Page 53 of Organized Chaos

God’s creation was never more beautiful than in this moment with the sun shining down on her and the wind in her hair.

She crossed her arms over her t-shirt and met Grayson look for look. “We should get back to the chicken coop. We’re not done.”

“Oh, you can take a break from that. I want to show you around the house.” Gina waved them off from heading back to their chores. “Come on.” Her tone of voice told them not to argue.

Grayson hiked that eyebrow again and mimed for Kayla to walk ahead of him.

She tossed her head and flounced past. So what if she was in her thirties and never married. That didn’t mean she had to be all staid and stoic. She bounced ahead of Grayson, once again feeling that slight tingle of attraction when she felt his gaze following her.

They followed Gina to the house and up the steps onto the porch. Gina opened the door ahead of them and ushered them inside.

Kayla paused at the threshold and took a long look around. Arched ceilings domed overhead in the living room and foyer, while a long hallway branched off to the right.

She spotted a kitchen through the open doorway straight ahead, with a long dining room table and a dozen chairs taking up the main floor space.

“I’ll show you to your rooms first, then we’ll sit down for a nice chat before supper.” Gina led the way down the hallway. “Kayla, you have the first room here on the left. It was our daughter’s room until she left for college.”

Kayla twisted the knob and peeked into the room. “It’s wonderful.”

“Grayson, you’re down the hall. Last door on the right.” Gina made quick work of the distance to Grayson’s room.

He gave it a cursory glance before turning away without a word.

Kayla had the sudden urge to stomp his foot and tell him to be nice. Would it be so bad to tell Gina that he liked the room? Or to at least appear to appreciate the fact that the Garrett’s were giving him a free room.

Oh, that reminded her.

“How long are you staying, Grayson?” She broke the moment of tension with her question.

He gave her a look she couldn’t decipher. “Three weeks.”

Gina clapped her hands. “Isn’t that something? You showed up at the same time and will leave at the same time. Almost like God thought it was meant to be.” She winked and hurried off before either of them could offer a rebuttal.

Not that Kayla had one. She believed in God’s divine intervention, even when it might not be obvious that he was at work. That’s the only way she knew to explain her finding out about the Garnett ranch in the first place.

She’d been browsing, looking for a vacation spot for the summer when she landed on an obscure page talking about ranch adventures. She’d read the reviews and they intrigued her. It didn’t matter that she knew nothing about horses, cattle, or gardening.

The website promised that everything would be handled, and Kayla had felt herself led to fill out the questionnaire and send it in.

Less than a week later, she’d been accepted and now, only a month after first seeing the site, she was standing on a real, true blue ranch.

Maybe she’d finally learn how to ride a horse. Did they do cattle drives? She’d meant to ask but had gotten too carried away.

She pulled out a chair and sat at the table. Grayson hovered near the doorway, his arms crossed and his mouth turned down in a deep frown.

“Grayson, I expect you and Kayla both find this all a bit overwhelming.” Gina poured cups of rich coffee into earthenware mugs. “You both work in rather serious occupations but have never been on a ranch.”

It wasn’t a question, but Kayla nodded while keeping an eye on Grayson to gauge his mood. “I’ve been a social worker for ten years. It’s hard work but rewarding.”

“And Grayson. You’re a math professor.” Gina slid the cups across the table and returned to the counter for a tray of cream and sugar. Once she had everything at the table, she sat and wrapped her hands around her cup. “Both worthy professions. Though they don’t give you much time outside.”

Grayson’s fingers flexed where he squeezed his deltoids and he looked like he wanted to argue.

“What brought you here, Grayson?” Kayla asked while sipping her coffee. “Did you want to be a cowboy when you were young?”

“No.” His answer and his tone were short and clipped. He feathered a hand through his dark hair. “If you don’t mind, Mrs. Garnett, I’d like to get back to work.”

He looked like a man haunted by something. She couldn’t fathom what, exactly, only that the way he held himself so perfectly rigid and apart from everyone else made her think that he had a hard time connecting with people.

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