Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 103159 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 516(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103159 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 516(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
“I honestly don’t see Rose running off to live in a big city. She loves the ranch too much.”
Turning to face me, she smiled and wrapped my scarf around my neck. “I think you’re right. At least, I hope you are.” Patting my chest, she added, “Someday, Hunter Shaw, you’ll be a father, then you’ll understand completely the moment you hold your child.” She shook her head slightly as she looked at Rose and Kipton, then back to me. “The path we think we see ourselves going down isn’t always the right one…or the one our heart wants us to follow.”
I frowned. “Are you saying you think Rose isn’t going down the right path?”
She chuckled and gently cupped my cheek in her hand. “I never said I was talking about Rose.”
Lifting onto her toes, she kissed my cheek. “Go spend some time with Manty. Those girls will never be able to throw the barrel like he wants.”
I watched as my aunt returned to the house. I set the coffee down and headed to Manty’s pen.
“Oh good!” Rose called out. “Throw the barrel at him!”
“What?” Kipton asked in a horrified voice.
“He likes it. We used to use the giant blow-up balls, but his horns pop them after the first throw,” Rose explained.
I launched an empty barrel at Manty, and he went crazy as he batted it back at me with his head.
“Oh my gosh!” Kipton said with a laugh. “He’s totally playing with you!”
After amusing Manty for a few minutes, we walked out into another field. Rose finally decided it was too cold and went back inside.
“Why are we walking toward a giant bull in the middle of the pasture?” Kipton asked with a weary glance my way.
“I promise you, he’s a gentle giant. It’s all in how you raise them. All of my uncle’s bulls are spoiled and given the best of everything. This here is Rudy.”
“Rudy?” she asked with a chuckle.
“It’s not his professional name, but my aunt Kylee named him. She says it fits.”
“And does it?”
I shrugged. “I have no idea. I do know he loves a good scratch.”
Kipton stopped walking. “You want me to walk up to a bull and…scratch him? Like a dog?”
“Indeed, I do.” I took her hand in mine and tugged, and we started walking again. Rudy looked up and started to make his way toward us.
“I think I’m going to stop walking now,” Kipton softly whispered as I let her bring us both to a stop.
I pulled out a Slim Jim and watched as Rudy’s eyes lit up.
“It seems our friend Rudy likes a good Slim Jim,” Kipton said with a laugh.
“He sure does.”
Rudy walked up and gently took the treat out of my hand while I rubbed along his neck. “Go on, give him a good scratch.”
I could tell Kipton was nervous, but she reached out and started to scratch Rudy, who quickly fell in love with her. He tilted his head in all kinds of directions to get her to scratch the right spots.
Laughing, I said, “I think he likes your nails.”
“The girl who does my nails would have a heart attack if she ever saw this.”
Kipton and I spent a few more minutes with Rudy before we headed back. The bull followed us and watched as we climbed over the fence.
“He looks so sad.”
I turned and glanced back at him. “I think he fell in love with you, and now he’s heartbroken you’re leaving him.”
Kipton blew Rudy a kiss goodbye.
“I guess we should head on back to my parents’ place,” I said as I glanced at the sky. “Looks like it might snow.”
Kipton looked up, closed her eyes, and smiled.
For a few seconds I couldn’t move as I watched her. “What are you doing?” I asked.
She snapped out of whatever trance she was in and shook her head. “Sorry, I guess I was daydreaming. And you’re right, we need to get back.”
After saying our goodbyes to Rose, Joshua, Uncle Ty, and Aunt Kylee, we drove back down the main road of the ranch. It wasn’t lost on me that neither of us talked about the show during our drive around the ranch, but I suddenly wanted to know what Kipton was thinking. It was clear she wasn’t going to bring up last night’s date, and a part of me wasn’t sure I should either.
I turned my truck down my folks’ driveway, and Kipton cleared her throat. We had dropped the Jeep back off at my parents’ place before we headed out for our drive. “Thanks for today. I had fun.”
“I did too, even though all we did was drive around the ranch. Next time, we’ll saddle up some horses when the weather shows promise.”
“That sounds nice.” With a half shrug, she added, “Sometimes, though, the simple days are the best ones.”