Page 71 of Boston
He grinned and ducked his head, then started the truck and pulled away from the curb. “They are pretty amazing. Now the Fourth of July is next week, and I think you might be ready to move up a step.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yep. All the aunts and uncles,” he said. “And the little kids. Do you think you’re up for it?” Boston carried plenty of teasing in his tone.
Cora reached across the console and took his hand in hers. “I love the Fourth of July, and I like spending time with you, so if I have to take a whole mess of aunts and uncles and little kids to do both of those, I’m up for it.”
He grinned at her and lifted her hand to his lips. A thrill covered in sparks ran through her body, and Cora settled in for the short drive back to Silver Sage.
“You said you’d give me a hint tonight,” Boston said. “About where we’re gonna go in your sporty little car.”
Cora grinned at him. “Oh, right.”
“The first one was that I didn’t need bug spray,” Boston said.
“And the second one is,” she said, so much happiness prancing through her. “You also won’t need a fishing pole.”
He gave her a look out of the corner of his eye, and then looked back out the windshield. “That’s not a very good clue.”
She giggled, really enjoying this game with him. “Well, it’s all you get.”
“When will I get my next clue?”
“I’ll text you on Wednesday, so that you’ll get it when you get back up to the cabin to fix the roof.”
He kissed the back of her hand again. “I’m gonna miss you while I’m gone.”
She missed him already, but she didn’t say it out loud. The depth of her feelings surprised her, especially considering how new the relationship was.
So she simply said, “I’ll miss you too.”
CHAPTER
TWENTY-ONE
Boston just needed to finish up with a couple of horses in the stable, and then he could take a blissful cold shower to cool down. He’d been working outside all day to help the grounds crew and the animal care team stay caught up while he was gone.
He’d meticulously gone over the supplies and equipment that he would need to fix the roof at the cabin, and he could get it on a single horse and his food and clothing on the one he would ride. It would take him all day tomorrow to get to the cabin, and he’d planned Thursday and Friday to fix the roof. He hoped that was enough time, but he could only do what he could do, and he had to be back at Silver Sage for a hiking tour on Sunday afternoon and a hunting expedition on Monday, overnight to Tuesday.
Cash arrived that day, and management had only scheduled day-activities at Silver Sage, so that no one would have to be on any overnight trips until the Monday after the Fourth.
Just thinking about the Fourth of July made him focus on Cora. He smiled every time an image of her or even her name entered his mind, and today was no exception.
Everyone at cousin night seemed to like her, and he told himself,Of course they do. She’s really good with people.Andnot only that, she wasn’t fake, and Boston liked her simply because of that.
His phone chimed, but he didn’t pull it out of his pocket. He just wanted to finish, as it wassohot today. He kept working until Bacon Bits and Dolphin were cleaned up and back in their stalls.
He stopped by the thermostat on the way out, because Cotton kept it warmer when the horses were out in the pastures or working. But now that they had all been put away, the temperature regulator needed to be bumped down again. Boston couldn’t believe he was adjusting the air conditioning for horses, but Silver Sage had spared no expense when it came to their equines.
He’d just stepped out of the stable and locked the door when his phone rang. He wasn’t sure why, but he wasn’t in a great mood, and he simply wanted to go home and shower, call in an employee room order somewhere, and relax.
He should want to see Cora, and he’d text her when he got home. He couldn’t ignore the pealing of his phone, and he pulled it out of his pocket to see her name sitting there. Suddenly, he couldn’t swipe fast enough.
“Hey,” he said, still lifting the phone to his ear.
“There you are,” she said.
“Where else would I be?” he teased.
