to make the day special. Though, he did wonder what was he thinking subjecting her to his matchmaking grandparents. Punching his pillow every half hour or so, he’d considered changing the plans. Perhaps finding somewhere else to take her riding. Heaven knows he had plenty of friends with ranches with horses. Heck, if he called their neighbor Jared who’d married his cousin Eve, there was little doubt that Devlin would be able to take Liz out for the day without concerns for what his family would say.
Then again, over burgers, he’d promised her a family dinner after raving about Hazel their cook, who was as much a part of the family as housekeeper Alice on the Brady Bunch. No matter how he sliced it, his grandparents were going to meet Liz, so in the end, he decided to go with the flow and bite the bullet, so to speak. Especially if what he was feeling and thinking about Liz was more than a passing infatuation. Oh, how he hoped Emily was okay with the possibilities.
Tinkering with some numbers on his computer, he tried not to keep looking at the clock. Liz said she’d arrive at two. It was still only one forty-five and accepting that he had no idea what numbers he’d already looked at, he slammed his computer shut and slid it into the briefcase at this side. Pushing to his feet, he walked to the front window, careful to stand out of line of sight, he watched the empty drive that led to the main road.
Calling down to the barn, he wanted to double-check for the umpteenth time that the two horses were ready.
“How many times are you going to call and harass Mack about the horses?” Mitch’s tone was stern, but Devlin could hear the teasing in his voice.
“Sorry. I’m just crossing my Ts and dotting my Is.”
“Which is why you make the big bucks in real estate. So, who is this second horse for anyhow?”
“Emily’s sister is coming over. She hasn’t been on a horse since she was a kid.”
“Are we supposed to have three horses?”
“No. Emily has something else going on, she might join us for dinner.”
“Got it.” The hint of confusion in Mitch’s voice shifted to a humorous tone. “Don’t want to tick off Emily.”
Good grief. What kind of idiot was he? Here he was spending time with Emily’s sister and he still hadn’t said a word to Emily about how he was feeling. Heck, how could he, he wasn’t sure himself what he was feeling.
“Yoo hoo. Still with me?” Mitch’s voice shifted back to something that was neither concern nor humor.
“Sorry. Thinking.”
“About the sister?” Now the tone was more serious.
“About a lot of things.” Dang, his cousin was always too smart for anyone’s good. “I have to get going. Thanks for helping with the horses.”
“Any time.”
Disconnecting the call, he went to check with Hazel on the afternoon snack he’d asked her to pack. A little wine and cheese and crackers. Maybe some fruit. Like Mitch, she told him to stop fussing and pretty much shooed him out of the kitchen. Now he was back at the window staring at the empty driveway. The second he saw dust blowing up in the distance, his heartbeat kicked up. His feet rooted to the floor, he watched as the unfamiliar sedan pulled up behind a row of family cars already parked in the driveway.
Expecting her to already be out of the car, he looked at his watch. Five minutes to two. She didn’t want to arrive early, that made him smile. Another couple of minutes and she was out of the car, straightening the hem of her shirt and staring up at the family home. When she glanced back to the driver door, he wondered what was delaying her. Ready to bolt outside and see what was wrong, she slung her purse over her shoulder and slowly moved down the drive.
Her steps were slow and careful. Her gaze drifted from one car to another, up to the house and back to the drive in front of her. When she reached the front steps, she once again stopped and stared up at the house.
Not wanting to startle her, he waited for her to step up and ring the bell. The family butler appeared in the foyer to open the door before Devlin could catch up and wave him off.
“I’m here for Devlin, uh, I mean, Mr. Baron.” Her voice sounded so small, not at all the strong self-assured woman he’d been getting to know.
“I’ve got this, Jeeves.”
“Very well, sir.” The man bobbed his head and turning, walked away.
“Punctual.” He waved her into the house.
“I do my best.” Her steps were measured and her grip on her purse was surprisingly tight. He could see the tension in her hands. “I hope it’s okay that I wore jeans?”
He tapped his jean-clad thigh. “Best for riding.”
“Good.” Her head bobbed but her smile seemed a tad shaky for him.
“Hazel has made a little snack for us. It’ll just take me a moment to grab the basket and we can head to the barn.”
Liz bobbed her head and followed him through the foyer, her gaze briefly darting up the massive stairwell and into the kitchen. A few introductions and pleasantries aside and they were crossing the patio on their way to the barn.
The urge to take hold of her hand was almost stronger than his will to not be pushy or presumptuous. But what bothered him more was Liz’s silence. Her gaze seemed to be darting from one side of the property to the other. The sharp, witty, and spunky woman he’d gotten to know seemed to be lost in thought. Right about now, he’d kill to know what was running through her mind.
Holy Moses. She knew the Barons were rich. Everyone knew they were wealthy. After the bachelor auction and the phone calls at the hospital, she’d have to be an idiot not to know they were a substantial family. For years, Liz had heard her sister talk about the galas and fundraisers and parties and cars and boats and everything that went with being an affluent political family. But knowing all this and walking up a driveway longer than her city block to a mansion the size of an apartment building, unexpectedly drove home the Barons could probably afford to use their money for kindling. The more she saw of the house that reminded her of Tara from Gone with the Wind , and the further she walked, the more overwhelmed she was, and the more out of place she felt. This wasn’t one night of playful pretend, this was every day, twenty-four seven.
“Are you okay?” The basket in one hand, he cocked his head in her direction.
“Fine.” Did that sound more like a squeak than a word?
“You’re awfully quiet.”
“You’re awfully rich.” Her hand flew to her mouth. She had not meant to say that out loud. “Sorry. I mean… uhm..” she blew out a sigh and for the first time since pulling off the road, her shoulders relaxed. “I don’t know what I mean.”
It took Devlin several long beats to finally speak up. “I suppose this house is a bit much. I just don’t think about it.”
That was the whole point, none of them probably thought anything about the money. “Though the Lamborghini is amazing in person.”
“That’s Kyle’s.”
“And the Ferrari?”
He squinted. “I think it’s Siobhan’s, but not sure.”
“You’re not sure?”
With a chagrined look on his face, he shrugged. “Honestly, I have a lot of siblings and cousins and can’t keep up with who drives what.”
She bobbed her head. She supposed that made sense, but if her sister or cousin bought a Ferrari, she would most definitely not forget. “They’re nice cars.”
“As long as my car has wheels, I’m happy.”
That tugged the first smile out of her since she’d driven up. That sounded like the man she’d become so fond of that she couldn’t get him out of her mind. He was right. So what if one car cost more than a dozen others. It was only money.
“And here we are.” He waved her into the barn.
The darn thing was almost as big as the house. That uneasy feeling of being totally out of her element began to slither up her spine again. “I don’t know that this is a good idea.”
“Don’t worry. Molly is as sweet as can be. She’s so docile we let skittish kids ride her.”
Shaking her head ever so slowly, she hadn’t meant horseback riding, she’d meant to say everything. All of it. The ride, the dinner, them.
“Here you go.” Devlin stopped at a stall with a beautiful cognac colored horse inside.
“Molly is almost ready, I was just about to put her saddle on.” A man Devlin introduced as Mack the foreman, walked the horse out of the stall, stopping right in front of them.
“If you give her this, she’ll love you forever.” Devlin pulled his hand out of his pocket and dropped a small apple into her hand.
Devlin was right. The horse not only gently nibbled off her hand, when she was done, she nudged Liz with her head and then wiggled her lips as if she were saying thank you.
“Aren’t you sweet?” She ran her hand along the horse’s jaw. “Do you like going for rides?”
The horse bobbed her head, surprising Liz.
“Oh, my.” She chuckled. “Do you think she understood?”
“I don’t think,” Devlin smiled. “I know.”
Why did that man’s smile always make her weak in the knees? She’d heard that expression in movies and read it in books for most of her life, but not till she’d met Devlin Baron did she understand what it meant.
Mack had the other horse saddled and ready to go in just a few minutes and Liz found herself on a horse following Devlin out of the barn and down the hillside.
Wealthy estate or not, the Baron land was gorgeous. The further they went, the more relaxed she felt. This was no different than the dude ranch back in the day. She could definitely do this. On the other side of a nearby fence, the green grass was dotted with black spots. She’d forgotten the Baron ranch was a cattle ranch. This wasn’t the first time she’d seen cattle in the distance, but without a freeway and speeding cars, it felt so serene and soothing. She was loving the ride way more than she’d expected.
“How’s this look?” Devlin glanced in her direction.
“For what?”
“To stop and have a snack.”
She was pretty hungry. She’d been too excited with the invitation to eat a real lunch before coming over. “Looks great.”
Another few minutes and the horses were nibbling on the green grass under the tree and a small feast was spread out on a large blanket.
“How’d you get all this food into that small basket?”
“Hazel is not only an amazing cook, she’s a miracle worker too. As a kid I’d have sworn Mary Poppins had nothing on Hazel.”
Liz chuckled, visions of Hazel pulling lamps out of a carpet bag went a long way to helping her enjoy the day. She reached for a grape before spreading some cheese on a cracker. “Oh, this is good.”
“It’s port wine cheese. One of the specialty items Paige has added to the winery.”
That’s right, the Barons also owned a winery as well as hotels and cattle and who knew what else.
“Feeling better?” His hand landed on her free one.
Her gaze dropped to his hand on hers. She loved the heat that ran up her arm and warmed her heart. “I think so.”
“You think?” A slight frown etched down his brow.
“Sorry. I know . I do feel better. This is just…” she waved her arm over the blanket covered with light snacks… “perfect.”
The frown slid away, and the tension in his shoulders she’d only just noticed fell away as well.
It hadn’t occurred to her that he might have been as nervous about today as she was, nor how much he must have worked to make this little ride and picnic special. “Thank you.”
Squeezing her hand, he sighed, blinked, and pulled his hand away. “You are most very welcome.”
What she was, was confused. But Devlin’s easy manner was going a long way to making all of this feel normal. What she didn’t know, had no clue about, was if it could ever feel normal enough.