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“Susan. Anything you need, you ask me. Mr. Lundgren told me to tell you to go right on through to the dining room and he’d meet you there.”
“Thank you,” Tracy spoke for both of them.
“Welcome to the ranch, Mrs. Baretta.”
“We’re thrilled to be here. Come on, honey.”
They were almost to the dining room when a handsome, fit-looking man, probably Carson’s age and height, came forward. Though he wore a plaid shirt and jeans, with his shorter cropped black hair she could imagine him in Marine gear. His brown eyes played over her with male interest before they lit on Johnny.
“I’m Ross Livingston, Carson’s friend. You must be the brave guy who ate a buffalo burger last night.”
“Well...” He looked at Tracy. “Not all of it,” Johnny answered honestly. “It was too big.”
“I know, and I’m impressed you got through most of it.”
Tracy laughed and he joined her, provoking the same kind of cough she’d heard come out of Carson. “Excuse me,” he said after it had subsided. “It’s not contagious in case you were worried.”
“We’re not. Carson already explained.”
“Good. He got detained on the phone, but he should be here in a minute. Come into the dining room with me, Johnny, and we’ll get you served.”
They followed him. “Do you know if they have cereal?”
“Sure. What kind do you like?”
“Froot Loops.”
“You’re in luck.”
“Goody!”
Tracy refrained from bursting his bubble. Tomorrow they’d choose something else.
Ross guided them across dark, vintage hardwood floors in keeping with the Western flavor to an empty table with a red-and-white-checked cloth. A vase of fresh white daisies had been placed on each table. She found this setting charming.
When he helped them to be seated, he took a chair and handed them Saturday’s menu from the holder. “In a minute the waitress will come to take your order.”
She scanned the menu.
“Mom? Do they have hot chocolate?”
Tracy couldn’t lie. “Yes.”
“Then that’s what I want with my cereal.”
“I’ll let you have it if you’ll eat some meat. There’s sausage, bacon or ham.”
“And brook trout,” Ross interjected, smiling into her eyes as he said it.
She chuckled. “I think after the buffalo burger, we’ll hold off on the fish for another day.”
As he broke into laughter, the waitress came to the table, but she hadn’t come alone. Their host had arrived without his hat, wearing another Western shirt in a tan color. The chiseled angles of his hard-boned features drew her gaze for the second time in twelve hours. He was all male.
“Carson!”
“Hey, partner—” He sat down next to Ross and made the introductions.
“Where’s your hat?”
“I’ll put it on after breakfast.”
“I want to keep mine on.”
“Except that it might be hard to eat with it,” Tracy declared. “Let me put it on the empty chair until after.”
“Okay.”
The waitress took their orders and left.
Ross got up from the table. “Hey, Johnny, while you’re waiting for your food, I’ll take you out to the foyer and show you something amazing before I leave. Since I’ve already eaten, I have a group of guests waiting for me to take them fishing.”
“What is it?” Ross had aroused his curiosity.
“Come with me and see.”
“I’ll be right back, Mom.”
“Okay.”
As they walked away, she heard Ross say, “I’m glad you came, Johnny. We’re going to have a lot of fun while you and your mom are here.”
“Your friend is nice,” Tracy told Carson.
He studied her features for a moment, seeming to reflect on what she’d said. “He’s the best. Right now he’s showing Johnny the big moose head that was mounted years before I was born. It’s the granddaddy of them all, but you don’t see it until you’re leaving to go outside.”
“He’s fascinated by the big animals.”
“Did your husband hunt, or any of your family?”
“No.”
“I’ve never been much of a hunter, either, but my grandfather allowed licensed hunters to use the land during the hunting season, so I do, too. I much prefer to see the elk and deer alive. There’s great opportunity here to photograph the animals. I’ll show Johnny lots of spots. He can hide in the trees and take pictures of squirrels and rabbits, all the cute little forest creatures.”
“He’ll go crazy.”
“That’s the idea.”
To her consternation, Tracy found herself studying his rugged features and looked away. “There’s so much to do here, it’s hard to know where to start. When I read your brochure on the internet, I couldn’t believe it.”
He had an amazing white smile. “Most people can’t do it all. They find something they love and stick to it. That’ll be the trick with Johnny. We’ll try him out on several things and see what he likes most.”
“Mom—” He came running back into the dining room, bringing her back to the present. “You’ve got to see this moose! It’s humongous!” That was Cory’s favorite word.
“I promise I’ll get a look at it when we go outside.”
“Its head is as big as the Pierce’s minicar!”
Carson threw back his head and laughed so hard, everyone in the room looked over. As for Tracy, she felt his rich male belly laugh clear through her stomach to her toes. The laugh set off another of his coughing spells. His blue eyes zeroed in on her. “Who are the Pierces?”
“Our neighbors down the street in Sandusky.”
Johnny sat back down. “Ross thinks he looks like a supersize Bullwinkle.”
“He’s that, all right.”
Tracy smiled at him. “I have a feeling you and Ross are both big teases. Can I presume your other friend is just as bad?”
“He has his moments,” he drawled. “You’ll meet Buck tomorrow when he’s back from taking some guests on an overnight campout.”
“Can we go on one of those?”
Carson’s brilliant blue gaze switched to Johnny. “I’m planning on it.”
Johnny’s face lit up. “I want to see that elk with the giant antlers.”
“You liked that picture?”
“Yeah. It was awesome.”
“I couldn’t agree more, but I don’t know if he’s still around. My grandpa took that picture a few years ago. Tell you what. When we’re out driving and hiking, we’ll look for him.”
The waitress came with their food. Tracy’s omelet was superb. She ate all of it and was gratified to see Johnny finish his ham. Carson put away steak and eggs, then got up from the table.
“Give me five minutes and I’ll meet you out in front in the Jeep. We’ll drive over to the barn.” He coughed for a moment. “Normally we’d walk, but I’m planning to give you a tour of the property after your riding lesson. It’ll save time. The restrooms are down the hall from the front desk.”
“Thank you. The breakfast was delicious by the way.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” He turned to leave.
“See you in a minute, Carson! Don’t forget your hat!”
That kid made him chuckle. He’d done a lot of it since last evening. More than he’d done in a long time.
He walked through the doors to the kitchen and nodded to the staff. After putting some bottled water and half a dozen oranges and plums in a bag, he headed down another hall to the bedroom for his Stetson.
Making certain he had his cell on him, he headed out the rear door of the ranch with more energy than usual. Susan would phone him if there were any problems. After stashing the bag in the backseat, he started the engine and took off.
Try as he might, when he drove around the gravel drive to the front, he couldn’t take his eyes off Tracy Baretta. From the length of her sinuous body to her blond hair gleaming in the morning sun, she was a knockout. But she didn’t seem to know it. That was part of her attraction.
“There’s nothing wrong with looking,” his grandfather used to say to him. “But if a woman’s off-limits, then that’s the way you keep it.” Carson had adopted that motto and it had kept him out of a hell of a lot of trouble.
This woman was Tony Baretta’s widow and still grieving for him.
Shut it off, Lundgren.
Johnny started toward him. “Can I ride in front with you?”
“You bet.” He jumped out and went around to open both doors for them, trying to take his own advice as he helped Tracy into the backseat.
Once they got going, Johnny let out a whoop of excitement. “I’ve never ridden in a Jeep before. This is more fun than riding on a fire engine.”
“I don’t believe it.”
“It’s true!”
Carson glanced at him. “I’ve never been on one.”
“If you come back to Ohio, my uncles will let you go on their ladder truck.”
“Sounds pretty exciting. But wait till you ride a horse. You’ll love it so much, you won’t want to do anything else.”
“What’s your horse’s name?”
“I’ve had a lot of them. My latest one is a gelding named Blueberry. He’s a blue roan.”
Johnny giggled. “You have a blue horse?”
“Seeing’s believing. Wait till you meet your palomino. She’s a creamy gold color with a white mane and tail.” Almost as beautiful as your mother. “Have you thought of a name yet?”
“No.”
“That’s okay. It’ll come to you.”
They headed for the barn. He’d talked to Bert ahead of time. The pony had been put in the corral so Johnny would see it first off. He drove the Jeep around till they came to the entrance to the corral. There stood the pony in the sun. Carson stopped the Jeep.
“Oh, Johnny—look at that adorable pony!”
The boy stared for the longest time before scrambling out of the front seat. He’d left his mustang behind.
“Wait!” His mother hurried after him, but he’d already reached the fencing before she caught up to him.
Carson joined them. “Isn’t she a little beauty?”
Johnny’s head jerked toward him. The excitement on his face was worth a thousand words. “I’m going to call her Goldie.”
“That’s the perfect name for her.” The pony walked right over to them. “Good morning, Goldie. This is Johnny. He’s flown a long way to meet you.”
Carson lifted the boy so he could reach over the railing. “You notice that pretty white marking? That’s her forelock. Watch what happens when I rub it. She’s gentle and likes being touched.”
