Page 26 of Wannabe in Wyoming
Nathan wasn’t offended, nor surprised, when the other man called him “son”. Even though there was only about a five- to seven-year difference in their ages, Jeremiah seemed like an old soul. He undoubtedly used the word with affection, and that’s how it was taken. Nathan shook the proffered hand. “Thank you. I appreciate that. Willow’s told me a lot about you too. Thank you for befriending her and helping her out with everything. Knowing she has a friend like you here eases my mind when I’m in Kansas.”
“It’s been my pleasure. She’s a breath of fresh air in this stuffy town.”
Nathan chuckled at that. “I’m sure she is. And don’t worry, hurting her is the last thing I’d ever do.”
“Glad to hear it.”
Willow shook her head at both of them. “I knew you’d get along with each other. Anyway, I’m actually glad we ran into you, Jeremiah, I was going to call you later. Would you mind taking a ride with us tomorrow to see the alpaca farm? I know there’s a pretty big difference between cattle and alpacas, but they’re still animals being raised on a ranch. I thought maybe you’d come up with some questions or observations I might totally miss.”
The man winked at her. “I’d love to help you out—you should know that by now. And that’s the great thing about having a foreman and a bunch of ranch hands—the boss gets to take off almost whenever he wants. What time do you want to leave?”
“I told the guy’s nephew we’d be there at ten, and it’s over in Redworth.”
“I know where that is. Better pick me up by eight—we’ll probably hit some traffic on the interstate.”
“Eight it is. I’ll bring the coffee. Thank you so much.”
“My pleasure.” He clapped his hands once. “Now that that’s settled, why don’t you two head on over to my place around five tonight? One of my ranch hands, Ethan, got engaged to his girlfriend the other night, and we’re having a small barbecue to celebrate.” His gaze darted to Nathan. “Willow’s already met all my workers, and like her, I’m sure you’ll fit right in.”
Nathan was liking Willow’s friend more and more, especially knowing the man had zero romantic or sexual interest in her, and honestly even if he did, Jeremiah still seemed like a hell of a guy. He shrugged and looked at Willow. “I’m game if you are, sweetheart.”
She nodded her assent before turning back to Jeremiah. “What can we bring?”
“If you have a specific beer you’d like, bring that. Food will be more than covered. Oh,” he said, snapping his fingers. “Camp chairs. We never have enough to go around.”
“Sure? I’d feel bad not bringing something more than that.”
“I’m sure, Willow-girl. However, the chance to grill your new man is going to be more than enough for me.”
“Bring it on. There’s nothing you can ask or say that’ll scare me off of this one.” Nathan pulled her closer to his side, kissing the top of her head.
“You two are so sweet you’re making my teeth ache. On that note, I’m gonna get going. I’ll see you later, kiddies!”
“Oh, you’re a riot, you know that, Jeremiah?” Willow shouted at his back as he walked away. “I can’t wait until you meet someone––I’m going to bust your balls so hard, dude!” The man just took his hat off, waved it in the air, and laughed as he strode to his truck.
Willow tugged on Nathan’s hand. “Well, come on. Looks like we have to go buy some beer and camp chairs after we run the other errands.”
“Lead the way, baby.” He really meant that. He’d follow this woman anywhere. How was he feeling so much for her in such a short time? He felt like he’d stepped onto the set of a Hallmark movie or some damn thing. He still didn’t understand how this amazing woman wanted to be with him, but he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He was one lucky bastard, that was for sure. Grinning to himself, he followed Willow toward the entrance to the feed & supply store, making no attempt to stop from watching her perfectly round ass wiggle as she walked in front of him.
Damn, he sure did love watching her walk.
Chapter Nineteen
When they got backto the house, they had several hours to kill, so Nathan suggested they go through a few of the remaining boxes filled with her father’s papers and other things. He really wanted her to find something positive about the man who’d never been part of her life until after his death.
Nathan followed as Willow led him down the short hallway to the overhead door to the attic. “When Jeremiah and his ranch hands helped me clean this place out, there was stuff everywhere. It was too much to go through all at once to see what was worth keeping and what wasn’t. They packed up all the papers, and anything that looked like it might be worth saving, into boxes and put them up here for me.” She pulled the string that released the stairs and stepped back as they unfolded. “I managed to get through most of them, but there are still a few left. Let’s carry them down and go through everything in the front room where we’ll have the most space.”
“Lead the way, my lady. Your pack horse awaits.” He teasingly slapped her ass and followed her up the steps before ducking his head to avoid the low beams. He was hoping they didn’t need to spend too much time in the cramped space-—he wasn’t looking forward to braining himself, which was bound to happen if he was up there too long.
“Pack horse. Ha ha. Soldier boy got jokes, huh?” She pointed to a stack of five large, plastic storage boxes that looked pristine compared to their dusty cardboard counterparts that’d been stored up there for what had to have been decades. “I think these are all of them. Eventually, I’ll go through the rest of this shit that was already up here when I moved in.” Waving her hand around to encompass the attic, which was overflowing with faded boxes held together with yellowed tape, broken pieces of furniture, and two mattress and box spring sets, she sighed.
“Soldier boy? Really? You know we don’t like that, right?” Gently elbowing her aside, he hefted one box up against his chest and carefully made his way to the ladder.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it.” The warmth of her palm running down his back soothed him even as it heated his blood.
“I know, baby, it’s okay.” His gaze shifted to something behind her. “Who’s that? He looks too old to be your father.”
She glanced over her shoulder to the large portrait of an older man. “Oh, that was hanging over the living room fireplace when I moved in. According to Jeremiah, that’s my father’s great-uncle, Simon Hillcrest. He owned the ranch when Jason came to live with him and left it to him when he died. Simon never married and didn’t have any kids. It’s a creepy picture—his eyes seem to follow you when you move—but I felt funny throwing it out, since he’s technically a relative, so I just stuck it up here.”
