visit… a mother and father who loved each other, but most of all, loved her.
“You okay, Mace?” Lane whispered, leaning towards her. “Kinda zoned out there.”
“Oh, sorry,” she whispered back, flashing him a quick smile. “Just tired.”
Lane smiled back and then said quietly, “I’m going to get so fat while I’m here. I think I’m in love with Helen.”
Macy giggled. “Maybe we should just stay here forever.”
Just then Helen walked into the room carrying a tray of Beef Wellington that smelled absolutely divine.
“Yep, we’re moving in,” Lane said.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Macy was woken up by a cold nose nuzzling her face. She gasped, swatting blindly at the obnoxious intrusion and forced herself to wake up enough to open her eyes.
“Well, mornin’, sleepy heads. I thought you might end up sleeping all day.”
Macy sat up in bed, pulling the covers up to her neck.
“It couldn’t possibly be morning yet,” Lane groaned from the bunk above. “It’s not even light out.”
Macy shook her head to wake up and blinked the sleep out of her eyes.
Ryland Quinn stood in the doorway, cup of coffee in hand. The shaggy mutt sat dutifully at his feet, panting even though it was freezing inside the cabin. Quinn was grinning broadly. Macy found herself staring at him with her mouth slightly agape. Quickly, she shut it and looked away.
“Sorry if Boomer woke you up. He’s always full of energy first thing in the morning,” Ryland said with a chuckle.
“No, it’s okay. I love dogs,” Macy said, finding her voice.
“Ready?”
“For what?”
“You guys wanted to come get a story about my ranch, right? Well, there’s work to be done. Let’s go.”
“Oh no,” Lane said groggily from the bunk above Macy. “We’re not here to work. We’re just here for the article.”
Ryland’s chest rumbled as he tried to contain a hearty laugh. His eyes darted between Macy and Lane, and she could only guess what he must think of the two of them in that moment—bed head, half asleep, and obviously disoriented by the early awakening.
“This is the story. This is my life. If you’re not interested, feel free to leave.”
“We’ll be ready in ten,” Macy finally said, clutching the covers around her against the chill.
With a nod, Ryland turned and left, allowing the door to bang shut loudly behind him.
“What the hell, Macy?” Lane grumbled as he clambered down from his bed. “This is bullshit.”
“Yeah,” she said as she began rifling in her bag for warm clothes, trying to shake the uneasy feeling she’d gotten when she met Ryland.
“But damn, is he even cuter in person. I like the cowboy thing he has going on.”
“Of course he has a cowboy thing going on, he’s a freaking country music singer,” Macy said irritably. She really didn’t want to admit to Lane that she had also been taken aback by Ryland’s attractiveness.
“Let’s just get this over with. The sooner we can get this story done, the sooner we can go home.”
“Agreed,” Macy said, pulling a thick hoodie over her head before slipping into heavy boots. She grabbed her camera and slung the strap over her shoulder. “Let’s go.”
As they stepped outside, they wrapped their arms around themselves against the cold. Macy looked around for a moment before spotting Ryland by the stalls surrounded by three horses.
“Come on.”
“Is that what you’re riding in?” Ryland asked with his back to them.
“We’re riding?”
Ryland turned and the grin he flashed Macy was both stunning and obnoxiously arrogant. The scene from his music video sprung into her mind and she fought the urge to roll her eyes. Instead she tried to fight fire with fire and presented him her most dazzling smile in return.
“I’m so sorry, Ryland. We weren’t told we’d be riding horses. I hope the clothes that we did bring will do.”
He shrugged and turned to finish saddling the horse. “Guess they’ll have to.”
Macy turned to Lane
“You okay, Mace?” Lane whispered, leaning towards her. “Kinda zoned out there.”
“Oh, sorry,” she whispered back, flashing him a quick smile. “Just tired.”
Lane smiled back and then said quietly, “I’m going to get so fat while I’m here. I think I’m in love with Helen.”
Macy giggled. “Maybe we should just stay here forever.”
Just then Helen walked into the room carrying a tray of Beef Wellington that smelled absolutely divine.
“Yep, we’re moving in,” Lane said.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Macy was woken up by a cold nose nuzzling her face. She gasped, swatting blindly at the obnoxious intrusion and forced herself to wake up enough to open her eyes.
“Well, mornin’, sleepy heads. I thought you might end up sleeping all day.”
Macy sat up in bed, pulling the covers up to her neck.
“It couldn’t possibly be morning yet,” Lane groaned from the bunk above. “It’s not even light out.”
Macy shook her head to wake up and blinked the sleep out of her eyes.
Ryland Quinn stood in the doorway, cup of coffee in hand. The shaggy mutt sat dutifully at his feet, panting even though it was freezing inside the cabin. Quinn was grinning broadly. Macy found herself staring at him with her mouth slightly agape. Quickly, she shut it and looked away.
“Sorry if Boomer woke you up. He’s always full of energy first thing in the morning,” Ryland said with a chuckle.
“No, it’s okay. I love dogs,” Macy said, finding her voice.
“Ready?”
“For what?”
“You guys wanted to come get a story about my ranch, right? Well, there’s work to be done. Let’s go.”
“Oh no,” Lane said groggily from the bunk above Macy. “We’re not here to work. We’re just here for the article.”
Ryland’s chest rumbled as he tried to contain a hearty laugh. His eyes darted between Macy and Lane, and she could only guess what he must think of the two of them in that moment—bed head, half asleep, and obviously disoriented by the early awakening.
“This is the story. This is my life. If you’re not interested, feel free to leave.”
“We’ll be ready in ten,” Macy finally said, clutching the covers around her against the chill.
With a nod, Ryland turned and left, allowing the door to bang shut loudly behind him.
“What the hell, Macy?” Lane grumbled as he clambered down from his bed. “This is bullshit.”
“Yeah,” she said as she began rifling in her bag for warm clothes, trying to shake the uneasy feeling she’d gotten when she met Ryland.
“But damn, is he even cuter in person. I like the cowboy thing he has going on.”
“Of course he has a cowboy thing going on, he’s a freaking country music singer,” Macy said irritably. She really didn’t want to admit to Lane that she had also been taken aback by Ryland’s attractiveness.
“Let’s just get this over with. The sooner we can get this story done, the sooner we can go home.”
“Agreed,” Macy said, pulling a thick hoodie over her head before slipping into heavy boots. She grabbed her camera and slung the strap over her shoulder. “Let’s go.”
As they stepped outside, they wrapped their arms around themselves against the cold. Macy looked around for a moment before spotting Ryland by the stalls surrounded by three horses.
“Come on.”
“Is that what you’re riding in?” Ryland asked with his back to them.
“We’re riding?”
Ryland turned and the grin he flashed Macy was both stunning and obnoxiously arrogant. The scene from his music video sprung into her mind and she fought the urge to roll her eyes. Instead she tried to fight fire with fire and presented him her most dazzling smile in return.
“I’m so sorry, Ryland. We weren’t told we’d be riding horses. I hope the clothes that we did bring will do.”
He shrugged and turned to finish saddling the horse. “Guess they’ll have to.”
Macy turned to Lane
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