would be eating cake for the next few nights. “If you want stress relief, I’ll wake you up at six o’clock tomorrow morning. There’s nothing like an early morning run to make you feel alive.”
“Just because I’m staying with you doesn’t mean I want to be like you. I’m happy with my slug-like lifestyle.”
Daniel knew Blake was exaggerating. He’d completed his tenth half-marathon two weeks ago in a personal best time. “I’ll give you until six-thirty. After that, I’m setting my rooster on you.”
“I wondered what was making that awful noise this morning. You’re really getting into ranch life if you’ve got a rooster.”
“He was a gift from someone who was desperate. If a horse float pulls up while I’m not there, don’t let the driver leave any animals in my barn.” Daniel had inherited Rocky the rooster from one of his neighbors. Sally fostered half the animals from the local animal shelter on the property she shared with her fiancé. When she ran out of space, she found homes for the unwanted strays with any family that would take them.
Six weeks after he moved in, she arrived with Rocky. On each visit after that, she’d made not so subtle hints about the amount of free space on his property. If you added in the fact that she had a donkey and two sheep looking for new homes, he was worried. A rooster he could manage. A zoo was out of the question.
“You’ll be wearing a straw hat and plaid shirt before you know it,” Blake said with a laugh. “What about the art auction tomorrow night?”
“What about it?”
“Hannah and Claire will be there, so Holly’s bound to be there, too. If you see her, you could ask for a copy of the questionnaire.”
“Considering she’s helping to organize the auction, I’d say there’s a good chance she’ll be there. But she’s going to have a lot more on her mind than your trial.”
“I was hoping she’d have you on her mind. Dazzle her with your brilliance. Before you know it you’ll have her eating out of the palm of your hand.”
Daniel was getting more and more uneasy about where this conversation was heading. “Holly’s not like that and neither am I. If you want me to help you, we do it my way, not yours.”
“You’re probably right. If you rush her she’ll realize what you’re up to. Did you bring any of your city clothes with you or are you wearing jeans to the auction?”
“Why? Are you planning on taking me as your date?”
“I hadn’t planned on going, but I could change my flight. I don’t need to be back in New York until Monday. A cultural experience might be good for me.”
“Cultural experience my foot,” Daniel snorted. “You’d better not mention anything about the trial to Holly. If you so much as mention why I’m helping you I’ll back out of our deal faster than you can chase me.”
“I take it the app wasn’t a total failure, then?”
“Holly and I have a theory about that,” Daniel said. “I’ll see you in an hour. Try not to burn my house down while I’m not there.”
Blake laughed. “I’ve never managed to burn water, but I guess there’s always a first time.”
Daniel heard Rocky doing his usual cock-a-doodle-do-ing in the background.
“Your rooster can’t tell the time,” Blake muttered. “It’s challenging enough working out here. When Rocky gets excited he makes enough noise to annoy everyone within a forty-mile radius.”
“You don’t have to stay with me.”
“Someone needs to keep an eye on you. Besides, after we’ve finished with my app we’re going to fix your Internet connection. It’s the worst I’ve ever used.”
“Maybe you should work on something that doesn’t involve technology?”
“Not going to happen,” Blake said slowly. “But if I’d known how complicated matching people would be, I might have thought twice about developing the app.”
“I don’t believe you. Even though you try to hide it, I know you’re a closet romantic. If anyone
“Just because I’m staying with you doesn’t mean I want to be like you. I’m happy with my slug-like lifestyle.”
Daniel knew Blake was exaggerating. He’d completed his tenth half-marathon two weeks ago in a personal best time. “I’ll give you until six-thirty. After that, I’m setting my rooster on you.”
“I wondered what was making that awful noise this morning. You’re really getting into ranch life if you’ve got a rooster.”
“He was a gift from someone who was desperate. If a horse float pulls up while I’m not there, don’t let the driver leave any animals in my barn.” Daniel had inherited Rocky the rooster from one of his neighbors. Sally fostered half the animals from the local animal shelter on the property she shared with her fiancé. When she ran out of space, she found homes for the unwanted strays with any family that would take them.
Six weeks after he moved in, she arrived with Rocky. On each visit after that, she’d made not so subtle hints about the amount of free space on his property. If you added in the fact that she had a donkey and two sheep looking for new homes, he was worried. A rooster he could manage. A zoo was out of the question.
“You’ll be wearing a straw hat and plaid shirt before you know it,” Blake said with a laugh. “What about the art auction tomorrow night?”
“What about it?”
“Hannah and Claire will be there, so Holly’s bound to be there, too. If you see her, you could ask for a copy of the questionnaire.”
“Considering she’s helping to organize the auction, I’d say there’s a good chance she’ll be there. But she’s going to have a lot more on her mind than your trial.”
“I was hoping she’d have you on her mind. Dazzle her with your brilliance. Before you know it you’ll have her eating out of the palm of your hand.”
Daniel was getting more and more uneasy about where this conversation was heading. “Holly’s not like that and neither am I. If you want me to help you, we do it my way, not yours.”
“You’re probably right. If you rush her she’ll realize what you’re up to. Did you bring any of your city clothes with you or are you wearing jeans to the auction?”
“Why? Are you planning on taking me as your date?”
“I hadn’t planned on going, but I could change my flight. I don’t need to be back in New York until Monday. A cultural experience might be good for me.”
“Cultural experience my foot,” Daniel snorted. “You’d better not mention anything about the trial to Holly. If you so much as mention why I’m helping you I’ll back out of our deal faster than you can chase me.”
“I take it the app wasn’t a total failure, then?”
“Holly and I have a theory about that,” Daniel said. “I’ll see you in an hour. Try not to burn my house down while I’m not there.”
Blake laughed. “I’ve never managed to burn water, but I guess there’s always a first time.”
Daniel heard Rocky doing his usual cock-a-doodle-do-ing in the background.
“Your rooster can’t tell the time,” Blake muttered. “It’s challenging enough working out here. When Rocky gets excited he makes enough noise to annoy everyone within a forty-mile radius.”
“You don’t have to stay with me.”
“Someone needs to keep an eye on you. Besides, after we’ve finished with my app we’re going to fix your Internet connection. It’s the worst I’ve ever used.”
“Maybe you should work on something that doesn’t involve technology?”
“Not going to happen,” Blake said slowly. “But if I’d known how complicated matching people would be, I might have thought twice about developing the app.”
“I don’t believe you. Even though you try to hide it, I know you’re a closet romantic. If anyone
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