Page 28 of A Surprise Wedding for the Cowboy

A grin cracked her face. “About that. It’s not very long, in the grand scheme of things.”

“I’m not asking you to marry me right now.” Not today, anyway, but suddenly he could see himself on one knee, holding a ring out to her. He blinked away the vision. “I’m asking if we can keep getting to know each other, if we can proceed for now as if that might be our end game, if all goes well.”

There. His heart was truly in the hand he stretched out to her. She wouldn’t have led into that earth-shattering kiss if she didn’t have a glimmer of hope in the future he saw, would she?

Stephanie placed her hand in his, her hazel eyes focused on his. “I’d like that.”

He twirled her in for another kiss.

She only let him plant a quick one before she pulled back. “I could kiss you all day.”

Tate bobbed his eyebrows. “We could give it a try?”

“But we’re both on the clock, and we’ve only looked at one employment record.” She tilted her head and analyzed the box. “One of probably hundreds.”

“Now you’re cracking the whip. How about a kiss every time we’ve sorted ten files?”

She giggled. “I like the way you think.”

So did he.

* * *

It had taken three of Jamie’s afternoon naps for them to go through all the files. There might have been a faster way than pausing to kiss so many times but, hey, so be it. The rewards were worth it.

Meanwhile, Stephanie continued to take Jamie to the lodge for lunch and dinner, but she or Tate fixed breakfast for the three of them before Tate headed to the office for the morning. He said he was calling prospective employees from their positive pile between meetings with his grandfather and cousin.

She could hardly imagine all the moving pieces required to get a ranch resort like this off the ground in such short order. Hopefully, for all the ponderous groundwork, it would fly once it took off. She couldn’t help thinking of Wilbur, the comical albatross in The Rescuers animated movie. The poor bird struggled hilariously with takeoffs and landings, but in flight? He soared majestically. She prayed Sweet River Ranch would do the same.

Praying was easy these days. Stephanie had so much to thank God for. Her new job. Her new relationship. Sweet little Jamie. If a kid his age could see the brightness in every day, she could, too. His hugs and giggles were infectious, and his love of the outdoors dragged her outside several times a day.

At least, they hadn’t run into Weston again. The cowboy might be Tate’s cousin, but he was a wild card. No one really knew him, at least beyond his mother and brother. He made her a little nervous, that’s all, and it kept her from letting Jamie explore in the direction of the stable and corrals. She’d need to keep the little guy safe from the horses while keeping an eye on Weston. Maybe later in the summer.

She was following the toddler around outside, as she often did, when Nadine came out of her duplex a few doors down. “Hi, Nadine.”

“Hello, Stephanie. Look at that little guy. He sure seems happy.”

“He loves being outside.”

As if on cue, Jamie pointed at the sky. “Moo?”

“Yes, sweet boy. That’s the moon.”

Nadine chuckled. “They have a language all their own at that age, don’t they?”

“He sure seems to. But I haven’t known many toddlers to know that as a universal trait.”

“How did you snag a nanny job without experience?”

“Oh, you know. I was in the right place at the right time.” Like nearly crashing into Tate’s fancy SUV.

“The Lord works in mysterious ways.”

“True.” Stephanie eyed the woman. Tate’s aunt. “You’re a Christian?”

“Yes. I’m not sure how I’d have gotten through the past few years without the Lord to lean on.”

Same, girl. Same.

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