Sizzling Summer Nights. Debbi Rawlins
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I’m from Dallas, and it’s been exceptionally hot for a couple years now.”
“Yeah, Rachel mentioned you’re from there.” He was over six feet tall, with long legs that could probably go much faster but he stayed at a nice comfortable pace that better suited her.
“I don’t know if you’ve ever been to Texas, but excuse me for not being sympathetic when you say it won’t be green much longer.”
“I’ve been there,” he said. “I seem to recall some nice areas.”
“Of course there are, mostly in the Hill Country, but overall it’s been so dry and just...brown and ugly.”
“Yep, the drought has hurt a lot of folks—ranchers, farmers and ultimately the consumer.” He gestured to a sign posted in the window of a bakery. “As a matter of fact, there’s going to be a town meeting on the topic.”
Hannah had been too busy looking at the bakery’s name. The Cake Whisperer. Cute. She caught only a quick glimpse of the handwritten sign as they walked past it. “Grazing permits. What does that have to do with the drought?”
“Cattle have to eat,” he said. “If you don’t have enough grass on your own land, you have to find some. It just so happens the government owns a good deal of prime grazing land,” Seth said, with an enigmatic smile that revealed nothing of his political leaning.
Something that Hannah understood. Discussions about politics and religion always made her edgy. “So, the local ranchers can get a permit and let their cows graze on government grass?”
“For a fee, yes. And not just local ranchers, some of whom have been using the land for decades without a permit. Hence, the emergency meeting. It’s a touchy subject around here. That’s why I stay out of it.”
“Huh.” She wondered if her father knew anything about grazing permits or had thought about looking beyond Texas. Depending on shipping costs, leasing land here could solve his problem. Maybe she’d poke around and get some info.
Right now, though, she was more interested in Seth. His language surprised her. With his scuffed boots, worn jeans and blue T-shirt, he looked like a typical cowboy. Sometimes he sounded like one, and other times not at all. Now she really wanted to grill Rachel about him. What had she said about him having issues?
“Ask me,” he said with an air of amusement.
At the sudden realization she’d been staring, she blinked. “Ask you what?”
“Whatever it is that’s got you thinking so hard.”
Tempting, but no, she’d wait for Rachel. It was possible the night could end really well and she didn’t want to mess things up. “Where did you park? The next county?”
Seth stopped and opened the passenger door of a late model, dark gray truck. “Here we go.”
“Is this yours?”
“No, but it’s closer,” he said, pulling the door wide. “Go ahead. We’re all friends here. We swap vehicles all the time.”
Hannah opened her mouth to ask if he was joking, then closed it without a word.
He laughed. “Of course it’s mine.”
“I knew that,” she said, glaring up at him.
Humor lit his eyes. He really was very good-looking and it was all she could do not to touch his dimpled chin.
Before she gave in to the impulse, she looked up at the June sky filled with stars. So many that she couldn’t keep count if she tried.
“Sorry,” she said, when it registered that he was waiting for her. “The sky is so beautiful out here.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” His gaze swept the vast expanse of inky backdrop. “I’ve visited a lot of different places, and so far nothing beats a Montana sky. Probably why I loved astronomy so much as a kid.”
“Really? Not anymore?”
“Ah, you know...” He shrugged. “Life happened.”
“I get it. Oddly enough, I was just thinking about how stargazing had been one of my favorite things to do as a little girl. Now I can’t remember the last time I slowed down long enough to look up.”
“Did you grow up in Dallas?”
“No. My parents own a small ranch a couple hours west of the city in the middle of nowhere.”
“A ranch?” His brows went up. “No kidding?”
Hannah wished she hadn’t told him that part. He’d expect her to know things about ranching. But her father hadn’t taught her anything, or wanted her around. He’d considered her a nuisance. “When I say small, that’s not an exaggeration.”
“But your folks raise cattle?” he asked, and she nodded. “How many head?”
“I’m guessing around a hundred. My dad works by himself.”
“That’s not as small as you think. Statistically speaking, fifty head is closer to the average. But, yep, he could easily handle a herd that size alone.”
She started to climb into the truck but it was a high step up so she accepted the help he offered. His hand was big and strong, with long, lean fingers, and his palm was not nearly as tough as she’d expected.
Once she was seated and buckling up, he closed the door and came around to slide behind the wheel. Just as he was going to start the engine, his cell phone buzzed and he took a quick look at it. Then he checked his watch.
“Honestly, you don’t have to drive me anywhere,” Hannah said. “I can wait for Rachel or Nikki.”
“If it was a problem, I’d tell you. I don’t have anything I need to do at the moment.” He put his phone on the console and started the truck. A country music song blasted from the speakers and he quickly turned off the radio. “I wanted to get away from the ranch for a while. That’s all.”
“You were in the bar for less than an hour. That’s not much of a—” She sighed at the smile tugging at his mouth. Okay, so she’d noticed him when he’d first come in. So what?
At the sound of laughter she turned and saw two couples leaving a steak house. Once they were on the sidewalk, the women tried awfully hard to see through the truck’s tinted windows. The shorter brunette smiled and waved.
Seth waved back. “So,” he said, “what do you want to do? Go straight to the Sundance? Go for a ride? Get something to eat?”
Excitement flared, then the truth hit her. “That tricky little—Rachel had me convinced this was all because she had to run to get a part for Matt. I swear I’m gonna kill her.”
“I don’t think I can help you with that,” he said, and pulled the truck away from the curb. “But I will need to know which direction to go.”
“The Sundance, I guess,” Hannah said, and he looked disappointed, so that was some consolation. “How well do you know her?”
“Rachel? Not all that well. We went to different high schools. I know her brothers.”
“Well, I love her dearly but she has a nasty little habit of trying to fix up her friends. Or anyone.” Hannah snorted. “She’s horrible about it.”
“Oh, that’s right,” he said with a slow nod. “She used to piss off Cole and Jesse.”
“Yeah, that doesn’t surprise me one bit.” Hannah cleared her throat. “Anyway, I’m pretty sure that’s why she asked you to give me a ride. I mean, I’m only here for a week, but—well, who knows what she was thinking...”
Seth didn’t respond. He had no reaction at all, and not because he needed to pay attention to traffic. Main Street was practically dead.
“Another