Page 123 of Giddy Up, Daddy

He says this like it’s nothing, like it’s totally normal, and my eyes bug out of my head. I wonder if he’s teasing but before I can ask, we’re back in the truck, heading out to the barns withNate and Bo pointing out different spots and telling history and sharing plans. They have a grand vision for their business and their excitement is so pure and genuine I can’t help but join in for a minute before I remember that these are their plans, ones that ultimately, I’ll have nothing to do with because this can never be anything more than an exciting romp in the hay, if it even ever goes that far.

When we reach the barn, I realize it’s a lot bigger than I could see from the drive up. It’s nearly the size of the house, if not bigger. The ground outside it is muddy though, and as I peer down, I know my shoes will be ruined in one step.

They’re several years old, and I have dozens of other pairs, so I grit my teeth and tell myself it doesn’t matter. Before I can step down though, Bo scoops me into his arms and carries me, bridal-style over the muddy ground. Inside the barn, the floor is cement. It’s dusty and covered in hay, but there’s no mud. Stalls line the walls. On my left, horses. On my right, cows.

Well, that answers that question.

Bo sets me down on my feet and I run to my left, to a stunning Ahkal Teke that takes me back to my years of riding lessons. “Oh, she's so pretty!” I squeal.

“He,” Nate corrects. “That’s Dexter.”

I put my hand out and Dexter nuzzles it, tickling me with his hairy horse lips.

Bo walks away, then returns a minute later and drops a sugar cube into my outstretched palm, which Dexter immediately eats up.

“Ohhh, good boy!” I squeal. “Do you ride?” I ask Nate. I’m not really sure what other use horses would have on a ranch like this one. I’ve never thought about it, and I’m not sure I want to.

“Of course we do,” Nate answers with a chuckle. I breathe a sigh of relief.

“Oh maybe we could…” I cut myself off with the reminder that this can’t be a thing. But I haven't been on a horse in over a decade and as I stare up at Dexter I realize how much I’ve missed it.

“Shall we take a tour?” Bo asks when I drag my gaze away.

I nod, somewhat reluctantly, but allow myself to be dragged away. Bo and Nate take me through the massive barn, stopping at every stall, both cows and horses, introducing me to each animal. They show me the back where the milking machines are, and explain the process, even though it makes me squeamish.

And finally we’re at the back of the barn where the tractor is. It’s massive, like nothing I’ve ever seen. “Wow” I crane my head to look up at it and notice the ladder against the eaves.

“What’s that?” I point.

“Goes to the hay loft,” Bo explains. He looks at Beau and they share a glance I can’t decipher.

“What’s it for?” I ask. “Just… hay storage?”

Bo snickers. “Something like that.”

At the same time, Nate answers, “It’s actually our favorite spot on the whole property.”

“Really?” I turn to stare at him and cock my head. Obviously I’m missing something. The property is beautiful and I’m sure there are tons of areas of hidden beauty I haven’t even seen yet. “What’s so special about it?”

My question is drowned out by a crack of thunder, louder than I’ve ever heard. I jump and all but leap into Nate’s arms.

The crack of thunder is followed immediately by a flash of light and then a torrential downpour.

Bo wrinkles his nose. “Probably should have checked the weather before we came out here.”

There’s a crack in the barn door and I tiptoe up to it, peeking out. The rain is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. It’s practicallyapocalyptic. We’ll get drenched even going the fifteen feet to the truck. “Holy crap,” I breathe.

“Don’t get weather like this in the big city?” Bo asks with a chuckle.

Eyes wide, I shake my head. “I mean, we’ve gotten a few blizzards, but I’ve never seen rain like this.”

Nate smirks, his eyes twinkling as he looks between us.

“Maybe we should go wait out the rain in the hay loft, Daddy.” As soon as the word slips out, he slaps his hand over his mouth and cringes.

“Daddy? Oh, is that because of the baby?” I assume it is, but the blush creeping up both their cheeks tells me otherwise.

Nate scuffs his toe on a pile of hay, and Bo clears his throat. “Heading up to the loft seems like as good as an idea as any,” he concedes. “Seems like we may have a few things to talk about.” He cocks his head at me. “You up for it?”

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